Pound for pound, the bee must get more respect than any creature on earth! The reason for this isn’t its looks but its tail. Most of us like the honey they produce. Honey is so safe that it is one of the few unregulated foods. Yes, bees are worthy of our admiration. But that all ends when they move into our homes to set up their hive.
The venon in the sting of a bee makes it serious business to try to get rid of them. One sting hurts but multiple stings could even be fatal. In fact, close to 100 people a year die of bee stings. Take your weight and multiply by ten and that is how many stings could be fatal to you. It doesn’t take much math to realize that, since the average hive has 20,000 bees, a group attack could be serious!
In the southern states, from Texas to California, Africanized or killer bees exacerbate the problem. Their sting is not more poisonous, but they are much more aggressive and will track a fleeing target much further.
Another problem is that bees are very important to our food chain. It is estimated they are responsible for 1/3 of our entire food source. So we need bees around, just not in the house. The dilemma is the benefit of pollination versus the danger of you or your children getting stung.
Several old wives’ tales have passed along about methods of getting rid of bees. The first is the notion that, if you get rid of flowers and flowering trees, bees will find somewhere else to live. Instead, bees may stay at your house but look for flowers even miles away.
The second myth is that, if bees are in your walls, simply seal up the entry holes and they will die. They most likely will bore their way out somehow. If this does kill them, the honey they leave behind will liquefy and attract other bees. It actually makes matters worse!
A third false notion is that bees attract other bees directly with a pheromone or chemical scent from their bodies, whether dead or alive. Rather, it is the pheromone from the honey itself, and the honeycomb that attracts bees. Thus, to leave the hive in the wall, whether bees are dead or not, again invites bees to return.
The number one goal of getting rid of bees is to remove the honey! This is the bees’ fuel and the magnet for other bees. Of course, this is easier said than done if the hive is in a hard-to-reach place. But until this is done, any success you have in getting rid of bees is only temporary.
After this is done, be sure to eliminate any entrances for bees to start over in the same location. Check for any small entrances for these tiny creatures don’t need much space. Get plenty of caulk.
If the problem is too big for you to handle, don’t be hesitant to call on a reliable pest control company. If they guarantee their work, they will return until the problem is solved. Their skill may well be worth the expense to provide you with peace of mind.
If you’re located in the Eastern Wisconsin area, I’d highy recommend the services of Prompt Action Pest Control. They have been providing full service pest control in Wausau for over 35 years. You can find them when searching for Wisconsin pest control, or call 1 (877) 877-6678 today.