ABOUT BEES
Bees are typically welcome in Levittown area gardens, orchards and farm fields because they are industrious pollinators. Nonetheless, harmful encounters may ensue between these stinging insects and humans when bees establish a colony close to or within a human habitation. Moreover, in the case of carpenter bees, buildings may be damaged by the activity of these pests.
Bees further are a potential threat to human health. A person who is allergic to a bee sting may be subject to a dangerous, and perhaps fatal, reaction. Even someone who does not have an allergy may have a severe reaction if they receive multiple stings.
Removing the bees' nest is essential to eliminating the problem, but this is a job that should only be attempted by a professional. This minimizes the risk of the property's inhabitants suffering a sting and ensures that the problem is dealt with effectively. When honey bees, bumble bees or carpenter bees invade, an exterminator's assistance is essential.
APPEARANCE
As insects, bees have six legs and a pair of sensitive antennae. They also have wings, which provide them with their main means of transportation. Honey bees are quite small, frequently just half an inch when fully grown. It is possible to identify honey bees by their small size, slim profile and distinctive brown-and-yellow stripes.
Bumble bees are readily distinguishable from honey bees because they may be as much as an inch long, and their profile is significantly rounder. Viewed close up, the bumble bee is obviously covered in dense hair. Like honey bees, bumble bees are striped with either brown or black and yellow.
While carpenter bees are similar in length to bumble bees, their shape tends to be more slender. Their coloration is quite different as well. Purple, blue, black and green all are frequently seen, and the head may feature noticeable yellow marks. Carpenter bees are less hairy than bumble bees.
DIET
Bees require continuous access to blooming plants and trees to obtain the pollen and nectar on which they survive. Spring and summer are their busiest seasons, and this also is when they are most likely to be encountered in gardens and green spaces.
Because bees rely on sugary substances for nutrition, they are drawn to numerous human and pet foods. Favorites include sodas, fruit juices, salad dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, jam, syrup and honey.
HABITATS
Honey bees prefer to build elevated nests. Consequently, it is common to find their hives suspended from eaves and overhangs or from a tree or shrub. Hive placement is of strategic importance, ensuring access to a food supply. This means that most nests are found close to meadows, pastures, gardens or crops.
Bumble bees prefer an underground nest. An old animal burrow is ideal, but the resourceful bumble bee also will make use of a natural cavity beneath a rock or fallen tree. If there is a gap or crack in the foundation of a building, this similarly may serve as a nest.
Wood provides the ideal nesting habitat for carpenter bees. Fences, decks, shutters and outdoor furniture all may be concealing a nest of these pests. Because carpenter bees prefer wood that is beginning to rot or decay, they also may nest in eaves, attics or basements where these conditions exist. Alternatively, carpenter bees have been discovered nesting behind siding.
PROBLEMS WITH BEES
Bees can make people uneasy when establish a nest too close to Levittown homes and businesses. human habitation. That is because bees behave in a territorial manner, and will dart or fly aggressively toward anyone who gets too close to the nest. Such behavior is especially distressing to people who are allergic to stings, but even people who are not may be made uncomfortable by this behavior.
Additional problems may be the result when bees build their nests within wall cavities or otherwise inside human habitations. Not only do these locations make confrontations inevitable but also they can cause damage to the building. A particularly large nest strains the structural components, adding pressure that the building may not have been designed to withstand. Moreover, when the nest is abandoned in the fall, it will begin to rot. This frequently leads to mold and mildew issues that require extensive repair.
BEHAVIOR
Bees are industrious insects that are focused on collecting nectar and pollen and constructing their hive. Accordingly, they tend to ignore people unless they feel threatened. Stings are more likely to occur when people are in close proximity to the bees' nest, where their territorial instincts are heightened.
Bee activity peaks during the daylight hours, and the species tends to return to the nest as the sun sets. Spring, summer and early fall are the seasons in which bee activity is most likely to be observed. Colonies typically die off as the cold weather settles in.
HEALTH ISSUES
Unlike many wasps and hornets, bees typically are capable of delivering only a single sting. When a non-allergic individual is the victim, they may suffer pain and minimal swelling for a few hours or up to a couple of days.
The situation is different when someone stumbles into a nest of bees. This may incite the entire colony to attack, resulting in a multitude of stings. People who do not have an allergy to bee stings may be subject to a severe reaction in this situation. Immediate medical attention may be required.
Other people have a known allergy to bee stings. For them, even a single sting may have fatal consequences. Severe pain and swelling typically ensue. This swelling occurs not just on the site of the sting but also over the entire body. Occasionally, the throat will swell, and breathing will become labored and difficult. With nausea, vomiting, chills and low blood pressure ensuing, it is imperative for these individuals to receive medical care without delay.
SIGNS OF AN INFESTATION
The following signs are indications that professional bee control may be a necessary:
• Having winged, buzzing insects "dive bomb" people when they venture outdoors
• Discovering bees inside dwellings
• Noticing a bees' nest on or close to a building
• Seeing bee swarms on the property
• Reporting several stinging incidents
PREVENTION TIPS
To help prevent bee issues the following precautions should be utilized:
• Use garbage cans with tight lids
• Regularly clean garbage cans
• Routinely inspect building exteriors for signs of bee nests
• Look for and cover any holes or cracks in building exteriors
• Place blooming plants away from buildings
BEE CONTROL
For effective treatment of a bee issue, rely on a licensed pest control service to identify, locate, and properly treat all of the bees and beehives on the property.
SafeGuard Pest Control has been providing bee treatment for their Levittown clients for over 20 years. With decades of experience in the business, you can count on SafeGuard to safely and effectively treat any type of bee problem.
