Community Chat

[Mz iMac]

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@maximillian wrote:

they are in danger of extinction due to many environmental and man-made threats. 

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@maximillian The "honey bee" is not in danger of extinction nor have they ever been listed on the endangered list.

"The truth is that there are eight species of bees that have been placed on the endangered list; different species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees in 2016 and, most recently, the Rusty patched bumble bee. Honey bees, and other species, are not on this list, nor have they ever been. The causes for the loss of the aforementioned bees that are on the list are believed to be due to habitat loss, natural disasters, and invasive species."

copy/paste link.......> agdaily.com/crops/are-honey-bees-endangered/

[Scorpio1971]

I have a pest control plan with one of the major well known exterminating companies so late last summer they came out to do regular pest control.  About 2 weeks later I was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets that made a nest in a log that is used as part of a retaining wall.  I had to run for my life all the way around to the other side of house, and it is a big house, before they stopped chasing me.  It was a good thing I had a jacket on with a hood because they would have gotten on my neck & gone down my back!  Very vicious! 

I immediately called my pest control company to get a repeat visit as an emergency service call which is included in my plan.  They told me if it is honey bees they are not allowed to touch them and would have to call a beekeeper to remove them.  I told them they were yellow jackets & was attacked by them.  Sent out technician 2 days later and he determined they definitely were yellow jackets & it was a huge nest.  Long story short, they said it's illegal for them to knowingly exterminate honey bees.  Suggesting you get your repairs done asap before another pest invades that space.  Good luck!

[Mindy D]

The neighbor is in the house behind me and they are not close. The price of $1200 is cheap, if the are up in the attic of a two story home it can cost $4000 or more. Right now, I don’t just have the holes, I have the honey that the bee removal service could not get rid of. It’s dripping on my covered patio and some is still left inside the holes made by the bee company. The bee technician did spray the honey on the patio and inside the holes with a poison because new scout bees looking for a place to start a new hive areattracted to the smell of honey! When I spoke with the expert owner of the company he confused me a little because he said I should leave the holes open. I’m going to call him back to get more information. This company is used by Florida Power and Light (FPL) and AT & T to get rid of bees for them. The company is highly regarded but I wish they made a handout with instructions. Their website is informative but there is one video that showed technicians covering up the hole with a silver tape, so that’s what I thought they would use for me. When I asked the owner about the tape he said the tape is only used for roof projects. The video that shows the taping looks like it is a ground project but I think the angle of the camera makes it appear to be a ground level project when it is actually a roof project. Anyway, I’ll be calling back because I don’t want more bees coming because of the honey. By the way, the company is so busy, all over South Florida, homeowners, the power company, phone company, hotels, and other  businesses are calling in record numbers.

[Mindy D]

Now I need a carpenter to fix the holes. More money$$$$$ There are four holes. Plus, I still have to see how long I have to wait for any missed honey to drip out and I have to hope no new bees try to swarm because they’re attracted to the bit of remaining honey. The inside of the holes and the first dripped honey have been sprayed with some kind of insecticide by the bee tech, but I’ll have to find out more about this from the bee removal company. The teensy tiny hole on the outside of the fascia board is where the bees first entered.

[hennypenny]

Here in my city there are bee keepers that come and remove for free.

Roundup and chemicals are killing the bees. So the farmer's will gladly pay beekeepers for their bees.

[Mindy D]

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@Scorpio1971 wrote:

I have a pest control plan with one of the major well known exterminating companies so late last summer they came out to do regular pest control.  About 2 weeks later I was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets that made a nest in a log that is used as part of a retaining wall.  I had to run for my life all the way around to the other side of house, and it is a big house, before they stopped chasing me.  It was a good thing I had a jacket on with a hood because they would have gotten on my neck & gone down my back!  Very vicious! 

I immediately called my pest control company to get a repeat visit as an emergency service call which is included in my plan.  They told me if it is honey bees they are not allowed to touch them and would have to call a beekeeper to remove them.  I told them they were yellow jackets & was attacked by them.  Sent out technician 2 days later and he determined they definitely were yellow jackets & it was a huge nest.  Long story short, they said it's illegal for them to knowingly exterminate honey bees.  Suggesting you get your repairs done asap before another pest invades that space.  Good luck!

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It is illegal for your pest control company because they were not licensed to remove honey bees. To remove honey bees in Florida a special license and training is required. They are not endangered but there have been decreasing numbers and a disorder called Colony Collapse Disorder. CCD is still being studied and no single factor has been identified as the cause. The company I used is thoroughly licensed and are specialists in bees. They work with bee keepers and do transfer hives. Thereare additional charges if a customer wants to save the hive. That service is not possible right now because of the huge uptick in swarms right now. This uptick is unprecedented here.  

[homedecor1]

@Mindy D 

I hope the company guaranteed their work!  The companies here are terrible -- they get ya & good luck them coming back once they get your $$$$.

In February my attic had raccoon families living in it😳. Of course, our county does nothing so I had to call private trapper.  Before they would set any traps I had to sign a contract ($2,120) for remediation.  Of course, when you're stressed over the situation they know they've got ya.

So they told us any damage would be covered by homeowners ...nope not in Florida (all forms of bugs, ticks, wildlife & more excluded).  The damage was over $2500 to clean up/out my attic, fix ceiling (they cut living room ceilings to get babies out) and roofing area they ate thru. 

I feel your pain & hate companies take advantage of consumer in these situations 😤

[Cats3000]

They left holes?  What the heck are you talkng about?  Those will be new homes for more bees.  You didn't aks them about filling in the holes?  That's not part of their service after they remove the nests?

If you haven't aleady done so, call 'em back and ask some questions.  You shouldn't have to figure out how to fix the holes.  And as long as those holes stay open, you may be inviting the next swarm.

As far as you neighbor coming over?  Like you invited the bees to build their hives there?  I'd have told  him/her to go away and not come back.

[Meowingkitty]

Here’s an article just yesterday on the Phoenix, AZ news.

PHOENIX — It's easy to panic when a swarm of bees is buzzing around your home.

But how much should it really cost you to remove them?

Kailey Baker, of Surprise, let me know she paid $695 for a company to come and spray bees at her house.

"I just wanted to get rid of them," she said.

Her regular pest control company did not handle bees, and the company they recommended didn't pick up.

So she did a quick search online and said Mountain View Pest Control in Phoenix was one of the first results.

It was a similar story for Teresa in Mesa. Except she paid $995.

Each says they called the company but were not given a verbal or written estimate of costs before workers with Mountain View just started working.

"I noticed someone was outside on a ladder spraying," Teresa said.

Teresa says she never finalized any deal by phone, but less than an hour later, her worker arrived, finished, and then told her, "For $395 they would add the white chemical dust, and that would provide a guarantee."

Thinking it was $395 for everything, she says she agreed. Instead, the price came out closer to $1,000 because the dust was actually an additional cost.

She says the whole thing lasted about 20 minutes.

Mountain View Pest Control gets an F from the Better Business Bureau.

The BBB issued an alert warning that "prices are not displayed on the business website," and concerns that services provided are "more than initially discussed."

We called numerous local bee removal businesses.

None say they'd charge more than $300 for the same situations: no honeycomb removal, no tearing out a wall, and bees located outside of a structure.

But businesses can charge whatever they want.

These consumers say what's unfair is being surprised and not knowing how much it would cost even when some asked.

Kailey says she was told, "The technician will let you know when he gets there and assesses the situation, and I was like 'Ok, that's fair.'"

But when he arrived, she said he automatically starting putting on his bee suit and headed up a ladder.

"I'm like, 'Okay he's probably just going up to look at it,'" Kailey said.

When he came down, Kailey says he'd already sprayed and offered them $395 dust guarantee on top of a $695 charge that she didn't even know about, which is not what she says the business told her would happen.

"You would let me know how much is going to be once you assess the area," she says she told him. "He just stood there like, just staring at me."

Stunned, she declined the dust.

We asked a different pest control company for ways to avoid paying more than expected for bee removal.

Arizona Pest Squad owner David Marshall gave us some tips.

"Just take your time, calm down. When bees show up, don't panic and start shopping," Marshall said. "You're going to need to get three to five estimates."

Marshall says reputable companies should be asking you questions.

Like where the bees are located and how long they've been there. Those factors help companies give a more accurate estimate.

If the bees are outside, he says to stay away.

And give it a day or two, because scouter bees often leave on their own. We heard similar advice from other pest control and bee removal businesses that we called.

But what if they're inside?

"Put a towel in front of the door so they can't get in," Marshall said.

If you can close off the area, do it. If not, leave and call around for same-day estimates.

"If it's over $500, keep calling around. It should be around $175 to $250," Marshall says.

Also, keep in mind that prices will be higher if there is a honeycomb removal, or a contractor has to open a wall.

Even then, calling around right then and there could save you hundreds, if not thousands.

Marshall also recommends contacting a beekeeper over an exterminator because they will find somewhere for them to go.

In a brief conversation with Mountain View owner Joe McDermott, he told us said they do give estimates but wouldn't say more.

Now, about the products the company uses. The state verified the active ingredients for us.

That $395 dust? We found a four-pound bag for around $25.

The $695 spraying insecticide? $50 to $80 per gallon.

[Mindy D]

Homedecor1, critter damage from insects isn’t covered on our homeowners policy. The bee company does not guarantee that a NEW colony won’t come. That’s why I’m worried about the residual honey. Honey attracts scout bees looking for a new place to establish a new hive for their queen. I’m going to call the company for clarification as to what they will do. They will come over and reapply pesticide inside the holes and around where the holes are if we see any bees. At least that’s what the specialist told my husband. I didn’t see this on the web site, however. 

You have a so many raccoons! Can’t your city help with raccoon problems? Do you still have them?