Florida Bee Removal

Bee Removal Explained

2010-02-12T11:06:00.002-05:00

Bee Removal Explained

When using the term Bee Removal we are talking about the extermination of honey bees inside a structure and the extraction of their nest. This is an important distinction from both bee control and simple extermination. When dealing with honeybees one must also deal with their honey. If the honey is left in certain structures after eliminating the bees several problems occur. First, the nest is no longer temperature regulated by the bees themselves. What this means is that the honey they have stored inside their nest will become hot, eventually ferment, and then burst from the cells of honeycomb. When this happens honey will almost always enter the structure into the interior. When honey does this it is nearly impossible to clean and it will destroy sheetrock and other interior materials, and depending on the amount of honey (from a few to nearly a hundred pounds) this can go on for weeks to months. Secondly, parasites will enter your home. Small hive beetles will come and dine on the now unprotected nest and lay eggs that hatch into a larva very similar to fly maggots which will now enter the structure. These can number in the thousands, a literal invasion. Mice, roaches and ants will also begin a feast, ultimately creating a much bigger problem than the bees themselves. Lastly, you will have honey bees back into your structure. It's just the nature of bees and their efficiency to try to find a home where other bees have lived. They will find a suitable cavity to create a colony for themselves and some hive parts to begin creating a nest. Back to square one for you, only to pay an exterminator for the pleasure of reliving this all over again. The solution- always seek out expert professional advice on bee removal from specialized companies who deal with bee, wasp and hornet problems as matter of routine. Never hire a general pest control company who deals with stinging insects as a sideline- they just will not have the knowhow or equipment to deal with something as complex or difficult as a honey bee nest extraction.
Now, when choosing a bee removal company you should ask them several key questions:

1. Do you repair my structure after you've removed the bee nest?
2. Do you seal up the point of entry so I don't have bees in the future?
3. How much are you going to charge?

This will tell you great deal about the company you are speaking with. For instance, Alltek Bee Removal technicians are trained to seal the structure every time they do a bee job. This saves you from paying for a job twice that should have been done right the first time. Also, they replace any part of a structure they have dismantled while removing a bee nest, typically leaving you with nothing more than a bit a finish work. Never hire a company who doesn't do this- they may take a hammer to your wall and leave you with a bill for repairs that cost much more than the bee work itself. And finally, when receiving a quote from us you're given a flat fee with a range, and we never exceed our upper quote. Beware of companies that charge by the hour. Their rate of $125 per hour sounds pretty good until you see the bill for six hours work.
Below you'll find a roster of very typical bee problems in Florida that would almost certainly require bee removal, enjoy:

Soffit under eves:
Bees love this spot. The void under a typical soffit is almost exactly the same dimensions as a standard beekeeping box. And bee boxes weren't designed by accident. What our technicians do is pull back the soffit, remove the nest and replace the soffit, sealing it up to prevent future re-infestation. If any step in this process is skipped, you almost certainly will be seeing new bees arriving very soon.

Here is the tell tale sign that honeybees have entered your soffit area.

This is what we find when the soffit is pulled away. This nest looks to be very old and has been there for quite some time. This nest was removed by our technician, the soffit put back in place and then sealed properly.

Mobile homes:
When we get a call from a mobile home owner complaining of a bee problem it's almost always bees under the mobile inside the vapor barrier. What happens is that over time the vapor barrier separates from the underside of the mobile home and droops down. Because the underside provides shade and is a bit cooler through the summer it's irresistible to honey bee swarms looking for a new home. Our technicians are trained to carefully pull back the vapor barrier and the insulation found above it and remove the honey bee nest entirely. They then attach the vapor barrier back to the mobile and seal up any possible entry way for future swarms. Once again, a permanent solution to a very common bee problem.

If you look closely you can see bees flying around the block under this mobile home. A sure fire sign that honey bees have moved in.

This is what it looks like from the technician's point of view once the vapor barrier and insulation has been pulled back under the mobile home. You can see the last remnants of honeycomb where the technician has scraped it off. He'll clean the rest of the comb off and then gently put the insulation back into place. The vapor barrier goes up next with special attention given to any sags. He then seals up any points of entry that any new swarms might take advantage of, and you're given a job done well.

Wood framed home:
In wood framed homes here in Florida there very often is no, or very little, insulation in the walls. This means that the framing structure behind your siding or interior walls are hollow. This creates a very nice place for honey bees to set up shop. Unfortunately, once they do, and they've had time to create a colony of substantial size, the nest must be removed after extermination. If the nest is left in your walls honey will come into your home destroying the interior and potentially creating a very large bill for damages. To complicate things even further, an unguarded nest invites parasites such as the small hive beetle, roaches, ants and mice. And the worst part about not having the honey comb removed is that bees will return to start the cycle all over again. Don't make this costly error if you own a wood framed home, make sure your bee work is done by a capable and experienced company.

Here is a typical house here in Florida with wood framed construction. You can clearly see the void that was created inside the wall. Honey bee nests must always be removed from this style of home.

Window and door frames in concrete block homes:
Normally in a concrete block home it is impossible to perform a honeybee nest extraction without causing damage to the integrity of the structure. In most instances we would perform bee control instead of bee removal except when bees have decided to make their home around the windows and doors. Some homes have bay windows and large cavities around their doors and windows as a part of the style of the construction. When this happens it is important to find and remove the nest.

Shed:
Bees love sheds. The style of construction of most sheds in Florida is a raised floor with no skirting around the outside perimeter. Much like mobile homes this creates a shady place for bee swarms to build their nests. Our technicians generally remove a section of the floor to expose the nest and then extract it. They then replace the floor leaving instructions on how to backfill the base of the shed to stop new bees from entering.
Also, much like wood framed homes, sheds don't have insulation in their walls. Again, this creates a perfect cavity for honeybees to build a colony. When this happens our technicians follow the same procedure as for wood framed homes.

These bees chose to build their nest in the wall of this shed. They'd been there a long time indicated by the size of this nest.

Water and electric meters honey bees:
The voids inside an electric or water box are quite a bit smaller than what a normal honey bee swarm would prefer. When we get a call of this nature we are extra cautious. If it turns out that the bees are honeybees instead of wasps or yellow jackets then they are almost always Africanized "killer" bees, and demand the utmost respect. Once the bees are eliminated the nest is removed from the meter and sealed accordingly.

Trees:
With trees, unfortunately, there is no easy way to remove a swarm or bee colony once it has entered the trunk without causing enormous damage to the tree. What we do then is spray to exterminate the bees and then seal up the tree to keep out future swarms.

Don't Get Stung!

Call for your fast free quote today!

1.877.455.BEES(2337)

Testimonials

2010-02-12T10:50:00.006-05:00

What are people just like you saying about Alltek Bee Removal everyday......

"I highly recommend Alltek for bee removal. Frank was the person sent out to our home and with efficient service, the bees were removed in less than 1 hour. The hive was directly over my garage and the quick response service that I received was awesome. I will recommend them to everyone I know for a bee problem." -Susan, Land O Lakes, FL

"We appreciate the professionalism, and honesty, not to mention a job well done. We would recommend Alltek without hesitation." -Grace Lutheran Church, Saint Petersburg, FL

"Great company. They really are the bee control experts. If you're in Florida and you have a bee problem call these guys." -Larry, Fort Myers, FL

"They were excellent. Alltek saved the day! I would highly recommend them!" -Pamela, Zephyrhills, FL

"They did a great job. They came right back and took care of our concerns after the job was completed. I'm very happy." -Betty, Tampa, FL

"Great job- we'd recommend them to anyone." -Cindy, St. Petersburg, FL

"The guy did a great job-they took care of the bees." -Lois, Zephyrhills, FL

"I was happy. They did a great job at a fair price." -Cindy, Tampa, FL

"These guys are awesome. They were right on time, and my bee problems were handled quickly. I'd recommend them anywhere." -Scott, St. Petersburg, FL

"They do excellent work. They'll be the first people I recommend if someone has a bee problem." - Matt, Naples, FL

...and the list goes on and on. Join the club of the most satisfied bee removal customers in Florida. You'll be glad you did.

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Why choose Alltek Bee Removal LLC?

1.   We provide fast, free and honest estimates.
2.   We have the most experienced, most knowledgeable technicians in the business, which means your bee problem is taken care of the first time everytime.
3.   We offer same day and emergency service  to ensure that your family or your customers are safer, faster.
4.   We do LIVE honey bee removals at every opportunity which means you're helping the environment everytime you call in our experts.
5.   We're fully licensed and insured for your protection.
6.   We use proprietary equipment found nowhere else in the pest control industry to help ensure you have a permanant solution.
7.   We offer packages designed to meet any budget and we'll beat any competitors price which means you save money while still getting the best bee and wasp control service in Florida.
8.   Our technicians specialize in honey bee nest extraction which is a step most pest control professionals skip.
9.   We answer the phone every time a customer calls which means you will talk to a real live knowledeable person about all of your stinging insect concerns.
10. Our ironclad no risk Guarantee on nest extraction in the exact same location means that we take great pride in our work and never leave our customers hanging.

Don't Get Stung!

Call for your fast free quote today!
1.877.455.BEES(2337)

About us!

2010-02-11T20:28:00.010-05:00

Meet your friends at Alltek Bee Removal LLC ...

Alltek Bee Removal LLC is a family run business. Within our family we have gathered a vast amount of skills including construction, business management, OSHA expertise, even having one graduate in the medical field, but most importantly-beekeeping. Beekeeping is in our roots with most members of our family having practiced the art at one time or another and some of us even taking our talents to a commercial level. By taking these skills and adding them together we've become Florida's number one bee and wasp removal business. How does this help you? Quite simply it brings the best minds with the most experience under one roof to guarantee that your bee problem will always be solved the first time every time.

Our competion talks about university education as a skill they're bringing to the table. That's fine, we're educated too, but what about real hands on honest to goodness experience with bees and their behaviors? That's something you just can't learn in entomology 101. It has to be learned by an individual through actually going out and having practiced beekeeping. That's where we shine. Our technicians have the experience and know how to assess your bee problem in a matter of seconds. How do they do this? A number of ways, but it all boils down to having been around bees our whole lives. Ask our competitors how much time they've spent in the field with bees. Their answers may suprise you.

Further, one major difference seperates us from our competitors. Bees, wasps, yellow jackets and hornets are all we do. We don't handle any other insects. Bee and wasp removal and control isn't a sideline for us, or just another department in a pest control business-it's our specialty. You can count on the fact that Alltek Bee Removal and our technicians are the true bee experts here in Florida. We are continually evolving and striving to make you, the home or business owner, safer and more satisfied.

Lastly, we urge you to think about your family and the public whenever you're going to make a decision on something as important as who'll take care of your bee problems. A lot of companies come and go. A lot of companies forget about you after the sale. Our pledge to you is that we'll handle any and every bee problem to the best of our ability, and we'll never leave you hanging. We back this up with our ironclad risk free Guarantee on any hive removal in the exact same spot. That's something our competitors wouldn't dare to do.

Call for your fast free quote today!
You'll be glad you did!

1.877.455.BEES(2337)

Frequently asked questions!

2010-02-11T20:27:00.011-05:00

Q: Are they honeybees or some other kind of bee? A: Honeybees are shades of brown with black stripes on the abdomen. They are similar in size to Yellowjackets and fly in a similar fashion. It’s difficult to tell the difference if you are not used to looking at them. Yellowjackets have a deeper yellow with black contrast on their bodies. Take a look at the following pictures to see the difference.	Honeybee on Left is shades of brown while Yellowjacket is bright contrasting yellow-black.
Q: Does the Africanized honeybee look different than the ordinary honeybees that live around here? A: Africanized honeybees look no different than the ordinary European honeybees that have been brought to this country by the early settlers. The Africanized honeybee or killer bee resulted as a cross between species of honeybees brought to Brazil from Africa with species of bees from European ancestry. It requires specialized equipment to differentiate between them.
Q: Is there a danger to not having bees removed? Can I just leave them there? A: The danger of leaving honeybees in a populated area is that here in Florida with the known presence of the Africanized honeybee there is a strong possibility that the European colony could eventually be taken over by an Africanized swarm.
Q: Will the honeybees that have established themselves in my house go away by themselves? A: Under normal circumstances swarms that become established inside a structure will not go away once they build honeycombs and raise young. They may appear to go away at certain times of the year when there are warm temperatures and lots of flowers blooming and leave in mass to find a new home. But what has happened is that the queen has left with enough attendants to find a new home and the bees remaining raise a new queen to continue living in the now roomy space.
Q: If there are honeycombs in my building what kind of problems will I have if I don’t have them removed after killing the bees living there? A: The main problem here in Florida is from the presence of a small scavenger beetle that lives with honeybees called the Hive Beetle that feeds on the combs after the bees are gone. It lays eggs that turn into larvae that eat the combs causing any honey in them to run down the walls and enter living quarters if not removed.
Q: What do honeycombs look like? A: Honeycombs start out as an almost white wax made by young bees that discolors in time to a dark brown as bees travel on it to raise young and store their food in it. This is an example of young honeycomb around 1 month old. The light white wax at the top is a cap of wax that covers the honey. The dark cells are filled with pollen.
Q: What is to keep honeybees from coming back once they are removed? A: This is one of the most important questions anyone can ask who has a bee problem. It is essential to make sure that the space that the bees lived in is sealed from access by future bees that will visit it as they smell of the residue of the combs.
Q: Explain how you treat my bee problem. A: First we visually assess the situation locating where exactly the bees are living, taking into consideration construction issues. Then we determine the best course of action with the approval of the person in charge. We can do live extractions of bees where feasible or eradicate them if it is too damaging to property or economically too costly. We employ environmentally friendly insecticides that are safe for people, animals and the environment. Safety of persons and property is our first consideration in deciding on any treatment type. If it is necessary to remove combs we do so after getting permission from the person in charge. We make every attempt to repair and replace material removed to allow access to combs. We treat the affected area with longer term insecticides and seal to prevent reinfestation.
Q: You removed the bees, why are there still bees flying around? A: It is normal for foraging bees that have left the hive to return and not be able to enter where they lived because the entrance is sealed. As a result they will hover around the entrance area until they get tired and land. It is the nature of Honeybees and Yellowjackets to remain at this place and not move on to a new home.
Q: What are you doing about that problem? A: In anticipation of this problem we treat the area where the bees lived with a residual insecticide that will eradicate the bees over the following days. There should be no more bee activity after 2 days or so. If there is then please call us.

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2010-02-11T20:24:00.004-05:00

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2010-02-11T20:23:00.018-05:00

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Killer Bee News!

2010-02-11T20:23:00.016-05:00

Welcome to the Florida Killer Bee News Page.

The Latest news from Florida:

MIAMI-DADE MAN DIES WHILE APPARENTLY TRYING TO REMOVE BEEHIVE
MIAMI-DADE, FL --- A man in Southwest Miami-Dade was found dead early Tuesday near a colony of tens of thousands of bees, though it's unclear if his death was caused by stings from the bees.
Miami-Dade homicide investigators were at the scene, but it will be up to the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death.
Police said they could not say whether the man died from a heart attack, a fall or from bee stings.
The man's name was not disclosed, but Capt. Jeffrey Fobb, who works with the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Venom Response Unit, said fire rescue workers found the victim dressed in a partial protective bee suit about 50 feet from a ``large colony of bees that contained in his estimation 50,000 to 60,000 bees.''
``We all had to don full protective bee suits to secure the body,'' Fobb said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials were called about 8 a.m. to the home in the 10800 block of Southwest 84th Street. The victim was found on top of the roof of a three-story apartment complex. The hive, which measured about three feet, was near the roof.
The victim wore protective gear that covered his head and upper body, but not the rest of his body, said Fobb, who said authorities had not determined why the victim was working with the bees.
Neighbors told authorities they had been having problems with a beehive for the past 18 months, Fobb said.
The victim's body will be taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy. (Tim Chapman And Jennifer Lebovich, The Miami Herald, 11/3/09.)

Beehive Led to Blaze Injuring Florida FFs

BY SUSAN JACOBSON
- The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Posted: Fri, 10/30/2009 - 08:51

Acting on a tip, Kissimmee fire officials today determined that two residents trying to exterminate bees sparked a fire that left 30 people homeless and destroyed a building.

Two residents doused a beehive with flammable spray as it hung from a second-floor landing at Villa del Sol condominiums, firefighters said. They then lit a match and touched it to the hive, causing flames to erupt.
The residents sprayed the hive with a fire extinguisher, left and didn't realize that fire was still burning, a fire department spokeswoman said.
The flames broke out Sunday just before 9 p.m. at the complex at 2250 N. Hoagland Blvd. and gutted a three-story block of 22 apartments. It took more than 50 firefighters to extinguish the blaze. The 392-unit complex was built a decade ago as Tropical Isle apartments.
Two firefighters were injured when they were pinned to a third-floor landing and the roof collapsed. They were going door to door trying to evacuate the building.
No one has been charged, but the State Fire Marshal's office is continuing to investigate.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service

STINGS NOT SO BAD, BUT AFRICANIZED BEES A WORRY
LAKELAND, FL --- For beekeepers, a bite now and then is to be expected, but invasive bees change the game.
You just might get stung working this job.
Beekeepers, otherwise known as people crazy enough to stand among as many as 100,000 bees at aplants, time, work to produce honey for our biscuits. But they also pollinate the county's orange groves and other flower-growing spurring the agricultural industry in Polk County, despite the job's risks. It's one of the most dangerous jobs in the county, making it the next installment in The Ledger's ongoing series, "Out of the Cubicle: Dangerous Jobs in Polk."
Burt Kelley, beekeeper and owner of Kelley's Apiaries in Lakeland, has hives across Polk County, he said, but doesn't think he has a dangerous job.
"If they invite me to leave, then I will leave," Kelley said about his bees. "You can only take so much until it's not fun anymore."
Kelley thinks the most dangerous aspect of his job is the risk of heat stroke. Yet, he says he has been stung at least 150 times at once.
"You got to work hard to get that," he said. "But after a certain number of stings, more doesn't make much of a difference."
Kelley said his body went into shock, but related the experience to being injured in war: "You get injured, but you just have to keep going."
Kelley says he is not worried as much by his bees as he is of the Africanized Honey Bee.
Jerry Hayes, chief of Apiary Inspection for the state of Florida's Plant Industry Division, says any colony can be taken over by the Africanized Honey Bee.
According to Hayes, the Africanized Honey Bee is an invasive bee that can take over any colony and adopt similar characteristics to the host colony. Bees communicate by chemical smell, he said, a trait the invading Africanized Honey Bee can adopt, meaning the host colony can no longer tell the difference between the home bee and the invading bee.
"Kill the existing queen and take over the reproductive operations" means a docile Honey Bee colony has been Africanized.
The Africanized Honey Bee's sting is no different from the normal Honey Bee; it is the sheer number of attackers that cause the Africanized Honey Bee to be more deadly.
Not only do their bees produce honey, but many beekeepers, including Kelley, are contracted to pollinate fruit-producing plants, such as orange trees. According to the Florida Division of Plant Industry, one-third of the food eaten in the state would not be available without the pollination provided by the Honey Bee. The division also says that for every dollar of honey produced in Florida, approximately $150 is generated in Honey Bee pollination services - an estimated $20 million yearly.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates there are as many as 211,600 beekeepers in the United States, but only 1,600 of those are thought to be commercial beekeepers. The Florida Division of Plant Industry has 1,000 registered beekeepers managing approximately 200,000 bee colonies.
Kelley said he maintains liability insurance for his apiaries in case someone gets stung.
"Just a cost of doing business," he said.
"Beekeepers have their suits and their smokers," said Hayes. "It's kind of like anything else, it just becomes a non-event after a while." (Ryan Little, The Lakeland Ledger, 8/16/09.)

BEES INFEST MIAMI-DADE FORECLOSED HOME MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL --- A Miami-Dade family is looking for answers after bees invaded their neighbor's foreclosed home, WSVN-Ch. 7 reports.
The Baldomero family hasn't been able use their back yard for months since the home on Southwest 183rd Street and 119th Avenue became infested, the news station reports.
"It's just gotten progressively worse. We've seen bees come in mounds, just more and more, and we try to spray the fence," Silvia Baldomero said.
Miami-Dade code compliance officers were called, but they say little can be done because the home is owned by a bank. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 8/13/09.)

TREE FALLS ON ST. PETERSBURG STREET AND OUT COME THE BEES ST. PETERSBURG, FL --- Firefighters were inspecting a fallen oak tree that blocked 10th Avenue N and knocked down power lines Wednesday afternoon when they suddenly found themselves outnumbered:
The tree was home to 40,000 to 60,000 Africanized bees, a.k.a killer bees.
One or two firefighters were stung but the situation was soon under control and the bee hives removed, according to St. Petersburg Fire Rescue.
The whole thing started around 12:30 p.m., authorities said, when the 40-foot tree came crashing down on a residential street near 34th Street N. The tree trunk had been weakened by termites.
But the termites had roommates: two big hives full of bees. Firefighters found that out after they blocked off the road and took a closer look at the tree.
"All of a sudden there's a huge swarm of bees," said Fire Rescue Lt. Joel Granata. "Some of the bees stung some of the firefighters on scene."
One firefighter, after being stung in the forehead, took cover in a fire engine. The angry bee then started attacking the windows, Granata said.
"Once they sting somebody the venom creates a frenzy and they keep attacking," Granata said.
So firefighters backed off, created a perimeter around the tree and told everyone on the block to stay inside.
A beekeeper began removing the honeycomb from the hives and will disperse the bees.
Power in the neighborhood has also been restored, Granata said. But firefighters advise avoiding 10th Avenue N for a while longer.
Follow This Just In on Twitter.(Jamal Thalji, St Petersburg Times, 7/22/09.)

BEES ATTACK GRASS MOWER AT ISLAND PARK IN BONITA SPRINGS BONITA SPRINGS, FL --- Matthew Prueter didn't hear the buzz, but he felt the stings.
Prueter, a public works maintenance employee for the city of Bonita Springs, was cutting grass at the city's Island Park on July 9 when he was attacked by what are believed to be Africanized bees.
City officials think it was the first case of an Africanized bee attack in Bonita Springs. Experts say the bees, which arrived in Florida in 2000, aren't leaving and are more regularly attacking residents.
"I was circling the trees and I felt myself getting pecked on the head and face," Prueter said.
Prueter tried to get away, but couldn't. "I had no place to run. They just kept on me," he said. "I've been stung by honeybees before, but never like this. This was an all-out attack."
He ran and eventually leapt into the Rosemary Creek, dove and held his breath for as long as he could. When he resurfaced, the bees were still on him, attacking his face and head. He dove again and swam down the creek. When he surfaced, the bees were still there. He dove and swam some more. This time the bees were gone.
Prueter was stung five times in the face, three times on the head, pulled multiple stingers from his arms and one from his back.
"It was pretty wild - almost cartoon-like," he said. "When I got out of the water, I saw this ... family with a baby in a stroller getting close to where I was and told them to get away. I don't know what would have happened to them, if they got any closer."
That afternoon, the hive with about 5,000 bees was destroyed.
B. Keith Councell, president of Beekeepers of Southwest Florida, said there's really no way of telling if Prueter's attack was the work of Africanized bees. There are approximately 20,000 different varieties of bees; German black bees and even the most common European honeybee could react in a similar fashion, he said.
"The only way to tell if they were Africanized bees is to have them tested - and that could take weeks," he said. Councell, however, noted that two previous tests on bees found at Riverside Park came back positive for Africanized bees.
Chris Fenstermaker, 28, a beekeeper who manages two of his own hives as well as one at the Bonita Springs Nature Place, said the Africanized bee isn't concerned about making honey. "They're all about survival, and when they attack, it's more about defending their territory than anything else."
The big difference is that the Africanized bee is much more persistent, Fenstermaker said.
"If a European bee is provoked, it may follow you for about the length of a football field," he said. "The Africanized bee may follow you for three football fields. They just want to make sure you're no longer a threat to them."
Councell said people need to respect bees' space.
"I'm seeing a lot more attacks, but that's mostly because people are doing stupid things to hives like smacking them with two-by-fours," he said.
Also known as killer bees, the Africanized bee has been linked to one death in Florida. Robert Davis became the first Florida death attributed to the bee after being stung more than 100 times while working in Okeechobee County in April 2008. Last fall, Riviera Beach resident Nancy Hill, 70, was rushed to the hospital after being stung more than 70 times. Her dogs were killed in the attacks.
Growing concern led Bonita Springs Fire Rescue to buy 15 bee suits at $63 each.
"It was becoming an issue throughout the state," said Debbi Redfield, spokeswoman with the department.
Cape Coral has also had some nasty encounters. "We get a ton of complaints," said Connie Barron, Cape Coral spokeswoman. "We've been running into them in and around vacant homes, in water meter boxes and irrigation boxes. A lot of them are honey bees, but there's been a few of the Africanized bees."
Beekeepers are also fighting back.
Fenstermaker on Wednesday introduced a new European queen bee to Bonita's Nature Place center's hive. "The best way to keep the population of the Africanized bee at bay is by increasing the population of European bees."
Fenstermaker believes that eventual cross-breeding will result in a more docile Africanized bee.
"Africanized bee colonies are very small and the idea is that with more (European bees) we can starve them off," Councell said.(By Mark S/ Krzos, The News-Press, 7/20/09.)

Prisoners and guards attacked by bees

Miami, Fl - A swarm of bees attacked at least six guards and inmates at a women’s correctional facility in Pembroke Pines after an inmate stepped on a nest of bees.
Rescue workers arrived at the Broward Correctional Institution, about 7 p.m and took two guards and two inmates to nearby hospitals, said Mike Jachles, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman. Others were stung, but did not require hospitalization.
”These guards were trying to rescue the victim with good intentions, but they became victims as well,” Jachles said.
The victims suffered allergic reactions to the beestings on their heads and hands. The rescue workers helped keep their airways open by using intravenous medicine and oxygen masks, Jachles said.
The two male guards were taken to Cleveland Clinic in Weston. Pembroke Pines Fire Rescue took the inmates to Memorial Hospital Miramar.
Although rescue workers are equipped with emergency bee gear such as nets and foam, they did not use it. The victims had been moved away from the bees by the time they arrived, Jachles said.
Assistant warden Abel Price said nothing like this had happened before, but ”everything is fine and everybody’s OK,” he said. ”It’s just like if you have bees near your house — you see them and you run and it’s over with,” Price said.
Jachles said he did not know what type of bees attacked, but that they did ”appear to be very aggressive.” He said they might have been Africanized honeybees.
Such bees has been spreading rapidly in Florida, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture.
Jachles said the prison would need to contact an exterminator to remove the bees. Fire Rescue removes nests only if ”they are a threat to life safety,” he said. - Miami Herald July 13, 2009

40,000 AFRICANIZED BEES, ELECTRIFIED FENCE HAMPER ST. PETERSBURG FIREFIGHTERS
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The hive grew a foot, then another, and another. For years.
The Africanized bees lived in front of Robert Porter's tiny one-bedroom house. Forty thousand of them, in an 8-foot-tall hive that stretched 30 inches wide. Sixty pounds of honeycomb.
He knew they were there. But rather than pay a beekeeper to get them out, he ignored them.
The bees and Porter, they had an understanding.
"I was living with them," said Porter, 66. "They don't bother you if you don't bother them."
Tuesday, they were bothered.
An empty bookcase and boxes, too close to a gas water heater on Porter's back porch, caught fire about 9 a.m., said St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Lt. Joel Granata. Flames erupted, destroying the porch and spreading throughout the home at 1661 29th Ave. N.
The fire burned a power line, which fell and electrified a chain-link fence in the back yard.
In the commotion, the Africanized bees burst from the hive. But they didn't leave. In self-preservation, bees attempt to gather honey rather than scatter when something threatens them, said beekeeper Rodney Tyoe, a retired firefighter summoned to help.
When rescue workers arrived, Capt. Bernie Williams saw the bees and told firefighters with bee allergies to get back. That's when he felt the prick on his right shin.
"I looked down and I saw the bee sting me," he said. "I knocked him off my leg."
After firefighters controlled the fire, Tyoe sprayed pesticide and removed the burned beehive and dumped it in a box. The rest of the bees will gradually die from the pesticide, he said.
A bee stung an ABC Action News camera operator, said Granata. Tyoe also had several pricks on his arms.
Africanized bees, also called "killer bees," are common. When they sting, their bee friends flock to the scent and swarm, said Tyoe, 71, who has been "playing" with bees since he was 19.
But he hasn't had a call like this in years.
"Oh, now, I've seen bigger than that, but it was up there," he said. "It's pretty good when you get one that's 8 feet long."
Porter is an unemployed former soldier, salesman and construction worker living on Social Security. Neighbors said he loves to greet newcomers and leave Christmas gifts on porches.
"This is what happens to the nicest people in the neighborhood," said his friend James Mock.
Tuesday morning, Porter ate a bowl of Smart Start cereal, peaches and strawberries and walked to get a newspaper. Back home, his cat Black Beauty Marie (named after Marie Osmond) mewed incessantly. She had just lost two babies from her litter. Porter figured she was upset.
"Stop it," he told her. "You'll get over it. I will bury your poor babies."
He took a nap and woke about 9 a.m. to flames. Officials estimate about $30,000 in damage was done to the home, worth $79,500. Porter retrieved bills and a painting of red poppies and a Japanese geisha. The Red Cross put him up at a Ramada Inn.
Porter wasn't concerned with the bees Tuesday. He just wanted to get clean clothes and food for his cats - Scrappy, Lightening, Sabre, Scruffy, Black Beauty Marie and Zippy. By the time the fire was out, he had seen only Scrappy.
"They probably skedaddled," said firefighter Nicki Walker, allergic to bees and clad in protective gear. "There was too much going on with all the noise. We didn't see any inside."
Porter stayed upbeat, glad to be safe. He figured he'd get lunch at Denny's.
He just ordered Marie Osmond's new book, he said. It's called Might as Well Laugh About It Now. (Stephanie Hayes & Emily Nipps, The St Petersburg Times, 6/10/09.)

FLORIDA MAN SURVIVES BEE ATTACK
FORT MYERS, FL ---- A passing motorist may have saved the life of a Fort Myers, Florida man who was being attacked on Saturday by a swarm of bees near his back yard.
The victim says he was just mowing his lawn when he bumped into a hive.
Almost instantly, he says, he was being attacked by thousands of bees protecting their nest.
A passing driver saw the man flailing his arms and falling on the ground and stopped his car to get out and help.
Water from the garden hose scared off most of the bees but not before they stung the unidentified victim hundreds of times.
Experts have since removed the bees, but the homeowner says he's reluctant to return to his back yard. (Stateline News, 4/20/09.)

FORT MYERS MAN STUNG BY HUNDREDS OF BEES
FT MYERS, FL ---- A Fort Myers man was attacked and stung by hundreds of bees Saturday afternoon. He said if it weren't for a complete stranger, he'd probably be dead.
He didn't want us to use his name, but the man who was attacked said he owes his life to a driver who passed by and got out to help.
"They attacked me like a bunch of mad wolves," the man who was stung said.
Hundreds of bees swarmed him while he was in his backyard.
"I was mowing the lawn, and I just bumped into the hive, or whatever you call it, and it just exploded."
The bees flew out and went straight for him.
"I thought I was going to die, because they were like rabid animals."
Luckily for him, a Good Samaritan was in the neighborhood.
"I saw the guy out there swatting around his head and not really ferociously. I thought maybe there was a bug and he was swatting it away, till I saw him drop to the ground, and I thought, there's really something wrong," Michael Mobley said.
That's Mobley got out of his car and ran to help.
"I knew I had to do something, so I grabbed the guy and pulled him closer to the water hose," Mobley said. By then, he was already stung hundreds of times all over his body.
One day later, he was thanking a complete stranger for saving his life.
"If the ambulance didn't come and if the person didn't squirt me with water, I would've died."
The man who helped save him, will never forget what he saw.
"It was amazing. It looked like a shadow around the guy there were so many bees. I thought I was watching the National Geographic Channel or the Discovery Channel because I've never seen anything like that."
When we went to the home Sunday, a man was there working to get rid of the bees, but the homeowner said he's still paranoid to return to his backyard. (Christina Hernandez, WINK News, 4/19/09.)

FIREFIGHTERS FEND OFF THOUSANDS OF KILLER BEES
Bees Form Colony Inside Vacant Home In West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Firefighters had an added challenge while battling a blaze at a vacant West Palm Beach home Wednesday -- they also had to fend off thousands of Africanized killer bees.
Shortly after 11 a.m., the vacant home on Seventh Street erupted in smoke, but it was no ordinary fire.
When firefighters chopped down the front door, thousands of Africanized bees poured out of the still-smoldering house.
"Because the house was vacant and no one paid attention, these bees can form a colony and grow in numbers quickly," said West Palm Beach fire-rescue Chief Phil Webb.
No one was stung, but the fire chief said the bees can pose a serious threat.
"A firefighter or a bystander could literally suffer hundreds, maybe even thousands of stings if they're attacked," Webb said.
Nobody was inside at the time of the fire, and neighbors said the house had been boarded up for years.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. (WPBF-TV 25, 4/15/09.)

BEES SWARM FIREFIGHTERS BATTLING WEST PALM BEACH HOUSE BLAZE
WEST PALM BEACH, FL — As many as 1,000 bees confronted city firefighters this morning after a blaze broke out in an abandoned home west of downtown around 11:30 a.m.
The cause of the fire at 912 7th St. at Tamarind Avenue, is unknown, Fire Chief Phil Webb said.
The bees poured out of the front of the boarded-up two-story building as well as adjacent trees, Webb said. No one was reported stung — "not yet," one supervisor joked.
Firefighter Angel Serrano said bees are attracted to the carbon dioxide in exhalations. But he said headgear and uniforms protected the firefighters.
Firefighters who arrived just after 11:20 a.m. found flames shooting from a second story window, Webb said. He said the fire was quickly brought under control.
Around noon, a firefighter sawed through the front door as others sprayed foam to deter or kill any insects that came out.
There's no immediate word on a cause, Webb said. He said the building had previously caught fire about five months ago. (Eliot Kleinberg, Palm Beach Post, 4/14/09.)

Services

2010-02-11T20:22:00.008-05:00

We do LIVE removals of non Africanized honey bees at every opportunity. By now everyone's heard that the honey bees are dissappearing. That news inspired Alltek Bee Removal to give back to our roots- beekeeping. By providing you with the option of live honey bee removal we get to save a precious resource and you get to give back to the environment, it's a win win. Help us rescue one of mother nature's most valuable assets call today to schedule an appointment!

Alltek Bee Removal's technicians are trained to extract the nest and then seal the structure for every honey bee service call. Why's that important? The short answer is that without providing this step your bee problems will return. Honey bees are opportunistic creatures and when given the chance they will always choose a former hive location to set up shop. This saves the honey bees from using valuable resources during swarming because there's already a nest in place and generally a considerable amount of honey and pollen. Also, our technicians remove the nest because of a new honey bee parasite that has come to America- the small hive beetle. This parasite if not kept in check by the honey bees (and once a pest control company sprays the bees they're no longer there to safeguard) will consume the comb and hive parts and create what can best be described as a fermented stinky mess. This mess, if left in your structure, will eventually ooze through your walls and leave an odor and stain that is nearly impossible to remove. Don't let this happen to you call today to set up an appointment!

Yellow jackets, hornets and wasps are especially difficult for someone without training and experience to handle. These stinging insects can and do sting repeatedly and they often attack en mass. Alltek Bee Removal technicians use proprietary equipment and are trained to safely eradicate these very dangerous insects while keeping in mind the safety of the public and the homeowner. Never attempt to eliminate these pests alone call today to make an appointment!

We offer a Bee Proofing Service that's second to none. If you have reoccurring bee problems this program is the answer. Starting at just $99 you can have Alltek's trained expert bee technicians come to your home and seal it up tight from stinging insects. Don't keep paying for bee removal when you can keep them out forever! Call for a fast free quote today!

Our normal office hours are 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday, but we understand that bee problems can appear at anytime. It is our highest priority to keep your family or your customers safe. This inspired us to offer you access to our technicians anytime-day or night. If our office is closed just fill out the form here and click submit. One of our friendly staff will be in touch with you immediately. *An additional $150.00 emergency fee applies for all out of office hour emergency work

All of our work is guaranteed! Give us a call today!

1.877.455.BEES(2337)

Bee Proof Your Home!

2010-01-08T21:35:00.012-05:00

Because of the nature of honeybees and their method of reproduction, specifically swarming, bees are constantly looking for new places to set up shop. When they do they are looking for several key things:

A cool, shaded place for their nest. This makes it easier for the bees to regulate the temperature of the hive. A crucial thing for them and their growing offspring's survival. This is why, if you find a nest, it will generally be on the North face of a structure.
A specific cavity dimension that is ideal for them to raise new young, or brood, and store enough honey for them to make it through the winter. This cavity can't be too big or too small. Not coincidentally, this dimension is the same size as our modern beekeeping boxes, and very close to the dimensions of several areas inside your home.
An entrance that is neither too large nor too small, but wide enough for the bees to travel freely. This helps the bees in their defense of the hive, as it is easier for them to keep out intruders from competing hives as well as honeybee predators.

Of course this is not an exhaustive list of what bees may be looking for when swarming but it will give you clues on where to place your energy when bee proofing your home. Let's look at the two major areas that bees may decide to invade your home:

First, the soffit. Honeybees love this area. It is almost perfect in dimensions for a bee nest and often there is a ready made entrance for them because of improperly sealed and fitted soffit. Let's take a look:

This soffit has a bend in it where the two roof lines meet. This created an opening and a swarm came in to take advantage of it.

This is what the nest looked like when our technician removed the soffit. The nests that we find under these circumstances MUST be removed. If they're not honey could seep inside your home and cause extensive damage.

What can you do? Make sure that all of the soffit around your home is free from sags. If there is a sag, replace that piece. Further, caulk any opening you see along the soffit. Make sure you use the best caulk available, don't skimp here, it could cost you a lot more in the future.

What's the next most likely place for honeybees to set up shop in your home? This would be the cavities inside your walls that are exposed from electric, cable, water and air conditioning lines. For some reason the contractors who install these services almost never seal up the openings. We have seen 3 inch holes drilled into concrete block homes for a half inch cable. If your home is constructed from concrete block, the blocks that are used in construction are overlaid, or lapped on one another. This creates a sort of tube that runs up the entire length of your wall; an ideal home for honeybees. If your house is a wooden structure, it will be framed out every sixteen or twenty-four inches creating a hollow the length of the wall at those intervals. Either way, when openings from the outside are left unchecked it becomes very likely that a bee swarm may move in. Let's take a look:

Here we see bees hanging from the outside of an air conditioner opening. The nest was so large inside the cavity that the bees were forced to build outside of it.

Here we have a newly arriving swarm marching into an opening around a water line. Fortunately we caught them in time and saved the home owner a substantial amount of money.

This is an example of an improperly sealed electric meter on a wooden framed home. The bees had only been there for about five weeks but already a large nest was built inside the wall. An extraction had to be performed.

What can you do here? Just as you would along the soffit, caulk around every cable and pipe that runs into your house. Pay careful attention, apply the caulk evenly and check your work for shrinkage later. If the caulk has shrunk apply more until there are no longer openings leading into the walls of your home. As a side note- be very careful around electric lines. If your home is older there may be cracking around some of the lines running in.

There are of course other ways that bees can enter your home and you may never fully catch them all. But by taking a few hours before swarming season and caulking every visible hole or crack in your home you will go a long way in preventing bees from entering later. Good luck and fare well.

In Search Of... "Killer Bees". A Leonard Nimoy Classic

2010-01-02T10:53:00.005-05:00

This episode examines the advance of Killer Bees, originally imported to South America from Africa, and their movement northward into Central America, Mexico and their expected arrival in the United States. Experts take a look at what their impact on Brazil, and other areas into which they have moved, and suggest the deadly threat they pose to humans and animals when disturbed. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy.

Honey Bee Extinction

2009-12-05T09:12:00.004-05:00

We're proud to introduce guest writer Nichelle Van Tassel, daughter of our esteemed bee expert Luc Van Tassel. Below is her essay titled "Honey Bee Extinction an Ecological Issue" in its entirety. She wrote this for an assignment in school and deservedly landed an "A". Enjoy.

Bees, via pollination, are responsible for 15 to 30 percent of the food U.S. consumers eat. But in the last 50 years the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50 percent. Farmers depend on honey bees to pollinate crops.
Unless actions are taken to slow the decline of honeybee populations many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food supply. Anecdotes of farmers losing their crops owing to the honeybee shortage appear to be on the increase. Last February, for example, there were insufficient honeybees for all the almond blossoms in California. As a result some farmers failed to meet expected yields.
Maryann Frazier, a senior extension associate in the department of entomology with Pennsylvania State University in State College, said honeybee shortages are not yet impacting commercial producers of crops, but that community farmers "are struggling to get bees for pollination." Dewey Caron, an entomologist at the University of Delaware in Newark, started to study the problem of the honeybee decline when he noticed that farmers in the northeastern U.S. increasingly lacked sufficient bee colonies to meet their pollination needs.
The honeybee decline, which is affecting domesticated and wild bee populations around the world, is mostly the result of diseases spread as a result of mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides.Among the greatest problems is the varroa mite, a bloodsucking parasite that attacks young and adult honeybees. Attacked bees often have deformed wings and abdomens and a shortened life span. "The varroa mite is also really effective at transmitting disease, particularly viruses," Frazier said. Left untreated, a varroa mite infestation can wipe out a bee colony within a few months.
Another theory for the endangerment of the honeybees is that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is causing the disappearance of the honeybees. The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously home loving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this bizarre theory up.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives.
The alarm was first sounded last autumn, but has now hit half of all American states. The West Coast is thought to have lost 60 percent of its commercial bee population, with 70 per cent missing on the East Coast. CCD has since spread to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. And last week John Chapple, one of London's biggest bee-keepers, announced that 23 of his 40 hives have been abruptly abandoned.
Other apiarists have recorded losses in Scotland, Wales and north-west England, but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs insisted: "There is absolutely no evidence of CCD in the UK." The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".
No one knows why it is happening. Theories involving mites, pesticides, global warming and GM crops have been proposed, but all have drawbacks. German research has long shown that bee behavior changes near power lines.
Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr. Jochen Kuhn said that this information could provide a hint to a possible caused George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: "I am convinced the possibility is real."
The alarming decline in bee populations across the United States and Europe represents a potential ecological apocalypse. It is an environmental catastrophe that could collapse the food chain and wipe out humanity. Many people don’t realize the vital role bees play in maintaining a balanced eco-system. According to experts, if bees were to become extinct then humanity would perish after just four years. “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man,” said Albert Einstein.
Others would say four years is alarmist and that man would find other food sources, but the fact remains that the disappearance of bees is potentially devastating to agriculture and most plant life.
Reports that bee populations are declining at rates of up to 80 percent in areas of the U.S. and Europe should set alarm bells ringing and demand immediate action on behalf of environmental organizations.
“Bee numbers on parts of the east coast and in Texas have fallen by more than 70 percent, while California has seen colonies drop by 30 to 60 percent. Approximately 40 percent of my 2,000 colonies are currently dead and this is the greatest winter colony mortality I have ever experienced in my 30 years of beekeeping,” apiarist Gene Brandi, from the California State Beekeepers Association, told Congress.
Scientists are stumped as to what is causing the decline, ruling out parasites but leaning towards some kind of new toxin or chemical used in agriculture as being responsible. Experts believe that the large-scale use of genetically modified plants in the US could be a factor.
Bee populations throughout Germany have simultaneously dropped 25 percent and up to 80 percent in some areas. Poland, Switzerland and Spain are reporting similar declines. Studies have shown that bees are not dying in the hive; something is causing them to lose their sense of orientation so that they cannot return to the hive. Depleted hives are not being raided for their honey by other insects, which normally happen when bees naturally die in the winter, meaning that there must be some kind of poisonous toxin is driving them away.
Scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi, a sign that the insects’ immune system may have collapsed.
A study at the University of Jena from 2001 to 2004 showed that toxins from a genetically modified maize variant designed to repel insects, when combined with a parasite, resulted in a significantly stronger decline in the number of bees than normal.
According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University of Halle in eastern Germany, and the director of the study, the bacterial toxin in the genetically modified corn may have altered the surface of the bee’s intestines, sufficiently weakening the bees to allow the parasites to gain entry. Or maybe it was the other way around.
The hyperbole surrounding man-made global warming is swallowing up all the attention while real dangers like the rapid die-off of bee populations and its link to GM food is largely shunned by governments and activist foundations.
Making bees all but extinct would be a swift and plausibly deniable method of enacting global population reduction.
Possible solutions
With honey bee colonies mysteriously dying at alarming rates across the United States the national July 10 “holiday” known as “Don’t Step on a Bee Day,” designed to prevent barefoot summer fun seekers from getting stung, has taken on new importance. The Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, Virginia, is donating proceeds from the sales of its bee-themed sweets—like its bee-shaped sugar cookies, honey ice cream, and dark chocolate-honey truffles to researching the causes and solutions of the honey bee crisis.
My family owns a bee removal business, and we try to save the honeybees if at all possible. First the technicians visually assess the situation locating where exactly the bees are living, taking into consideration construction issues. Then they determine the best course of action with the approval of the person in charge. They can do live extractions of bees where feasible or eradicate them if it is too damaging to property or economically too costly. They employ environmentally friendly insecticides that are safe for people, animals and the environment. Safety of persons and property is our first consideration in deciding on any treatment type. If it is necessary to remove combs they do so after getting permission from the person in charge. They make every attempt to repair and replace material removed to allow access to combs. They treat the affected area with longer term insecticides and seal to prevent reinfestation. They only kill bees when there is absolutely no other option.

This Thanksgiving Remember the Pilgrim and the Bee.

2009-11-25T14:10:00.003-05:00

     When we think of Thanksgiving the first image that comes to mind is that of the Pilgrims. They were the first settlers of America who were fleeing wars, poverty, land laws and religious persecution from Europe. What many people however don't know is that the Pilgrims didn't arrive alone. They brought honey bees with them.
     The reason they brought honey bees is that they also brought many native European plants to help them colonize the "new world". The early settlers knew that honeybees were the main source of pollination for many of these plants, and they also knew that without the honeybees the plants would not survive to give them a harvest- and a failed harvest would mean no new seeds for them to begin the cycle again.
     The interesting thing to note is that there were no native honey bees in North America when the first settlers arrived. Every bee you now see on your lawn came from these first bees and new strains of bees were only added at a much later date.
     The settlers used a device to transport and house bees that is much different than the beehive we associate with beekeeping today. The device was called a skep. This vessel was very limited in the way one could manage a colony of bees and the settler’s beekeeping skills at the time reflected that. For the Pilgrims to harvest honey from the skep they were forced to kill off the entire population. They then relied on new swarms to replenish these hives, and the cycle would begin again. This process was maintained for several hundred years before a new vision would come along to replace it.

Two different sized straw skeps.

The invention that changed it all was that of the moveable frame hive, or Langstroth hive. This hive was so named because its inventor, Reverend L.L. Langstroth, would have a moment of clarity and discover "bee space". Bee space is approximately 3/8's of an inch. This is the amount of space bees need to move freely between their honey comb. If too little space the bees produce propolis, or bee glue. If too much, they produce burr comb, or irregular shaped honey comb. With this discovery he produced the first "modern hive" which is the box that most people imagine when thinking of beekeeping, and the era of modern beekeeping was born.

Our modern beehive.

Further advancing beekeeping was the invention of the smoker. With this device bees could be calmed to be worked more effectively. Before this contained fire box was introduced beekeepers were forced to use hand held smoke makers, and other make shift devices, making it very difficult to work bees in a safe and orderly manner.

Stainless steel bee smoker.

Another breakthrough would be foundation. Foundation is a pressed sheet of bees wax that has the familiar octagon embossed on it. With this invention getting the bees to make comb where it is most advantageous to the beekeeper become possible.

Several sheets of wax foundation.

Lastly, the extractor was born. This machine made it possible to extract the honey from large numbers of movable frames at one time. This invention made possible the ability for a small number of men to harvest massive amounts of honey. And so the commercial beekeeper was born.

A honey extractor. Note the one frame, this extractor holds 20 frames.

So, as you eat your Thanksgiving dinner this year remember that every third bite comes directly or indirectly from honey bee pollination. And remember to thank both the Pilgrims and the honeybee because with one and not the other none of us would be here today to thank them.

What's so Bad About "Killer Bees"?

2009-11-21T10:56:00.004-05:00

    They're aggressive, for starters. The Africanized "killer bee" will defend it's nest in much larger numbers than will a common "European" honey bee. They'll chase you up to half a mile while the normal honey bee will give up the chase in less than 50 feet. They have stung to death dogs, horses and even humans. It's not that their stings are any more potent than an ordinary honey bee, but instead that nearly the entire hive will sting any intruder en mass.
     A concern for beekeepers is the tendency for an Africanized queen to "take over" their managed colonies. They do this by invading a hive, at night, under cover of darkness. An Africanized queen and a few workers will literally storm the gates of a managed colony and kill it's queen. The colony will soon accept this new queen and within 29 days the population of the hive will emerge as new Africanized young. Amazing.
    In territories where Killer Bees have established themselves they will breed with any mating honey bee queen. Modern research suggests that the African drone is more aggressive during mating and has a higher success rate of fertilizing a virgin queen. This creates a hybrid with both African and European bee gentetics. And here lies the key to their success. As normal managed honey bees die off from diseases and parasites like Colony Collapse Disorder, American Foulbrood and varroa mites, Africanized hybrid bees take their place.

    How does this affect beekeeping? It makes it very difficult, almost an uphill battle, to maintain what beekeepers would call prime stock. Bees that both produce excellent quantities of honey and are gentle enough to be worked without taking overwhelming amounts of stings. Beekeepers in states that have substantial Killer Bee populations, Northern California across the southern plains to Florida and into South Carolina, are just not able to requeen their colonies as fast as the African's overwhelm them. What are they to do?
    One school of thought says that there should be a shift in areas that produce queens from the south to the north, and that the north (Africanized bee free so far) should supply the entire queen bee needs of the country. Great idea. The only problem is that in the north the queens are produced later in the season then in the south. This presents a logistics problem. As bees grow into colonies ready to be split in the southern states, where is their queen supply? About 6 weeks behind. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for southern beekeepers to increase their hive count or make up for winter losses in time for the pollination needs of the southern states. Obviously this plan has its flaws.
    I propose a shift in the overall philosophy of beekeeping as it has been practiced for the last century or so. I propose that we go along to get along with mother nature and embrace the feral swarms. The swarms of the southern states, hybrids remember, are showing signs of being amazingly resistant to common diseases and parasites that are collapsing our American style bees. This would mean less medication in hives and higher counts through the winter. Theoretically an increase in hive numbers in America, instead of a decrease would occur by embracing the African hybrid bee. What about aggression? This is a major concern for the beekeeper as it makes hives harder to work and exposes the public to the dangers of more frequent stinging incidents. Valid points. But I believe, as African honey bees continue to hybridize, their tendency towards aggressiveness becomes watered down. I think, in time, the bees would, if we would allow it, become more manageable until finally a balance is reached.

Maybe it's time to start catching wild swarms and putting them to work as our ancestors did. I think this beats the alternative- no more beekeepers and no more managed bees to pollinate our crops and feed our nation.

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2009-11-17T15:43:00.001-05:00

Are honey bees becoming extinct?

2009-11-17T08:15:00.003-05:00

As usual the media has hyped up the "news" to the point of sensationalism. The honey bees are dying, the honey bees are dying. Bunk. The story should read: "Managed Colonies of Honey Bees Are Dying Off At An Alarming Rate." Or better yet: "No New Beekeepers To Take Care Of Crop Pollination In America." Which brings us into the problems of beekeeping as it exists today.
Why are managed colonies of honey bees dying? This is a complex question but one key factor stands above the rest. The gene pool of "European Bees" is surprisingly shallow. Many of the bees that commercial beekeepers use come from just a few sources. The Italian honey bee was imported long ago from just one place and only a few queens made the journey to America. From just these few queens thousand, maybe hundreds of thousands, of subsequent bees were produced. As any geneticist will tell you as new generations are interbred genetic maladies increase exponentially until finally the species collapses on itself-dead from disease. Italian bees aren't the only bee managed in America though. We have the Caucasians and Carniolan, Russian and Yugoslavian and a few others. All were introduced in North America with very limited numbers. Hence they all are experiencing the same fate as the Italian bee. What bee now thrives in America, almost totally free of disease? The African "Killer Bee". Why? The answer is simple. As Killer Bees migrate to new territories they breed with whatever species of bee is there creating hybrids. The result? A genuinely hardy bee able to handle diseases and parasites with ease. Nature, it seems, will always find a way to bring about a balance. Our path becomes clear- stop meddling with nature and start moving with it. Maybe it's time again to start gathering wild swarms as we once did in America and stop being afraid of the Killer Bees.
Which brings us to the next problem in beekeeping. No new beekeepers. And why would there be? The hours are long, the work is immensely hard, and the pay is abysmal. We as Americans are just not willing to work like this anymore. Generational farmers are going out of business because they can't find the labor pool they once had from the rural high schools to throw hay bales or clean out the stalls. Fruit growers and Vineyard managers are turning to "migrant" workers to prune and harvest their fruit. They say things like, "you just can't get the kids to do this work any more." What does this say about our society? More importantly, what does this say about the perceived value of beekeeping? Many people don't realize that every third spoonful of food they eat comes directly or indirectly from honey bee crop pollination. Yet there are no subsidy programs from the great nanny government we now have. Honey prices are currently below 1970 prices while expenses to manage the bees has risen to the point where there may be NO profit for keeping the bees in a given year. The world of commercial beekeeping continues to decline and beekeeping as a hobby has become so expensive that only the very dedicated continue. What are we to do? One, the economy itself may solve the generational work ethic problem. As "service" jobs decline due to mortgage failures and outsourcing the upcoming generation may have no choice but to work with their hands to feed and shelter themselves. Two, as a world economy develops, the "cheap" honey that's exported to America will have to come more in tune with production costs. We may yet see a time when there is a profit to be made with honey production and crop pollination- only time will tell.
Are the bees dying? Yes. But there is a solution. Get out of the way. Allow nature, and the bees, to find a balance. As with almost everything we humans meddle in we have screwed it up. Just stop.

Do It Yourself Bee Removal

2009-08-04T13:05:00.005-04:00

    One of the most common calls we receive on our emergency line is that bees have begun to invade the inside of a customers home.
     This is often the result of the homeowner having sprayed the bees with an over-the-counter bee spray and then sealed the entrance of the hive with spray foam insulation. Do not do this!
    Your average can of "killer spray" does not have the penetrating power of commercially available pesticides.
    The result? The bees hanging on the outside of the structure are eliminated but the 10 – 50 thousand bees that are inside the structure are largely unaffected.
    So what happens when the homeowner then sprays the foam insulation to seal up the cracks?
    They have now effectively trapped those thousands of bees inside-and almost invariably their escape path takes them right into their home!
    Countless times we have witnessed the unique panic of a person or persons whose home has been invaded by a fleet of these stinging insects, and to top it all off, this situation often makes the bees highly aggressive.

    The best course of action when dealing with honey bees, especially when they have invaded your home, is to call a professional bee removal service.
    It takes a thorough working knowledge of bees and the tools to do the job right for these types of bee problems to be solved.
    Bee removal and control is not a DIY job-and saving a few bucks can cost you a bundle in the end. Call 1.877.455.BEES(2337) or visit Florida Bee Removal if you have a bee problem and treat yourself to the finest bee removal service in Florida.