Bees. They are an integral part of our lives. Without pollination things would be so different for the planet. That's why its important to us at Pest-Techz, we do our part in preserving these wonderful creatures. its important to remember that some people are allergic to stings, and can be fatal. While we do our best to remove every nest we find, sometimes its just not possible. Every nest we remove, we relocate to a local nature reserve safely enabling the nest to continue.

They like to nest in cavity walls, lofts, sheds, bird houses, piles wood, leaves and in the ground

There are several types of bees we will encounter.

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Bumble bees, they are large fuzzy, very hairy insects that are black/yellow colored or in some species orange or red. Size varies by species. The bumble bee goes through a complete metamorphosis and includes eggs, larvae (grub), pupae and adults. A fertile female queen that has successfully survived the cold weather months in a protected location starts a new nest in the early spring months. Only the fertile queens that mated the previous year survive and thus bumble bee nests are begun anew each year. The queens begin the new nest by locating a suitable nest location.

Bumble bees, unlike Yellow jackets and hornets, are not overly aggressive  stinging insects. In fact, bumble bees rarely sting unless touched or their nest is threatened or disturbed. Therefore, if a bumble bee nest is discovered on your property, just leave it alone unless there is a good chance that your activities will take place near the nest. Foraging bumble bees will almost never take the time out of their busy day to intentionally sting someone or their pets. A good reason to accommodate a bumble bee nest is their huge value as pollinators, the small size of their nest and short life when compared to other stinging insects such as yellow jackets and hornets.

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Honey Bees, they are remarkable insects in many different ways. The biology of the honey bee reveals just how special it is and what makes it different to other insects. In any hive there are 3 types of honey bee, a single queen, thousands of female worker bees, and in the summer, 100's of male drones. The drone bee does no work and in the early autumn they are evicted by the workers and die. It is amazing to see how colonies of bees stick together, despite the vast distances they travel in order to serve the hive. Honey bees make Honey from pollen and nectar collected from flowers. When a new queen emerges, she embarks on a mating flight. On returning to her hive, with help from the workers, she kills the failing, old queen. Alternatively, before the new queen emerges the old queen may leave with a swarm of workers to form a new colony. Queens live for several years, but summer-born workers live for only a few weeks. Those maturing maturing later usually survive the winter by huddling together , with the queen, and eating stored food. Honey bees are important flower pollinators. They sting once and only attack when threatened. As with wasps, the smell of a bees venom causes other bees to attack.

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Masonry Bees. They are best known and named for their propensity to attack the old or poorly maintained mortar or cement between the bricks of our homes. They create or make use of existing horizontal cylindrical holes in which they complete their life cycle. They are a solitary bee, meaning they don't live in a social colony with a queen and workers like honey bees. In the UK we have approximately 20 species of masonry bee, but only see about 6 species that thrive. They are most active and problematic from early spring through to mid summer, and are commonly with wasps and honey bees. They prefer sheltered, south facing walls and roofs, due to receiving consistent levels of sun. Masonry bees do have a sting, and yes they will use it. According to reports, the stings have not been left in by the bee unlike wasps, honey bees. Masonry bees are common in window frames also. 

Masonry bees create a cell within the brood chamber, containing 1-3 eggs that hatch into larvae and develop over the coming 6-12 months, to emerge in the autumn or following spring.

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There are laws around the destruction of certain bees. So its always best to contact a professional pest control company like us.

If you would like more information on bees, or you have a current issue with bees, then please contact us, we are always happy to help. Call Alison today on 07746307885.

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Always remember these insects can and will sting if a nest is disturbed, resulting in the risk of stings, that cause fatal.

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