The Villages Honey Bees in Water Meter

Bee Nest in Water Meter

One of the ways we can track the movement of African Honey Bees (AHB), aka Killer Bees, is by the nesting locations of service calls we receive. When we get a call where bees are nesting in a water meter, the probability if very high that these bees are AHB, and appropriate caution is advised, as this subspecies of Honey Bee can get very defensive, threatening people and pets.

What's really concerning me is the frequency of UNLICENSED operators attempting removal of these bee colonies. This photo shows a Honey Bee nest in a Villages water meter that a lawn care operator attempted to remove. He tried spraying alcohol on the bees, and when that didn't work, just left, leaving the lid open to robber bees from other bee colonies, which can make bees very, very defensive, leading to mass stinging events.

To top it off, he wanted to charge the client $100 for the removal. He's not licensed as a pest control operator, doesn't carry insurance, and put the homeowner at risk for a death or injury from a bee sting. Remember, many people are so allergic, that one sting can kill.

Please, contact us at 800.343.5317 for proper bee removal in the Villages, Lady Lake,  or anywhere in Florida.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist