Orlando Yellow Jacket Nest: Don't Try This!

When it comes to Bees and Yellow Jackets, sometimes I feel like the good folks at Mythbusters when Adam Savage says "Don't Try This!"

This photo shows a client's attempt at smothering a yellowjacket nest in his backyard. He attempted to put a pot over the opening and then shoveled sand over it to smother it. His girlfriend said he came running in the house covered with Yellow Jackets and all wide eyed and in shock. He's lucky to be alive. We see many severe injuries and even deaths from these very defensive wasps.

Bee Safe, contact us, the Stinging Insect Experts at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com 800-343-5317 for proper Yellow Jacket removal. Remember, our services are most likely cheaper than any Emergency Room Visit!

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Apopka water meter honey bee removal

fAfrican Honey Bees, aka Killer Bees, readily build colonies near ground voids, and water meter boxes are a very common location for them to build nests.

We've been seeing a growing population of African Killer Bees in Apopka for a couple years now, and perform water meter bee removals for many water utilities and municipalities throughout Florida.

The client elected for a bee eradication in this case, as the colony was queenless and in decline. Often we can perform live bee removals, but we have to bee exteremely careful, as the liability for us AND the property owner can be immense, as about 2% is so allergic that they stop breathing within minutes after just ONE sting!

Please, if you find a colony of bees in your water meter, call the Stinging Insect Experts at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com , 800-343-5317 for expert removal of your bee problem. We are licensed, insured and considered leaders in the bee removal world.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Apopka bees in water meter

Archer FL, Free Hornet Nest Removal

Free Hornet Nest Recipient

Here's the latest recipient of our FREE Hornet Nest Removal program going on Right now!  Mrs. Anne Martenson, of Archer, called us because she was concerned about her 2 year old grandson, who walks underneath this Hornet nest every day, going out to get the mail. (He's a big boy!). You can see the nest up above her left shoulder.

Mrs. Martenson was so glad to hear that this Hornet nest qualified for our Free hornet nest program, she started crying, as her and her husband are on a very tight budget with Social Security being their primary source of income these days.

If you have a Hornet nest and are looking for free removal, go to our Free Hornet Removal post, and see if you qualify!  Click here to check it out

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist
http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval
800.343.5317

Summerfield Fl Yellow Jackets in a wall!

YellowJackets in wall

We have 2 species of Yellow Jacket wasps here in Florida, and both of them prefer to build their nests in the ground, but on occasion, we find them in many other places.


This photo shows the paper envelope coming out from behind a phone junction box. The yellowjacket nest is located in the block wall, residing in the voids of the blocks. The client had been stung and her Air conditioning service technician had been stung as well, so it had to be taken care of quickly.

We have a protocol that involves drilling small holes in the blocks, locating the nest, and using pressure delivered expanding pesticide to completely cover the nest. We seal everything up and give a good long warranty.

If you are in Summerfield, Ocklawaha, Lake Weir, or anywhere in Florida and have Yellow Jackets in your wall, or anywhere else, call the Stinging Insect Experts at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com 800.343.5317

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Oviedo Bee Removal

Bees can build nests just about anywhere!  This pic shows our technician Jason, way up high on a ladder, working on removing honey bees from a stair landing. This home is in Oviedo, and we do plenty of Oviedo Bee Removals, with many of the bees being suspect African Honey Bees or commonly called Killer Bees.

Jacksonville Yellow Jackets nearly cost this man his life:

Jacksonville: John Whittet was investigating a snake sighting in his backyard, when he was startled by hundreds of YellowJacket wasps. Within seconds they were covering his arm and attacking his face.
John's motorized wheelchair became stuck in sand as he tried to exit the area. He said to himself, " Oh Lord, this is going to be it".
ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com removed John's yellow jacket nest today, and in the photo above, you can see John looking at the nest that nearly cost him his life.
Interview video and more story to follow later here at http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com
Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Alachua Yellow Jacket Nest Removal

We received a call from a client in Alachua, one of the most beautiful towns in Florida! But alas, her beauty was being interupted by nasty, defensive YellowJacket wasps, who had decided to build an underground nest right in her front yard. She and her son had been stung and she needed the nest removed properly!

I was able to excavate the nest after treatment, and show you how cool these yellow jacket nests are. They are protected by an envelope of 'paper' that the wasps make from tree bark and saliva. The envelope protects the nest from water and other liquids, so if you try to pour hot water or gas down the hole, it usually doesnt work!

Bee safe, call the entomologists at http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com for yellow jacket removals done Right! 800-343-5317

Winter Park Live Honey Bee Removal from Birdhouse!

This is really cool... Honey Bees moved into a birdhouse in Winter Park, Fla., and ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com came to the homeowner's rescue to perform a live honey bee relocation.

Now, African Honey bees, aka Killer Bees, really, really prefer smaller voids such as bird houses, feeders, wildlife nesting boxes and the like, so it's quite probable that these are African. But, in this case , we were able to remove the birdhouse, with live bees and relocate them to our quarantine apiary, where we can monitor them and requeen to ensure good, gentle genetics.

If you have bees in a birdhouse, or anywhere else, contact us, the Stinging Insect Experts at http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com or 800-343-5317.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Tavares Yellow Jacket Removal

This is a Vespula maculifrons nest, aka the Eastern Yellowjacket. We don't see too many of these species of Yellowjackets in Central Florida, instead we see their cousin, Vespula squamosa, the Southern Yellowjacket, which can attain huge nest sizes of over One million individuals!

The Eastern Yellowjacket nests stay relatively small, maybe getting to the size of a large watermelon at their largest. They only have one queen per nest,which limits the reproductive output, hence the nest size as well.

This one was maybe the size of a large softball, but still had plenty of firepower, as I suffered a few stings myself!

For Tavares or central florida yellowjacket removal, contact us at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com or 800-343-5317

Jacksonville Live Bee Removal from a wall

We are going to be attempting a Jacksonville Live Honey Bee Relocation from this condominium window frame sometime this week.

We are very selective when we perform bee removals from homes and condos, as it is very, very risky. Honey Bees don't take kindly to us removing their babies & honey, and there is a very significant sting risk.

In this case, we are blessed with an area that has little human or pet traffic, and the residents have been notified. Also, we have performed removals in this area before, and at least so far, the bees are relatively gentle.

For expert bee removal in Jacksonville, or the entire state of Florida, contact the stinging insect experts at http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com , 800-343-5317 .

Titusville Honey Bee Removal in Wall of home

Titusville Killer Bee Nest in Wall

Here's a photo (sorry for the low quality - it was hot and I had to move fast) of a recent Titusville Honey Bee Removal we performed. What you are seeing is the bee nest in the wall, after I removed the plywood wall covering. The nest stands over 5 FEET tall!.

These bees had gotten very testy, stinging lawn care folks every week as they tried to mow. Eventually, they refused to mow and had the client call us to perform the removal. We are seeing more and more stinging events occurring in Titusville and the rest of Brevard County.

Folks, we have African Bees in Titusville now. These are the famed, or infamous, Killer Bees, and they should be respected. Please don't try spraying them with Wasp and Hornet spray. That can lead to the 50,000 or so bees getting very upset and increasing the sting liability for you or the property owner.

Bee safe, call on us to reduce your stings, your risk and your liability. Call us at 321-206-5100, 800.343.5317 or email here for an appointment.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist  

Orange Park Yellow Jacket Extermination and Removal

Orange Park Yellow Jacket Extermination and Removal

Orange Park Yellow Jacket Nest

Clients tried to do a self treatment of this very large Yellow Jacket nest, located in pampas grass adjacent to their neighborhood street. They were unsuccessful in eradication this YellowJacket colony, but were most successful in irritating the wasps and endangering the neighborhood, trash service, mail carriers and anyone else who may have come near the nest.

Nest Location in Pampas Grass

One sting can prove fatal in the 2-3% of the population that is allergic. We have heard hundreds of stories of fatal or near fatal experiences with wasp and honey bee stings, so please indulge us just a bit when we stress how sting risk should be consideration number one when dealing with social stinging insects!

Bee safe, call on us to reduce your stings, your risk and your liability. Call us at 800.343.5317 or email here for an appointment.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Ocala Honey Bees in Tree Removal

Ocala external honey bee nest in tree

Most Honey Bees usually build their nests inside voids, such as tree holes, but sometimes they elect to build what we call "external" nests.
Usually, external nests fare poorly, as the bees find it difficult to maintain proper temperatures for rearing young bees, and to defend against marauding beetle, moth, fly, and competing bee pests.
African Honey Bees, aka Killer Bees, build external nests at a much higher rate, so if you encounter an external nest, the probability is that the nest is an African or Killer Bee nest.

This bee nest weighed ~ 75 pounds!

This photo shows me next to the honey bee removal I did today. It was located near the Florida Greenspace park in Ocala, and had been there at least 2 years.

Homes located near this bee nest in tree

Neighbors told me that the bees had repeatedly stung yard workers using power equipment and small children in nearby yards had been harrassed by the bees as well.
Please don't attempt tree bee removals, as these bees can get very defensive when they sense they are under attack. Call the entomologists at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com 800-343-5317!
Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Windermere Honey Bee Swarm

Windermere Honey Bee Swarm

Honey Bees, both European and African, aka Killer Bees, issue swarms from existing bee nests either as a means of colony reproduction, or possibly to help remove pathogens & parasites from the colony.

About 5000 Killer Bees under frond

One interesting observation we've been noting, is the increasing numbers of swarms during months when we shouldn't be seeing any, or at least few swarms. Take this swarm in the photo. It landed on a client's palmetto in Windermere, Fla., yesterday, Sept 8., way, way beyond the normal season of February to May.

Bees are hidden under the frond

Why are we seeing more swarms, throughout the year? African Bees 'tis the answer. Yes, we've been seeing plenty of Windermere Killer Bee Swarms, all the way up to the Ocala area this year. And some of them have been quite testy, stinging us 'full-on" as we approach the swarm.
Call us for expert Stinging insect and swarm removal. 800-343-5317

Near Fatal Leesburg Yellow Jacket nest

Leesburg Yellow Jacket nest

This Leesburg Yellowjacket nest is a startling example of the real dangers that stinging insects represent.
Look at this photo. You'd agree that this nest is relatively small, as you can see my boot there on the left for size reference. Yet, this small Yellow Jacket colony nearly killed a Leesburg home owner, who was simply raising a flag in her backyard.

Nest was located in pampas grass

She was stung about 15 times, suffered an allergic reaction, and if not for her neighbor hearing her cries for help, would have died within minutes. Her blood pressure had fallen below 50 mm systolic. Paramedics arrived within 3 minutes and rushed her to the emergency room, where she was confined to hospital stay for about a week.
Her daughter called us to treat and remove the yellow jacket nest, and we checked her yard for any other nests.
Please, if you find a yellow jacket nest, call the entomologists at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com , 800-343-5317 , for expert and proper yellow jacket and bee nest removal.

Maitland Bee Removal from Owl Nesting Box

Owl nesting box with honey bees

Every summer and early fall, we get lots of calls for honey bees that have taken up residence in owl or wildlife nesting boxes. Most of these turn out to be African Honey Bees (AHB) , as AHB prefer the smaller voids that these boxes provide.
In some select cases, we will attempt a live honey bee removal from nesting boxes. This was one such removal. More pics to follow and more story too!

This is the tree that the bees and nest box were in. About 23 feet high!

Here's the box just after we lowered it. Boxes full of honey bee nest can weigh over 100 pounds! We use a pulley to lower the box and nest safely. Bees and Ladders are dangerous -- Remember, we are licensed and insured, including Workmen's Comp, for your protection!

 Another shot of the box after lowering it. You can see that we blocked the entrance with wire mesh.

 Here the box has been relocated to our quarantine apiary. I just removed the wire mesh and the girls are checking out their new digs.

Owl nesting box at our quarantine apiary in Orlando, FL

 Another shot in our quarantine apiary. You can see the girls' neighbors in the background!

We will move the bee colony into a hive box sometime next week. We call this process "hiving" a colony.

We'll post more pics of that process next week!


Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist & Beekeeper

Gainesville Yellow Jackets Tri-Fecta!

3 GainesvilleYellow Jacket Nests !

We were called out to a Gainesville apartment complex to treat and remove one Yellow Jacket nest that was located about a foot away from a walkway leading to an apartment entry. Upon arrival, I always take time to do a proper inspection, and boy am I glad I did!

3 Yellow Jacket nests located in these hedges

I found not one, but THREE Yellowjacket nests within a 10 foot radius, and all were quite active. I always notify residents that are nearby, and it turns out that one of the residents is severely allergic to bee and wasp stings. So allergic that he has 7 epi-pens in his car and home, and once nearly died from ONE sting while on duty. (He's a Law Enforcement Officer).

Hole left after removing Yellow Jacket nest

This just highlights the potential dangers, liability and risk that we deal with on a daily basis, and our client was prudent in hiring us, as our first priority is the safety of people and pets. Our treatment and removal protocol is designed to minimize the numbers of defensive stinging insects flying during AND after the yellowjacket nest removal. Your typical pest control technician has no clue how to protect you and your residents, pets or loved ones.

Bee safe, call on us to reduce your stings, your risk and your liability. Call us at 800.343.5317 or email here for an appointment.

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc., Entomologist

Melrose, Fla. Yellow Jacket Wasp removal from a WoodShed

There's a nest in there somewhere!

This is one woodshed you DON'T want to be taken to!

Our client was removing some firewood from his woodshed and was attacked by Yellow Jackets!

Do you see the nest?

He suffered several stings before he could runaway to the safety of his house, and then had to deal with a swollen hand for a few days to top it off! Localized swelling and itching is normal after even one Yellow Jacket sting, and we can attest that YellowJacket stings are one of the most painful insect stings here in Florida!


I had to dig around a bit in the firewood to finally find the nest, but, I was protected in my sting suit, which is sting resitant, not sting proof, btw.....

If you look at this picture, you can see the greyish paper envelope that surrounds the nest. The envelope protects the nest from rain,and in this case from 3 cans of Raid Fogger that the client used in a vain attempt at controlling these girls!

Yellow Jacket nest

This colony was still relatively small, maybe 3-5,000 workers, but could double in a month's time.
Contact us for Melrose Yellow Jacket removal. We take the stings so you don't have to! 800.343.5317 or 342-870-0346, or visit http://ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com

Jacksonville Honey Bees in a Brick Column

Honey bees "love" to get into structural voids, and brick or block columns are a very common nesting site for the social insects. To a honey bee, columns provide the basic requirements for decent housing: Small openings that are easily defended, A void that is mostly sealed (to ward off parasites and pests of the colony), and insulated(to help regulate temperatures).

This picture shows a brick column at a Jacksonville Church. Robber bees from competing colonies were getting into the brick column from small openings where the brick meets the wood trim. This column had been treated with what we call a "Drive-by Treatment" or "Spray and Pray", where someone had just sprayed these openings. Over time the treatment wears away, and robber bees start getting into the honeycomb that by now is rotting away, ooozing fermenting honey and providing a festering nursery for fly and beetle maggots.

We have to perform significant treatments, drilling into the columns, using power equipment to properly treat this fermenting goo, and prevent further rotting and maggot "parties", with us fininshing by sealing all entrances.

If you have bees inside a column, call us for proper treatment, so you don't have an ongoing, messy problem. 800-343-5317 , 904*907-6645 or visit us at ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com

Jacksonville Live Bee Removal

We were called by the pastor of a church in Jacksonville to perform a live honey bee removal. We have to be very careful when performing live removals, and this bee colony happened to fit the bill: it appears healthy, Pretty easy to remove, which lessens stress to the bees, and there's a large setback, with plenty of room between people and bees. That way if they get angry, noone is at risk of getting stung...besides yours truly of course!

This pic shows one of the openings, with bees constantly working and going in and out of the entrance

 





This photo shows maybe half of the comb in the wall, and most of the bees have left the face of the comb plates. The right plate has a fair amount of honey, while the middle and left plate has brood (immature bees) and some pollen (Bee Bread) storage.

This is a photo of the honey I extracted from this live Jacksonville bee relocation. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pic, but it is extremely dark and has an "off" taste, probably from being in contact with comb that has been used for brood production. Not so good. 





People often ask me, "What are you going to do with the honey"? We call honey this "house honey", and it's usually not good at all--at least for humans. Bees will eat it, but it tends to ferment a bit, because of the high humidity levels here in Florida. And, a hive pest, the Small Hive Beetle, makes it even worse. 

This pic shows the remains from the extraction. Lots of dark comb, some brood, (larvae, pupa and eggs), and some pollen. And this was from comb that I had culled through, looking for pretty clear honey, so you can see why most people wouldn't like to eat the honey that comes from wild honey bee colonies.


Call us for Jacksonville live bee removal. We earnestly try to work with good bee candidates of live honey bee removal, and give you peace of mind, as we are fully licensed and insured, and have years of experience!

Here's a YouTube Video of this Jacksonville Live Bee Removal:

Richard Martyniak, M.Sc.,Entomologist

ALLFloridaBeeRemoval.com

O:321.206.5100

F:321.2518064

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