The most commonly seen bees in Bucks County are bumble bees, honey bees, and carpenter bees, In general, bees are too busy travelling from one blossom to the next collecting nectar and pollen to be a nuisance or a danger for Bucks County homes and businesses.
When bee stings do occur, they most frequently happen as a result of being swatted at, mishandled, or feeling threatened.
Because bees are such important pollinators, it is advisable to leave them alone in most instances. However, when a colony of bees establishes its nest in, on or adjacent to a house, this can represent a significant danger to the home's occupants. This may mean that it is necessary to take action.
The removal or destruction of a bee nest is best achieved by a well-trained professional because of the extreme danger of being stung many times. With the appropriate equipment, exterminators can put an end to bee issues with little difficulty.
WHAT DO BEES LOOK LIKE?
In a honey bee colony, members may be workers, drones or queens. Colonies depend on having many industrious workers. These small bees are all females that cannot reproduce. Equipped with extra-long tongues, it is easy for these worker honey bees to collect nectar. Locating predators and food is made easier with compound eyes that are located on the sides of the bee's head. Workers have slender bodies that feature yellow and black stripes. A pollen basket is found on the hind legs.
Unlike honey bee workers, the honey bee queen usually does not leave the nest. Similar in appearance to the workers, the queen is distinguished by her larger size. Male bees in the colony are called drones, and it is their purpose to mate with the queen. The drone's body is stouter and slightly longer than the worker, but it is usually only seen in a flying swarm at mating time.
Bumblebees are larger, fuzzier and more rounded than honey bees. With short and stubby wings, the bumblebee's ability to fly seems improbable. Adults of the species may reach an ultimate length of one inch. The hairy bodies most frequently are striped with yellow and black, but some of the species may feature more unusual coloring like red or orange. A pollen basket on the rear legs helps the bumblebee to gather food. Males do not have a stinger, and their abdomen is more rounded than the female's. Frequently mistaken for bumblebees, the carpenter bee may look similar to this other species, but they are far less hairy. Their abdomens generally are shiny rather than fuzzy. Moreover, they tend to have more black than yellow on their bodies. Carpenter bees have a relatively wide size range from just one-half inch up to one-and-a-half inches.
WHAT DO BEES EAT?
Nectar and pollen are the preferred foods for most bees. Nectar is a sugary substance that is produced by many different blossoms. Because of its sugar content, it is an excellent source of energy. Pollen is filled with protein, which also helps to satisfy the bee's nutritional needs.
Bumblebee colonies make honey by chewing a mixture of saliva and pollen. This honey is fed not only to the colony's queen but also its young.
Similarly, honey bees eat a diet of pollen and nectar, converting some of the nectar into honey that is the only food source of the colony's larvae. Some of the young in the nest will be designated as future queens. In this case, they are fed a substance that worker bees secrete called royal jelly.
WHERE DO BEES LIVE?
Honey bees are social insects that live in large colonies. Frequently, a honey bee nest may be found in a wooded area, orchard, meadow or garden. The colony may build a nest inside a hollow tree or on the underside of a large rock or fallen tree. These nests are made from wax that worker bees secrete from abdominal glands.
Similarly, bumblebees are a social species. It is not unusual for their colonies to include between 50 and 500 members. Bumblebees are most likely to build their nests either at the surface of the ground or beneath it. A stretch of ground with a heavy cover of debris, a woodpile or compost pile or an abandoned animal burrow all may provide ideal nesting conditions.
Unlike other bee species, carpenter bees are solitary. Their preferred nesting habitat is wood into which they burrow to build tunnels and galleries. Trees are the most likely nesting site, but carpenter bees will use outdoor furniture, fences, decks, woodpiles and buildings. If infestations go unnoticed for some time, the damage can become significant.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY BEES
Most bee species are not responsible for any destruction to property. This especially is true when their nests are built in the midst of a forest or meadow. However, bee hives can be quite large and heavy. When they are placed hanging from the eaves of a home or are concealed within a wall void, this can put extraordinary pressure on the structure. Abandonment of the nest will cause it to rot, leading to moisture, mold and mildew issues.
The carpenter bee tends to be more destructive thanks to their tunneling behavior. Wood that is unfinished, unpainted or in some way damaged is most vulnerable to attack by carpenter bees. Initially, the damage is minimal, and this is the optimum time to end the infestation. The building's structural integrity may be undermined by a large infestation.
ARE BEES AGGRESSIVE?
Bees mostly seem to ignore people unless they believe that their nest is threatened or they are handled or otherwise molested. Males may dart and fly aggressively around the nest, but without stingers, this is only for show.
Female bees can sting only once, and they die shortly afterward.
DO BEES CARRY DISEASE?
For most people, bee stings are an uncomfortable nuisance. Those who are allergic or who receive multiple stings may have a stronger reaction involving intense swelling and redness that may require medical treatment.
People who are susceptible to severe reactions may experience a weak pulse, problems with breathing, swelling in the throat and dizziness.
HOW TO DETECT BEES
Signs of a bee control issue include:
• Loud buzzing noises indoors and out • Active hives found on or next to structures • Wood is marred by perfectly round holes • Walls or ceilings display dark patches • Many bees are found outdoors or even inside
HOW TO PREVENT BEES
To help protect against bee problems the following steps should be taken :
• Completely remove old nests and honeycombs from old infestations • Get rid of outdoor clutter • Seal up holes in building exteriors • Paint or stain outdoor wood • Place plants and trees that bloom away from structures
HOW TO TREAT FOR BEES
Newtown Termite & Pest Control understands how vital bumble bees and honey bees are to the local ecosystem. As such, we recommend contacting a local bee keeper for the safe removal of bumble bees and honey bees from area homes and businesses.
At the same time, we also utilize a multi-faceted approach for treating problematic species. Our methodology involves making use of the most appropriate detection, prevention, and treatment methods available. By combining these measures, we ensure that your home or business remains free of wasps, hornets, and carpenter bees.
