Bee Busters Inc (804) 285-BEES (2337)

REALISTIC EXPECTIONS

By knowing the life history of a pest insect, a more opportune time for the insect’s elimination can be picked. NO INSECT SPECIES HAS EVER BEEN PERMANENTLY ERADICATED (BUT I AM BEGiNNING TO WONDER). The best we can hope for is to clear an area for a period of time.

After a consulting inspection we will be able to tell you what is occurring and our fees. The cost of eliminating the problem varies with the type of insect, location of the nest, proximity to power lines, number of entrances sealed, number of trips, chemicals used, type of attic or crawl space. The cost of the consulting inspection is included in our price. If the nest has been treated prior to our arrival, the job can be greatly complicated.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT

Certain areas of the pest control industry do have a genuine need for the use of highly toxic chemicals. We at Bee Busters, Inc., however, prefer pest exclusion methods or “non-toxic” chemicals. We are proud of the methods developed in our research department and we back up almost all of our work with six months to one year of service if it is needed. If you have further problems with insects, they are usually experienced within the first 7 to 10 days after completion of the work.

INSECT STINGS

It has been recommended by Ann Harmond, noted immunologist, that beekeepers should get at least 200 stings per year in order to maintain a stable body chemistry. If beekeepers are not stung for long periods of time, our body chemistry can change, and when stung again we are more susceptible to anaphylactic shock. For example, if a person has not been stung for years or is on medication, there is a higher probability that the sting could cause a serious reaction or even death. Identifying the stinging insects that are potentially dangerous to you is very important knowledge for you to have. Depending on the severity of your allergy, your physician may instruct you in the use of an emergency self-treatment kit for insect stings. Many allergic people now lead freer, happier lives because of the newer methods of immunization. We at Bee Busters, Inc. strongly urge you to get immunized if you are allergic. Consult your doctor for details. Insect stings to babies and the elderly also present a high risk situation.

If insects are not numerous, most homeowners can handle the job on their own if they are not allergic to stings. If you tackle such a job, be sure to protect your eyes, since a sting in the eyeball can result in loss of vision. Almost any stinging insect is able to sting over and over. The exception is the honey bee, which has barbs in its stinger to affix the stinger in you. For most of us, a sting is a discomfort, but it does have the advantage of keeping our localized chemical reaction to a minimum the next time we are stung.

RED WASPS

Red wasps have been described as orange, red, or dark brown and have been called orange hornets. They are large and fairly uniform in color. Toward the fall of the year on a hot day they will cluster around an entrance hole or crack. One wasp will bite his neighbor and the “free for all” is on, resulting in a cluster of insects breaking off from the main body of insects and tumbling down the roof to fall into the air. Very few, if any, of the insects ever hit the ground, but if you are underneath, it can give you a startle. If you have one nest like this, you probably have more, though maybe not as big. These insects winter well from the shelter of your home and will multiply. I have observed three nests in one dormer, and if this is your situation you probably have them in other places also.

The good news about this insect is that it does not chew through sheetrock as with European and Yellow Hornets (Yellow Jackets). Also, considerably fewer people are stung by these Red Wasps as compared to Yellow Jackets because their nests are usually in places where people do not go.

Red Wasps are hard to eliminate because their long legs keep them well above the poison. Their smooth hairless body means that the poison is less likely to stick. Insects with hair groom themselves more and are more likely to take in poison when they do. And finally, the next itself is often far from the entrance, which means the poisons would not necessarily get to the cocoons. Or all of the adults. More often than not there are other nests which we are not aware of. The nest can be small and not have a lot of activity. If it is cool or rainy there may be even less movement.

It is to the homeowner’s advantage to find all of the nest sites so that we can treat all of the sites at one time. When a site is missed, an additional trip for that missed nest costs the homeowner. We do our best to find all of the nests the first time but the nest sites do not always show themselves at the time we are there.

One customer had originally counted four nest sites, which is a lot. The first time I circled the house, I found four more When circling again, three more were found. Timing is everything in spotting the nests. At a time when the sun is the hottest, you are more likely to spot most of the nests.

The large number of nest sites indicates that there had probably been a problem for a number of years. This means that more often than not, we at Bee Busters, Inc. will get a call that there are more recently discovered nests or that one of the nest sites that we had treated earlier is still very much alive and active. Please do not hesitate to call because we do back up our work.