Africanized Bee | Yellow Jacket | Paper Wasp | Carpenter Bee Bumble Bee | Honey Bee | Preparation for Service | After Service

Always ask to see a Pest Control company's Africanized Bee Certification. Hot Shots Pest Control has been Africanized Bee Certified since 1994. A Company that is not certified could hurt themselves and/or the people in the vicinity.

How do Bees Become Africanized?: Each hive has its own particular odor so that bees are not allowed in from other hives. The male Africanized bee (drone) has the capability to mimic any hives odor. As the drone approaches a hive he changes his odor and is allowed to enter. He will then mate with the queen and she will lay hybrid Africanized bee eggs. Eventually the hive will become 100% Africanized.

Africanized Bee identification: These deadly bees closely resemble the gentle honey bee. They are 2/5 to 3/5 inches long and are covered with golden brown and black hair.

IIIIIIII AFRICANIZED BEES IN SANTA BARBARA IIIIIIII

Signs of an Africanized beehive:
1. Prefer to establish hives in low areas, as opposed to European bees which prefer high areas. (Though, Africanized bees may build in high areas.)
2. They fly in a nervous, erratic and agitated pattern.
3. They post numerous guards at the entrance to the hive; listening, smelling and looking for possible predators.
4. When the hive is approached more bees will begin flying near the hive.
5. They fly directly into the hive rather than landing and walking in like European bees.

Facts on Africanized Bees and Precautions to take:
1. If you are in a possible bee hive area, always wear a hat; they will attack the head first.
2. Men are more sensitive to bee venom than women.
3. Caucasians are more sensitive than other ethnic groups. (One study showed that 95% of Caucasians and 2% of African Americans were sensitive to bee stings).
4. Sever reactions increase with age.
5. Africanized bees will pursue for a minimum of 1/4 mile (4 city blocks) and continue to attack for hours.
6. When they are away from the hive, they will not attack unless provoked (never swat at them).
7. If you are sensitive to bee venom wear a medical alert bracelet of carry a medical alert in your wallet. This will be the first place medical personnel will look.
8. Non-sensitive people will experience pain, redness, swelling and itching.
9. Hypersensitive people may experience respiratory distress, abdominal cramps, headache, fever, drowsiness, shock, fainting and unconsciousness.
10. Multiple sting victims may experience muscle cramps, headache, fever, drowsiness and possible swelling of the throat.
11. Always wear bright colors, never brown or black. Their instinct is to attack hive raiders, which are dark colored i.e. Bears etc.
12. It takes 8.5 stings per pound of body weight for LD50 (Lethal dose 50%): 65lbs-190 stings, 132lbs-570 stings, 198 lbs-1710 stings.
13. Stings should be scraped off not pulled out. Pulling injects more venom. Use a fingernail or knife blade to scrape.
14. Africanized bees travel approximately 200 to 300 miles per year.
15. They will swarm year-round (8+ times a year per hive) as opposed to twice with European bees.
16. If attacked, go to an enclosure. The bees that follow you inside will become confused. If no enclosure is available run in a zigzag pattern. Do not look back or stop. Run for at least 1/4 mile. Do not try to hide; once stung the stinger releases pheromones, its odor tells the other bees where to attack.
17. The worst thing is to jump into a pool! They can see you, and will wait for you to come up for air. You may drown.
18. At your home or workplace keep areas clear of debris, this will help ensure they do not build a hive near you.

Talk to Your Neighbors!: Educate them on the dangers listed above. They could have a hive on their property and not know it. Starting up a lawnmower, weed whacker or motorcycle - playing loud music, children playing, dogs barking or vibrations could all trigger an attack. Always search the premises before doing any of these things. We all have to learn to live with them as they are beneficial to us - it's only when they are around our working or living areas that for our own safety, they should be eliminated.
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Yellow Jacket identification: Black and yellow or black and white, with a definite waist. They are from 5/8 to 1 inch long and fold their wings lengthwise when at rest.

Life cycle: In the fall, wasp colonies attain their largest size, and in the vicinity of numerous colonies, foraging workers may become serious pests as they search out food such as sweets and meats.

Health & property concerns: Yellow jackets are wasps, not bees. If a colony is disturbed, worker yellow jackets will aggressively defend their colony by stinging. They will sting and bite multiple times and remain aggressive for hours. For most of us a sting may just be a temporary painful experience, but for allergic individuals a single sting could result in a serious reaction.
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Paper Wasp identification: They are from 5/8 or 1 inch long, reddish brown with a yellow circle. They have long legs and slender bodies. Their abdomen tapers at both ends.

Life cycle: Similar to other wasps, paper wasps and the mated queens abandon their nests in autumn through winter. A queen killed in the fall or early spring will eliminate an entire nest during the summer.

Health & property concerns: If stung, meat tenderizer, mud or baking soda paste can reduce the pain by breaking down the components of the venom.
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Carpenter Bee identification: These large attractive looking bees have a blue, black, green or purple metallic sheen and a shiny hairless abdomen and are about 1 1/2 inches long. Unlike Bumblebees they are solitary by nature. The males are perceived as menacing when they fly around the heads of humans, however they lack a stinger and are harmless. However, the female posses a potent sting.

Life cycle: The males and females each cut a one inch circular hole into the wood, then create a tunnel parallel to the surface of the wood. Within the tunnel the female stores food and lays eggs. The developing carpenter bee larvae are in individual cells in the tunnel. There is usually only one generation per year.

Health & property concerns: They often burrow into the wood of buildings, decks, telephone poles, fence posts and bridges. The burrow from 1 bee can be 12 inches deep. The yellow sawdust containing waste materials can leave unsightly stains. A number of bees can colonize one section of wood and damage can be quite extensive.
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Bumble Bee identification: These robust insects are covered with dense black and yellow or orange stripes, few are golden yellow. Most bumblebees nest in the ground, utilizing deserted rodent burrows. They also nest under patios, porches, piles of grass clippings, wood piles, etc. Above ground they will occupy abandoned bird nests, wall voids and roofs. On occasion they will enter attics, stairways and barns.

Life cycle: Their colonies are a spectacular example of social organization, with each member working tirelessly to protect and build the colony.

Health & property concerns: If a nest is disturbed the occupants will emit a loud threatening buzzing sound. The bees will exit to defend the nest aggressively and pursue invaders for a considerable distance. This is why they pose a considerable threat to a home or business owner.
The sting is among the most painful of the North American stinging insects. But unlike honeybees, and Africanized bees, each bumblebee can sting multiple times.

Control: Identification of the bee determines process of control and products used.
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Honey Bee identification: These bees are covered with golden brown and black hair with a striped abdomen. There are 3 castes of bees in the colony; workers (2/5 to 3/5 inches long), drones (3/4 to 5/8 inches long), and the queen (3/5 to 3/4 inches long).

Life cycle: The queen is responsible for reproduction. The drones are the fertile male bees, and the sterile workers are responsible for feeding the queen, maintaining and protecting the hive, as well as gathering pollen and nectar.

Health & property concerns: The worker bees have a barbed stinger that becomes detached along with the venom sac after stinging. For most of us a sting may just be a temporary painful experience, but for allergic individuals a single sting could result in a serious reaction.

Preparation for service: Currently being updated.

What to expect after service: After bee service, you will see activity at the hive. This is because there is a distress signal coming from the bees. Once the Queen has died the distress call will stop. Bees will swarm around the entrance after the elimination of the hive because they are confused. The bees should be quite docile after the hive has been eliminated, but you should remain cautious and not antagonize them. Within hours to a couple days they will be gone.
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