[Budster]

How many of you get these emails? (This is an actual cut and paste of one I received today)...

"Hello

I do not know if I have a nest or not, just that we can\'t sit outside and relax due to bees. I know there are 3 different types here but not sure of their names, but they love to hover. My son is frightened of them and I can\'t got out back and clean yard because of them. Any suggstions????

Thank You"

I am a beekeeper, not an entomologist or a specialist on all flying insects with stingers! It seems that if it has a stinger, we get all of the questions and comments from the public! Probably carpenter bees (not aggressive). Might be a few paper wasps and hornets thrown into the occasional sighting. Also, the mason bees seem to be in "full bloom" here right now... I just don't know what these people expect me to do? Drive out and have a look? Than what? Here's a suggestion, buy yourself and your son a veil and full beesuit, put them on before you go outside. I sure don't want to make us beekeepers look bad, but I get these all the time! The world is full of all kinds of local fauna. We can coexist with it.

So, anyone else have similar stories???

 

[magista]

I feel your pain. I get the, "I have a swarm of bees" as well.

Typically when you ask for a description it ends up not being honeybees. I respond, "Hmmm...sounds like it may not be honeybees. Do a search on the Internet for 'honeybee swarm', look at the photos and then you should be able to tell if that's what you have."

It's annoying yes...by putting the ball back in their court you make them do the research and educate them a little bit. Or I direct them to my website where they can look at what an actual swarm looks like.

It's about education.

 

[G3farms]

I ask them to email me a pic of them. Save both of us a little bit of trouble and me gas money. I have told some if they are not honey bees It is a $20 trip charge to tell them they are yellow jackets or wasp or hornets or whatever.

Had one lady swear they were honey bees because that is what a big chain pest control outfit told her they were, and they would not kill them (were in an office wall where a/c line went inside). Yellow jackets!!

Had another fella swear they were honey bees, down in a wood pile, I laughed and told him it was yellow jackets, "noooooo they are not, I know what honey bees look like" he said. Yellow jackets!!

Pics in the email will quickly clear things up, maybe.

The $20 trip charge makes them focus a little harder

G3

 

[Roland]

20 dollar trip charge - you are cheap. But you are right, it makes them look twice.

Roland

 

[BigDaddyDS]

I also charge the $20 dollar "consultation fee" to drive out and look at people's yellowjackets. And, by the way, I get those calls too. If the person SWEARS they're not yellowjackets, by God they are. "I know yellowjackets, and these AREN'T yellowjackets," seems to be the call of the typical yellowjacket owners...

To answer your question though, I always ask, "Are they fuzzy, or hard and shiny?" Hard and shiny insects will almost always get me to recommend "neutralizing" them. Anything else, Mason bees, Orchard bees, etc., I'll instruct them on what names to search for on the internet, and ask them to research what they might be pollinating. I agree; it IS about education.

DS

 

[Bradley_Bee]

I love the , " I have bees in my tree " and when you get there the tree is in full bloom and the bees are working it. No hive .

 

[Michael Bush]

>http://www.bushfarms.com/beespackages.htm

All the time. Usually from someone in Alabama or California or New York... often wanting me to come get their bees... if they are local they are usually yellow jackets...

But it's a chance to educate people.

 

[dcross]

I enjoy those calls/emails! The one time a former beekeeper swore they were bees, well, at least it was a short drive to look at yellow jackets.

 

[Brent Bean]

It’s also amazing how many people say they are allergic to bees, you’ll get a call can you come get these bees I or my son ect. Are deathly allergic to stings. When you ask a few questions about the reaction they will say well, is swells up at the sting point and itches for a couple of days. I will tell them it’s only a local reaction and save some money and not go to the emergency room .
I was called once a lady frantic that honeybees were flying from behind her electric meter, I asked what color were they. She said what color were they suppose to be? I said you tell me, the answer bright yellow and black. I told here they were hornets and since they don’t produce honey I wasn’t interested. She insisted so being fairly close I went over and found hornets. Probably should have charged her but I would rather educate someone so they don’t actually kill honeybees.

 

[applebwoi]

Same with me, lots of similar calls. However, what do you do when they are right and you find a hive established in the walls of their house and you don't want to, or can't do a cut/trap out? There aren't any other beeks in the area that does this either, so what do you tell the people then, other than to explain their options?

 

[Budster]

I will tell them it’s only a local reaction and save some money and not go to the emergency room .

:no: You should be very carefull. You could get sued for this...

 

[G3farms]

Same with me, lots of similar calls. However, what do you do when they are right and you find a hive established in the walls of their house and you don't want to, or can't do a cut/trap out? There aren't any other beeks in the area that does this either, so what do you tell the people then, other than to explain their options?

As you said, explain all of the options.......cut out, trap out, or exterminate.

Cut out.....
1. is going to tear into their walls, ceilings or what ever.
2. damage will be kept to a minimum.
3. repairs to be made by you or others
4. price.

Trap out.....
1. will require a bee hive and trap cone at the entrance to the hive for over a month and frequent visits by you.
2. depending on what they want done after the trap out, leave the comb in place and seal the hole or tear into the wall and remove the comb.
3. repairs made by you or others.
4. price.

Extermination.....
1. you personally will not do this (that is what I tell them).
2. if it is done (by whom ever) there is dead bees, dead brood, wax comb, honey, nectar, pollen and massive amounts of insecticide.
3. there will be other bugs and rodents that will come to forage on the remains which will be worse.
4. the honey and wax can and will bleed through sheetrock and wood.
5. the dead bees and brood will start to decay and could cause a terrible odor, could even start mold issues.
6. after spraying with insecticide you will not try to remove anything since it could contaminate your heathly hives.
7. there is nothing salvagable after spraying, everthing needs to be bagged and taken to the landfill.
8. the phone number of your exterminator buddies that always give you the call for honeybees. he will just explain the above to them again and tell them to call a beekeeper, hopefully you can do the first two above.

If they have already sprayed them with a can of bug killer before I get there, I always decline the offer or add more money to the cut out, most times a can of bug killer will not kill them off, only make them move over, hard to cover the masses of bees from the little entrance hole.

just my thoughts

G3

 

[dcross]

It’s also amazing how many people say they are allergic to bees, you’ll get a call can you come get these bees I or my son ect.

I just respond with, "Yeah, me too."