Bees, wasps and hornets fall into three categories in the insect world and each exhibits distinct characteristics. At The Bug Man, our capable team can treat them all, and even humanely re-home them whenever possible in the case of honeybees.
Bees
Honey bees are very important to our way of life here on earth. They are the world’s leading pollinators of flowers, fruits and vegetable plants, which helps these plants grow and reproduce. In fact, around 80% of US crops are dependent on honey bees and
it is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination, mainly by bees with a little help from other insects, birds and bats. And don’t forget, bees make honey and who doesn’t love honey?
While bees do sting, they rarely interact with humans and are not normally aggressive unless you attempt to disturb their hive. As bees reproduce, a hive can become overcrowded and bees will swarm—essentially a large number will fly out of the hive and move to another location. Unfortunately, these locations can be a hollow tree in your yard, an opening in your roof or other locations that could be dangerous to you, your family or pets.
Bee Treatment
Because bees are our friends and we need them, The Bug Man has a team of professionals specially trained to humanely relocate the bees away from your property so they can live in peace and continue their job as pollinators—just not from your yard. Protected by special bee suits, our team members carefully remove the hive, place it into a bee box and often donate them to a local bee farmer.
Wasps & Hornets
Wasps and hornets are related. In fact, a hornet is actually a specific type of wasp. In Louisiana, you are probably accustomed to seeing paper wasps, which are about an inch long and may be brown or black or dark with yellow spots. Their paper-like nests are made up of several open combs with cells where young are reared, all connected to a single, thin stalk that anchors the nest. Paper wasps build nests under any horizontal surface and are often found on tree branches, overhangs, eaves of buildings, beams and supports, barns, sheds, and other similar places. Like paper wasps, hornets make paper-like nests; however, they can often grow to extreme sizes, sometimes becoming larger than a football. Here in Louisiana, we also have ground hornets, which make their nests in cracks, crevices and rodent holes.
Wasps are aggressive and will attack and sting if you invade their space. Hornets are even more aggressive and will often sting without much provocation. Both can sting repeatedly and these stings are extremely painful.
Wasp & Hornet Treatment
The Bug Man offers wasp and hornet treatment in a couple of varieties. For small, paper wasp nests we offer both residential and commercial property treatment where we visit on site at set times to chemically treat and remove wasp nests.
If there is a large wasp or hornet nest, we are also available on a one-time basis to treat and remove the nest. We can also chemically treat ground hornets, which are very aggressive and usually discovered when the grass is being cut and the lawnmower stirs them up. We suit up in our protective bee suits for treatment and advise homeowners to stay inside while service is being performed.
Stinging insects like bees, hornets and wasps send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year. If you do get stung, common home remedies include coating the sting site with a meat tenderizer/water solution rinse, baking soda paste or even rubbing the site with an aluminum based deodorant! Then, give The Bug Man a call so you can take back control of your yard. We can treat infestations of any size, large or small. Give us a call today!
