DIY Pest Control

When is the right time to use poisons?  If you are having a problem with wasps and/or yellow jackets you might want to try DIY pest control by going the chemical route.  Those social insects could build a significant size nest but the contents within the comb are different from those of the honeybee.  Although wasps and yellow jackets do feed on nectar, wasps' main food source coming into the nest is usually "other insects".  Honeybees on the other hand feed strictly on pollen and honey which they store in large quantities to expand their colony and to survive the winter months.

If you plan to exterminate the honeybee colony by plugging up the entrance hole or spraying some type of poison your problems have just begun!  All those dead bees, left-over brood, honey, wax and pollen have just become the food source for other critters.  We are not talking 100's but 1,000's of bees!!!!!!! 

If you have sprayed some poison at the entrance to the colony as a DIY pest control measure you have just disturbed the bees, put them in a protective mode and have now decided to search for another exit point.  This is when you start finding bees flying around inside your home. 

That previously unnoticed small wall gap where the TV antenna enters the living room or that hanging light on your ceiling usually has holes large enough to allow bees to slip through.

Once you kill the bees you destroy the defense of the hive and it now becomes a target zone for scavengers.  Mice and other insects will be attracted by the smell and will begin to feast on the eggs, brood and honey. Wax moths will take over the comb and create an ugly entanglement of fibers and feces.  Also, if you decide to exterminate the colony during a time of hot weather, you might find stains forming on your walls and ceilings.  The reason for this is that while the bees are alive they maintain a constant hive temperature of around 93 degrees Fahrenheit.  They do this by fanning the nest, thus creating a flow of air that regulates the temperature and moisture content within the nest.

No Bees = No Fanning = Wax/Honey Melting = Dripping on Ceilings = Stains!

Sometimes people think that they can take care of a bird, bee or animal problem on their own.  They don't realize that there are special techniques and tools that are used during such a process. The homeowner might go ahead and purchase an animal friendly "catch'em-live" mouse trap only to find out that the pests won't go into the trap.  If the homeowner does manage to get the animal into the trap the next phase is to properly dispose of the pest.  Disposing of the animal is not as simple as one might think.  First of all, in Massachusetts it is illegal to relocate an animal and a violation of this law usually carries a fine.  The trapped animal must either be released on the same property where it was caught or it must be euthanized in a humane manner.

​In order to have success in maintaining a critter free place one must first extricate the animals and then follow a routine schedule of preventive maintenance.  You can try DIY pest control or you can hire the services of Bees, Bats and Beyond to take care of these problems for you.

Another problem is that many birds and animals could either be internally infected with a disease and usually are infested with fleas, mites, ticks and/or other such carriers of transmittable diseases.  The improper handling of such pests could become a human health hazard.

For these reasons you should hire a professional with the knowledge and equipment to do such work.  Here at Bees, Bats and Beyond you will find the right service professional for your pest control needs.

Some time ago I received a call to do a bee removal from a four story building.  Several weeks prior to the call the owner noticed that there were honey bees flying into the roof-line of his home.  In a attempt to kill the bees himself he decided to opened up the interior ceiling at an assumed location near the bee access point.  After opening up a section of ceiling he realized that he could not access the bee nest due to obstructions from roof rafters.  He gave up on the attempt after he noticed that the bees were now invading his bedroom.  Several days later I was contacted to remedy the problem.  These pictures showe the results: