How to Tell if a Bee Will Sting and When to Call Bee Exterminators

There are a lot of different types of bees that are indigenous to the Las Vegas Area. Some are territorial and will swarm and sting anything that threatens their home. Others might be more docile, content with just gathering honey from the local flora and minding their own business. Sometimes even the most harmless bees can pose a threat to your home though, and depending on where they’ve taken up residence, you might need to call bee exterminators.

Types of Bees

Some bees can be more of a threat than others, and knowing the difference could save you from being stung if you’re careful. The most dangerous type of bee native to Las Vegas is the Africanized Bee. These bees are highly defensive, and will readily swarm when their hive is threatened. They look very similar to honey bees, with slender bodies and a brownish-yellow and black striping. If you see a few of these bees loitering around your deck or home, it’s possible they might have a nest nearby.

There’s also your standard Honey Bee, which looks very similar to the Africanized Bee. The males don’t have stingers, so you don’t have to be as worried about angering the hive, but you probably shouldn’t go out of your way to harass them. While not as dangerous as the Africanized Bee, the Honey Bees are far more numerous, so it’s still a good idea to call bee exterminators if you see them starting to make themselves at home.

Carpenter Bees can be a real problem, especially if you have a lot of redwood, cedar, or oak in your home. As their name implies, carpenter bees make their nest by burrowing into the wood, be it a tree in your yard, or right into the beams in the walls of your home. They tend to dive-bomb and swarm when threatened, usually content with just scaring off any potential threats, but they can sting when backed into a corner. These bees can pose a serious threat to the structural integrity of your home, so it’s important to call a pest exterminator right away if you spot them. Unlike other bees, carpenter bees are mostly black, with some tinges of yellow or red, so they look much different from your traditional honey or bumble bee.

Bumble Bees are almost immediately recognizable. They have bright yellow or red stripes and tend to have plump and fuzzy bodies. They’re fairly docile, and generally don’t sting either. Bumble bees are great for your garden and are actually one of the more endangered of the bee species. While their loud buzzing can be a little annoying a times, this is the one kind of bee that is actually good to have near your home, especially if you have a garden. Unless they’ve built a nest on your property, you’re probably better off just letting these peaceful little guys do their thing.

When to Call Bee Exterminators

There are a few telltale signs it might be time to call an exterminator to come deal with the bees near or in your home. The most obvious time to call is if there is a nest in or on your home. Sharing your home with bees is never a fun experience, and an exterminator can help get rid of the nest for you.

If you see a few bees loitering or crawling in and out of an opening, either a gap in your siding, under a fence post or your deck, or even a gap in the brickwork or foundation, there’s a good chance they’re preparing to make a nest. Calling bee exterminators can help stop the bees before they become a real problem. The exterminators will likely plug up whatever hole the bees are crawling into while also treating the area to deter the bees from coming back. They’ll also make sure to clear out any trace of bees that have already settled in for you.

Lastly, if you see a large number of bees consistently visiting your yard, there’s a good chance there’s a nest nearby. While exterminators might not be able to deal with the nest if it’s not on your property, they can help deter the bees from coming into your yard and help make sure that the bees don’t settle in on your property.

What Happens After You Call for an Exterminator

Unfortunately, bee removal isn’t always as simple as applying insecticide and calling it a day. Thankfully, exterminators will take care of all the cleanup for you. While killing a hive of bees will stop the problem, there’s still the removal of the hive as well as the removal of the bees to deal with. Just like any dead insect, the bees can rot and start to stink up your home if not removed properly. Most exterminators will handle the entire cleanup process, from removing the bees to dismantling the hive and scraping out all of the honey afterward.

Don’t Deal With It Yourself

While a simple bee hive might not look very big, a single hive can hold anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 bees once fully populated, and trying to remove it by yourself could lead to a very painful experience. Leave it up to the professionals at Buddies Exterminating who will take care of the entire extermination process from start to finish. The professional pest exterminator will assess the home and get an idea of what kind of bee you’re dealing with, where the nest is, and if they may have potentially caused any damage to your property. From there, removal is their top priority, and they’ll safely eliminate the nest, remove it, and clear out any remaining bees left behind.

If you think you have a bee infestation, don’t hesitate. Give Buddies Exterminators a call so those bees don’t become a bigger problem for you and your home.