All posts in “sting”

Spring is here, the Bees say so!

 

probestpestmanagement2014032195161018      probestpestmanagement2014032195144959

Did you know Africanized Honeybees swarm 30 more often than the European Honeybees? Spring has sprung and we are getting calls, here are a few tips:

  1. Don’t Panic when they decide to swarm on a tree, bush or fence. Its nature way of reproduction.
  2. Leave them alone, they will probably move on.
  3. When they swarm they take in as much honey as they can, this tends to make them a little more docile. They are not defending a hive yet, but that doesn’;t mean that they won’t sting. Use caution and Bee Safe.

 

What triggers the attack of Africanized Honeybees?

 

Loud noises or vibrations,  sometimes just the smell – maybe aftershave or cologne and for sure don’t throw things. Here is some information from WikiHow at http://www.wikihow.com/Escape-from-Killer-Bees with pictures.

An incident this last week in Tucson can remind us of the dangers that surround us. Children at an early stage should be instructed in what is good and what is bed in nature. That is one reason why Dr. Bug teaches a class at the Chandler Environmental Education Center.

beesflying

Where will bees take up residence?

 

We all need to bee aware in Arizona and pretty much all of the South U.S. This is an example of why, this picture is a water meter box and if you look close you will see honeybees going in and out of the entrance . What would happen if children were playing and ran across the lid, or fell on the meter box?

probestpestmanagementIMAG0605

 

What would happen if you decided to check your water meter box and lifted the lid without seeing the bees, catastrophe well maybe? So please see the checklist below and use caution in and around your home!

  1. Check your home monthly especially in the Spring and Fall, check eaves and roof-line.
  2. Check your property, sheds and storage.
  3. Keep an eye out for meter boxes or electrical boxes.
  4. If a swarm enters your property and alights on a tree branch, wait – they may move. If they go to and from your home, then it is time to call.
  5. Remember bees don’t know a dog house from a tree.
  6. Remember if you decide to treat, you can’t call the bees back once they are excited and upset.

Which is worse – bite of spider or sting of a scorpion?

 

I know you really want a straight up answer but nothing is ever so simple. It depends on the spider and scorpion: basic facts

  • Both are venomous, they inject venom.
  • Just like a bee sting – you could be allergic and die from just one bite or sting.
  • Emperor scorpions – the ones they sell in pet stores, if they stung you it would be like a bee sting – again unless you’re allergic.
  • Tarantula – even though they can be huge and scary, probably wouldn’t kill you. (Just for the record, if one got that close to me – that in itself could kill me).
  • As I said lets do a little comparison – Black Widow spider versus Bark Scorpion. On average, four people in the U.S. die every year from spider bites and none of those deaths are caused by black widow spiders.Symptoms include  five days of pain, muscle cramping, night sweats,  incoherence and unusual delirium. There was a case in Colorado in 2011 where someone was possibly bitten by a black widow 19 times and died, but the coronor ruled it natural causes.

What are centipedes?

What are centipedes? Spiders or insects?

 

probestpestmanagementIMAG0212

This Arizona Centipede is actually an arthropod (arthropods are organisms that have segmented bodies, a jointed skeleton and paired jointed limbs. They include such creatures as spiders, centipedes and insects) that has an elongated body with one pair of legs per segment. So really neither spider or insect but a creature all it’s own. They range in size from less than an inch to several inches. The smaller, brown and tan, common desert centipede does bite, it can be painful but not deadly to humans.

The centipede is one of the oldest animals on Earth having evolved into the form it is today, millions of years ago. The centipede has been found in fossils dating over 400 million years old.

Remember, venom = active, poison = passive. Call 1-800-222-1222 Poison Control for additional information.

What is Anaphylactic shock?

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.

helpbadge

Bees, beeswax, honeycomb and prevention!

Did you know that Africanized Honeybees swarm up to 10x’s as often as the European Honeybees. So is there anything that can be done to protect and possible discourage honeybees from taking up residence in your building. Once you kill the bees the honey, beeswax and honeycomb often times remain and can cost untold amounts of money. So sometimes you can be proactive and help yourself tremendously.

The Cone Style Trap is a large “flower pot” style container that is made from wood pulp. The general idea here is to place these units in an area known to get swarms, the bees will scout out the swarm box and take up residence thus preventing  the swarm going to a structure. ** Nothing can make the bees go to this box, they must find it. There is no guarantee that the bees will not choose your structure. Depending on the footprint of your building and property, it would be wise to add a number of these strategically located to ensure that the bees find one.

I always suggest that you contact a Pest Management Professionals for Africanized Honeybees, once aggravated its hard to go back and start over!

I suggest you wear your shoes!

I suggest you wear your shoes!

 

It’s dark outside and you need to run to the garage, so you ask yourself “Should I put on my shoes?” – The answer is an unequivocal – YES. Bark Scorpions pack a sting that could send you to the hospital and this whopper – Desert Hairy Scorpion will sting you but generally is not as bad as the Bark Scorpion.

Harvester Ants…

Harvester Ants…

    

Harvester Ants –  OK I’ve never been stung by this ant but they say this is the ant to avoid. People compare the sting of the Red Imported Fire Ant and still rank the Harvester as the nastiest little stinger of the pair. This ant is quite noticeable due to the large area of vegetation that is cleared away. They gather seeds and will eat other insects. There was a nest of this ant up north that whenever I visited I would bring sunflower seeds and one year the nest was gone. Probably moved on or got destroyed.

Contact Us