Bees & Wasps

Ticks & Fleas

Thursday, August 21, 2008

About Bees
The honeybee, bumblebee and carpenter bee belong to the same family. The bumblebee is a docile social insect living in a hive that may contain a population up to 80,000 bees. The honeybee and bumble are beneficial insects that produce honey and wax and are the pollinators of many crops and plants. Often the honeybee and bumblebee build nests in the walls of homes or businesses.

It is then when these useful insects become pests. Honey bees and bumblebees can sting and often cause allergic reactions in animals and humans. Although most bees will not attack humans or animals unless disturbed, the proximity of a nest to living or working quarters increases the likelihood of a sting.

Carpenter Bees are closely related to the bumblebee, a solitary bee which builds it’s nest in wood such as trees, fence posts, rafters, siding, gutters, and beams of houses. Although the carpenter bee has the ability to sting, it rarely does. The potential for harm for this insect is in the structural damage cased by nesting and chewing or drilling of wood.

What You Should Do
Midsummer is the time of year when the bee population reaches its height. Because of the potential of stinging and undiscovered allergic reactions, a Professional Pest Control Expert should be called. Residents of homes and businesses often fog the premises creating a situation where the bees depart only to have the nest re-filled by ‘robber’ bees.

About Wasps
The most common insect in the wasp group is the yellow jacket. Yellow jackets, like the honey and bumblebee, are mainly beneficial because they eat other insects considered pests. Plant fibers are chewed and mixed with saliva to produce the nesting material, which has a paper-like consistency. In colder areas, including New Jersey, the nest is abandoned over the winter.

A new site is selected in the spring and, over the course of the spring and summer, the nest population increases so that a colony may consist of 300 to 100,000 cells. Yellow jackets usually nest in the ground, creating underground cavities. They can also be found in attics, shrubbery or the eaves of houses. Yellow jackets will become aggressive and sting repeatedly when defending the nest.

Taking Control
A professional should only handle control of yellowjackets. Proper destruction of the nest is a necessary component of wasp control. Because of the aggressive nature of the yellowjacket, only properly trained and equipped Pest Control Professionals should be called.

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