Posts Tagged ‘Africanized Honeybees’

How do those honeybees get into your home?

As you can see any crack or crevice that they can squeeze into, as long as there is room inside to build a honeycomb to raise future bees. The bees have also decided that they only work on Sunday’s, cause that is the only day I get the calls.

The one thing I have noticed is that the new colonies are smaller probably indicating Africanized Honeybee’s. The weird factor in this is that the last 3 swarms or colonies have not been very aggressive probably due to just moving into their new digs.

How can you remove honeycomb from a structure?

Honeybees can take up residence in any home if there is space available and sometimes they don’t make it easy to get to them.We don’t always remove the honeycomb, it is not always necessary. Maybe the bees haven’t been there very long or it is just impossible to get to as the case above is. depending on the location you may have to cut stucco, or come in from the inside out and this all involves dismantling and construction. All of this is time consuming and somewhat dangerous unless you know what you are doing.

Sometimes it is necessary to call in someone with more construction ability than I have. If it involves cutting stucco or getting into a brick structure then I think you need a professional that understands construction and building plans.

The bees are coming! How do I know?

The weather has warmed up and we had a great deal of rain, that is going to equal a lot of bug. With the temperatures today in the high 80′s you can bet the Africanized Honeybee’s who swarm more often anyway are all ready making brood to divide the colony.

The hive mind decides on the event and all of a sudden the colony is at it’s maximun and they swarm. One-half or so of the colony depart in a frenzy, they may alight on a branch and then send scouts out to find a new home. Once located the Queen will check it out and if she is happy they will move into their new home.

Here are a few facts about the swarm:

• The bees will have taken on additional honey, typically they are more docile when full. But they might still sting, just less likely to become agitated unless they are defending their home. Swarm tend to be more docile!
• The old Queen moves with the new swarm, she is fertile and more likely to succeed in a new build. The honeycomb is difficult work, so the stress on the entire colony is BIG.
• The new Queen probably not yet fertile, she will take a mating flight after the swarm leaves. It is possible for her to become a free lunch for a bird or other insect, if she fails to return the old hive still has the ability to create a Queen from previous eggs.
• Africanized honeybees swarm up to 10x more then European Honeybees.

How to get ready for the Spring bug season?

1. The more feeder bugs could equal more scorpions or spiders on your property and eventually inside your home, pest control is important.
2. Check your home for cracks and crevices where bugs and rodents try to get in.
3. Don’t store stuff around the foundation of your home.
4. If you do have firewood, store it on something and away from the house.
5. Check your storage areas for pests.
6. Don’t over water things, to much water may kill plants and encourage more bug activity.

As always if you become overwhelmed don’t let it go and hope for the best. Call a Pest Management Professional who can either give you advice or give you a hand. A great site for information on seeking a Professional is http://www.pestworld.org

What is Anaphylactic shock?

Anaphylaxis is a severe, whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that has become an allergen. After being exposed to a substance such as bee sting venom, the person’s immune system becomes sensitized to it. It is estimated that more than 400 people die each year in the U.S. from bee stings.  This reaction can lead to difficulty breathing and shock ultimately leading to death.

•  A single bee sting, for example, may not cause an allergic reaction the first time.
•  Another bee sting may produce a sudden, severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.

Experts say that between 1% to 15% of the US population is at risk of having an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to at least one allergen – they add that these figures vary according to various definitions of a reaction. Approximately 1% of those with anaphylaxis may consequently die.

Only a very limited portion of the population (one or two out of 1000) is allergic or hypersensitive to bee or wasp stings. The average person can safely tolerate 10 stings per pound of body weight. This means that although 500 stings could kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1100 stings.

If you are unsure – call 911 immediately or Poison Control 1-888-222-1222 for more information.