Types of Spieces

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Yellow Jackets

When Yellow Jackets are nesting in the ground, they can usually be left alone, unless they have chosen a location where people walk, dine outdoors, or where they have the potential to be disturbed by human activities, including landscaping and grass cutting.

Yellow Jackets eat insects, meat from the carcasses of dead animals, and fruit. Anyone who enjoys picnics knows that Yellow Jackets are keen on trying whatever you’re having. They will land on your sugary drink, fruit or food in great numbers and with great persistence. Yellow Jackets will nest in hollow cavities, including inside of your building’s siding or in the ground inside of burrows that have been abandoned by mice. Yellow Jackets should always be removed when they are entering a hole in your house, because their populations can grow quite large and they can begin entering the occupied spaces of your home or building.

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Bumble Bees

When Bumble Bees nest in the ground, they can usually be left alone, unless they have chosen a location where people walk or where they have the potential to be disturbed by human activities, including landscaping and grass cutting.

Bumble Bees prefer nests that have been abandoned by mice and they will sometimes make their nest inside of a mouse carcass. Bumble Bees are important pollinators and they should be allowed to survive when possible. They are generally docile and stings occur when Bumble Bees are stepped on. Many people report that their first sting arose during childhood when they stepped on a Bumble Bee in the grass.

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Carpenter Bees

Carpenter Bees look similar to Bumble Bees, except they bore holes in wood. Carpenter Bees cause damage to deck railings and they should be removed. Because their multi-chambered nests feature tunnels that branch off in different directions, they are difficult to eradicate and their treatment may require more than one visit.

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Polistes or Umbrella Wasps

Polistes, also known as Umbrella Wasps, tend to be aggressive and they should be removed if they are in an area within 10 feet of human activity. If the nests under your eaves are at least 10 feet away from areas where people will be, the nest can be left alone as Polistes eat mosquitos and other harmful insects. In addition to living under eaves and soffits, Polistes will sometimes build nests in your mailbox, outdoor grill, or the underside of patio furniture. They can be easily removed, but they will quickly rebuild nests unless a residual product is applied to these areas.

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Honey Bees

Honey bees are perhaps the most important insect to our environmental health. Colony Collapse and other problems are plaguing honey bees. The honey bees that are living in your building are showing some natural hardiness and resistance to these conditions, and it is very important to remove them alive, so that their naturally resistant genes remain in the gene pool.

When Honey Bees are entering a hole in your building, they need to be removed. Leaving any honey behind will attract other honey bees, ants, mice and other pests. The wall may need to be opened so that the honey comb and nest structures can be removed. Landmark Pest Management has masons and drywallers on staff who are able to fully restore any damage caused by the removal. When possible, honey bees should be removed without the use of pesticides.

The beekeepers on our staff specialize in pesticide-free honey bee removal. Once they have opened the wall to expose the colony, they will remove the queen by hand placing her into a hive box. While the bee keepers work to scrape every surface clean and remove every bit of wax and honey, the worker bees will follow the scent of their queen’s pheromones and they will join her in the hive box.