Honey Bees

Biology

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Honey bees are found throughout North America and the world. They are social insects and live as colonies in hives with 20,000- 80,000 individuals. They are classified as workers, a queen, and drones (males) which come from unfertilized eggs.

The entire population overwinters. There is only one egg-laying queen in the hive. She can lay as many as 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day, and may live as long as 5 years. The young workers care for the young, build the comb, and guard the hive. Older workers serve as foragers to gather pollen and nectar. Normally, workers live about 5 to 7 weeks during the summer. Those workers who arise in the autumn, overwinter. Drones (males) appear sporadically but only like around 24 days. New queens are produced and the old queen leaves with a large number of workers. In recent decades the honey bee population has dramatically declined at an alarming rate. If you would like to read more about the statistics you can go here.

Feeding Preferences

The honey bee has a diet of nectar and pollen.

Transmitted Diseases

Honey bees do not transmit human diseases.

The normal reaction to bee stings is pain and itching followed by swelling at the sting site. The first step to take is to remove the stinger. A cold compress will reduce pain and swelling. Normally, there will be a small welt. If a person is allergic to stings, it is advised to seek immediate medical attention.

Habits

Honey bees are not aggressive.However, they are defensive and will attack only when it is defending it’s colony.

When honey bees swarm they first move to a temporary site such as a tree branch. The swarm will usually remain here for about 24-48 hours until a permanent location is found such as a bee hive, hollow tree, hollow wall, or an attic. Generally it is a place that is protected from the weather.

Bees in a swarm are very calm and not likely to sting. Honey bees encountered away from the hive are unlikely to sting unless provoked. However, if the hive entrance is approached, the guard bees can become very aggressive. Worker bees have barbed stingers. The stinger has a poison sac, and is ripped off the body of the stinging bee. In addition, the stinger gives off a pheromone which attracts other bees and creates an alarm for an attack. Therefore, immediate removal of the stinger is very important.

Expert Pest Program

Expert Pest Management will perform a thorough treatment of your structure by a trained professional. We will locate all problem areas and properly identify the pest you are having. All programs are specially designed to target the pest that is infesting your structure.