Because they play such a significant role in the order of our natural ecosystem, finding ways to help local bee populations thrive is our goal at Lloyd Pest Control – meaning we avoid hurting these beneficial bugs at all costs.

As stewards of bees in Southern California, our pest control team does all that we can to promote local beekeepers while avoiding harmful treatments during bee removal, which is why we advocate for all Californians to understand that, while bees can sometimes be scary, killing bee colonies isn’t beneficial for anyone.

To understand why you might be seeing bees outside your school, during your picnic, or while you’re at the ballpark this summer – and why beekeepers are an invaluable resource for bee removal – it’s best to start by learning about the life cycle of these invaluable insects.

The Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

The life cycle of a honey bee happens in four distinct phases: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Egg

As a queen bee builds her colony, she selects cells of her hive to lay eggs in based upon their size, preparation, and cleanliness. The worker bees that build the hive cells regulate the ratio of female worker bees to male drone bees – building smaller cells for workers and larger cells for drones.

If the queen chooses a smaller cell, she releases a fertilized egg into that cell, which develops into a worker bee after 21 days. If she chooses a larger cell, the queen releases an unfertilized egg that develops into a drone bee after 24 days.

Larva

Three days after the queen lays an egg, it hatches into a larva. Visually similar to grubs, bee larvae are white and curled within each hive cell. Shedding their skin five times, these bee babies are fed nearly 1,300 meals a day by nurse bees – growing 1,570 times larger within a five-day span.

After preliminary growth occurs, worker bees begin to seal the larvae in each cell with a porous coating of beeswax. Once sealed, each larva begins to spin a cocoon around themselves inside the cell.

Pupa

Underneath the beeswax cappings, the larvae begin to transform into pupae. During this period, the grub-like bees begin to take shape – growing their eyes, legs, and wings. After roughly 12 days pass, the pupa now has fine hairs all across its body, making its full transition into an adult bee. Once development has been completed, the adult bee chews its way out of its wax barricade and joins the colony.

Instinctually Delegated Duties of the Hive

Hive duties vary drastically between worker bees and drone bees based upon their unique DNA:

Male Drone Bees

Male drone bees spend their entire lives eating honey and waiting for their chance to mate with a queen from another colony to propagate the species. When it’s time for a queen to take her nuptial flight, the drone bees will fly after her and attempt to mate with her in mid-air. If a drone is successful, he will fall to the ground in a triumphant death. The queen mates with up to 20 drones and stores their spermatozoa for the rest of her life.

Female Worker Bees

Female worker bees make up the majority of the colony’s population and are responsible for nearly all of the manual labor it takes to create the hive, build and clean cells, and feed the brood. Worker bees have four instinctual life cycle phases:

Phase 1

Once a worker bee emerges from her cell, she will immediately begin her duties by cleaning the cell she hatched from and others nearby – preparing them for the next round of eggs from the queen.

Phase 2

After three days, her motherly instinct will kick in, and she will begin to nurse the young with royal jelly – a bee secretion that contains proteins, sugars, fats, and vitamins.

Phase 3

Once a week of nursing goes by, worker bees move from the center of the nest to the outer edges of the hive, building new cells and storing food for roughly another week. If need be, worker bees will tend to the queen, guard the nest against intruders, and feed the drones if they are lacking nutrition.

Phase 4

Around the 41st day of stashing away food and creating cells, a worker bee will sense that her journey will soon be coming to a close, meaning that it’s time for foraging to occur. Arguably the most dangerous job for a bee, she will journey into the wild, forage for nectar and pollen, and bring it back to the colony. Once a few weeks go by, she will remove herself from the hive due to her old age – ensuring her brothers and sisters don’t have to remove her corpse if she dies in the nest.

What To Do If a Bee Hive is Near You

Honey bees look for hidden spots to build their nests, including areas like:

• Rock crevices
• Hollow trees
• Fences
• Eaves
• Siding
• Inside walls

Hives usually aren’t hard to spot either, as some nests can grow big enough to support up to 50,000 bees. Unlike wasp nests, beehives are rich brown-gold and have a visible honeycomb structure.

If a colony of honey bees builds their nest near you, you’ll need to call a local beekeeper to safely and humanely remove it. If you’re allergic to bee stings, do your best to stay far away from the hive while a beekeeper is on the way to your property. Honey bees are typically not aggressive and will only defend themselves if disturbed.

To err on the side of caution, you should stay more than 50 feet away from the hive at all times, as you might be dealing with Africanized “killer” honey bees – a species of bee that are more territorial and aggressive when they perceive a nearby threat.

Summertime Bee Swarms

Bees don’t have to build a nest nearby to be a potential threat. When bee colonies outgrow their nests or feel threatened after nesting season, they will cluster together and journey into the wild to find a new place to call home.

Known as swarming, small groups of bees will settle in temporary spots while a few members of the colony seek out the best place to begin rebuilding their hive. Huddling together on walls, decks, tree branches, or simply in mid-air, bees will swarm around the queen for a short period of time until the perfect nesting place is located.

While bee swarms can seem daunting, there are very few cases of people being stung during the honey bee’s re-nesting journey – which is why it’s best to let their natural life cycle unfold instead of harming or killing the colony. Fortunately, honey bee swarms tend to dissipate after 48 hours with no intervention, so waiting it out is oftentimes the best solution.

An Affinity for America’s Pastime

Here in Southern California, our very own San Diego Padres have dealt with baseball-loving bees on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, these situations aren’t always handled the humane way.

Earlier this month, an exterminator dressed in a beekeeper’s suit was called into the Padres vs. Marlins game to take care of a swarm of bees that surrounded a field microphone behind home plate. Using lethal force, the exterminator sprayed the colony of bees with poison, killing hundreds of hive members on live TV.

Here at Lloyd, we know that exterminating bees is the wrong thing to do for our planet, which is why we partner with local California beekeepers to properly remove and relocate honey bee hives or swarms near you. Rather than taking the easy way out with insecticides or bee sprays, we prefer to take the extra time to ensure our local bee colonies can proliferate and thrive in the wild.

How To Keep Bees Away While Protecting Their Colonies

Although it’s difficult to detect where bee colonies will swarm when they’re searching for a new home, there are a plethora of ways you can keep bees from being attracted to your area. To begin, make sure to keep plants out of your yard, garden, or landscaping that bees like to feed on.

Native Southern California Plants That Bees Are Attracted To

Bees can extract nectar and pollen from many plants native to Southern California, including:

• Frikart’s aster
• Ray Hartman’s California lilac
• Western redbud
• California poppy
• Blanket flower
• Goodwin Creek lavender
• Catmint
• Russian sage
• Germander sage
• Cascade Creek goldenrod

Plants that are native to your area will be the most attractive to local bees, so it’s best to check with the California Native Plant Society or a field guide to understand what nectar-rich flowers draw in bees near you.

Plants That Bees Stray Away From

Much like wasps, bees are normally repelled by plants with off-putting scents, plants with little nectar, or flowers that are red (Bees’ photoreceptors can’t perceive the color red, but they can visualize yellow and orange light wavelengths).

Garden plants that bees dislike include:

• Cucumber or cucumber peels
• Basil
• Red Geraniums
• Marigolds
• Wormwood
• Mint
• Eucalyptus
• Citronella
• Pennyroyal

Many plants that bees stay away from – such as cucumber, basil, and mint – double as great ingredients for cooking or creating craft cocktails!

Other Tips & Tricks To Keep Bees at Bay the Humane Way

When enjoying the outdoors, there are a few additional rules to follow to keep bees from being attracted to your area:

1. Avoid wearing brightly colored clothing or floral patterns.
2. Move floral arrangements or potted flowers away from common outdoor areas.
3. Keep food eaten outdoors in tightly sealed containers.
4. Pick up food trash promptly and place in a receptacle with a sealable lid.
5. Avoid wearing perfume or cologne if you know you’ll be outside.

Bees don’t normally attack unless they feel threatened, so if one is buzzing by you, avoid hitting or swatting it at all costs. Instead, leave the area for a little while and wait for the bee to fly away.

Save the Bees in Southern California with Lloyd Pest Control

Allowing bees to coexist with us means learning how to help them adapt to our changing world, but it also means that we need to change our perception about killing bees when they intervene in our daily lives. With a little patience and understanding – and the help from professional beekeepers – we can keep local bee populations up and our produce properly pollinated.

If you ever find yourself in an area where bees are swarming or there’s a nearby hive, make sure not to advocate or perform any harmful honey bee removal methods. Instead, seek shelter and wait for the bees to pass, or give a local beekeeper a call for professional bee removal in Southern California.

The post Protect Our Pollinators: Please Don’t Make Us Kill Your Bees first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

In Southern California, wasps begin to build their numbers at the first sign of spring, creating their nests in tucked-away places to keep them protected from predators. If these sly stingers build their hives on or near your home – such as in your garden, underneath eaves, or on your deck – they can wreak havoc on you and your guests, especially if food, trash, or an abundance of other insects are nearby.

Although getting rid of wasps near your home may seem daunting at first, Lloyd Pest Control can help you humanely combat these territorial insects while avoiding painful stings, allowing you to enjoy your yard or patio this summer without the fear of wasp attacks!

Common Wasps in Southern California

There are thousands of wasp species across the United States, but the two most common types in southern California are yellow jackets and paper wasps.

Although these wasps can be a nuisance to humans, they are an important part of the ecological food chain, as they kill off agricultural and horticultural insects – such as spiders, caterpillars, ants, and flies.

Yellow Jackets

With thin waists and a yellow-black pattern that appears striped across their bodies, yellow jackets create nests that are constructed from chewed wood fibers and plant materials mixed with saliva. Their hives contain multiple layers of paper-like cells that can resemble the honeybee’s comb. Yellow jackets commonly build their nests near the soil or underground, but they can also create hives in hard-to-reach places like eaves, soffits, and inside window frames.

Larger than the European honeybee, yellow jackets are fast, aggressive, territorial, and food-motivated. Normally living near humans, these wasps are scavengers that love to munch on proteins and sweets; they will even go after foods or drinks that are in your hands!

Paper Wasps

Paper wasps are predominantly brownish-black with yellow to red markings along their head and abdomen. Sometimes known as “umbrella wasps,” paper wasps are slightly bigger than yellow jackets and create nests made from wood or bark that look like upside-down umbrellas.

Although paper wasps build their nests in similar areas to yellow jackets, they are much less aggressive and only defend their colony if they feel threatened.

Why Wasps Are Flocking to Your Fortress

Out in the wild, yellow jackets and paper wasps would normally make their nests in protected areas high up in trees or underneath shrubbery on the forest floor. With human homes in the mix, these wasps have a wide variety of sturdy places to choose from that satisfy their most basic hive requirements:

• Safety from Predators – From the top of a chimney to the underside of a bush, wasps can build their nests away from predators from just about any place around your home.
• Food Supplies – With things like unkempt trash cans, exposed sugary drinks, and protein-rich foods on your patio table, wasps can feast on human food without having to work too hard to find it. Even hummingbird feeders, nectar-rich flowers, and other insect hotspots – such as ant hills – can draw in wasps.
• Building Materials – Wasps can utilize rotting tree bark, old wooden fences, damaged siding, and common landscaping plants as materials to build their nests around your home.

Warding Off Wasps from Setting Up Camp

Properly keeping wasps from setting up camp around your home starts with establishing a wasp control prevention plan early in the year. Before spring hits, make sure to check your house, yard, and any surrounding structures for places that wasps could build nests.

Wasp-Proofing Your Home

After you give your home a once-over, it’s important to carry out routine wasp control maintenance on any nook or cranny that seems hive-worthy. Do your best to close off or block any areas that wasps could get into, fix and seal old fences or decks, replace damaged siding, and keep your grass and bushes trimmed neatly on a regular basis.

Landscaping Away from Common Areas

If you plan to landscape in the spring, make sure to keep hummingbird feeders and nectar-rich flowers to a minimum or place them away from common areas like your patio or deck.

Keeping Trash Secure & Cleaning Up Spills

Opt for trash cans with tight-fitting lids and always keep your trash bags tied securely when placing them inside the bin. When you host outdoor get-togethers that involve food and drink, make sure that any spills are cleaned up promptly and that all trash makes it into the proper receptacle. Any soda or bits of food left behind could attract wasps as they hunt for full bellies.

Ridding Your Yard from Other Insect Infestations

With insect infestations – such as houseflies, spiders, ants, or caterpillars – it’s critical to call your pest professionals as early as possible. An overabundance of any of these insects can draw the attention of wasps while they’re out foraging for food, making your yard primary nesting grounds for large wasp colonies.

The Dangers of DIY Wasp Nest Removal

When it comes to DIY wasp control, there isn’t a foolproof solution to ensure that the colony will completely pack up and leave your area. While you may find many DIY wasp remedies floating across the internet, most of them will do little more than put you, your family, or your pets in harm’s way.

If you have a wasp nest nearby your home, it’s best to understand what hive removal methods you should avoid to prevent painful stings, damage to your property, and wasps from coming back.

Water

Your first instinct may be to grab a nearby hose and start spraying, but flooding a hive is not a foolproof solution. When wasps are sprayed with water, they become agitated and can start attacking. Once an aggravated wasp homes in on a target – aka you – it releases chemical pheromones that call in the colony cavalry.

Unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times, so making them angry by soaking them is not a good idea. Additionally, spraying a wasp hive doesn’t properly dismantle the structure, and the wasps will likely come back when it dries out.

Fire

Similar to water, using fire to eliminate a wasp nest is ineffective – not to mention it’s highly dangerous. Because most wasps’ nests are made from chewed-up wood pulp, they are extremely flammable. If you manage to get close enough to set fire to a hive, you could run the risk of the flames spreading, which could cause irreversible damage to both you and your property.

Additionally, hive fires don’t adequately stave off the entire colony, as many wasps will fly away unharmed once a flame starts to burn the thin, papery outer layer of the nest, emitting their pheromones while doing so.

Large Sticks

Attempting to destroy a wasp nest with a large stick, baseball bat, or any other pole-like object will likely put you right behind enemy lines. Being in such proximity to the colony, the likelihood of you being stung multiple times skyrockets. This DIY method of wasp nest removal is especially dangerous for those who are allergic to wasp stings, as anaphylactic shock could occur within minutes.

Hitting a wasp nest with any item will likely result in you being stung before any progress is made, so it’s best to avoid this method altogether.

Wasp Sprays

While wasp sprays may seem like a simple and effective way to get rid of a hive, they aren’t a complete, spray-away solution. Even if you manage to spray the nest and eliminate a portion of the colony, each worker wasp – regardless if they are dead or alive – will release pheromones that could linger in the area for weeks. These chemical scents could draw in more wasps or other insects to the empty hive, putting you right back at square one.

Much like bees, wasps play a vital role in our ecosystem, so killing them rather than doing your best to prevent them is counterintuitive to a thriving ecological community.

Professional Wasp Nest Removal with Lloyd Pest Control

Here at Lloyd Pest Control, our well-seasoned technicians are trained to handle wasp nest removal right at the source. While wearing a professional beekeeping suit, one of our team members will assess the hive and apply comprehensive treatments that will not only rid your home from these pests but will do so in the most humane way possible.

Afterward, we will thoroughly survey your land for potential areas that might be attracting wasps, providing you with effective wasp control treatment plans to ensure that other colonies won’t move in later down the road.

Let us help your Southern California summer soirees stay wasp-free this year. Contact us today for a free wasp removal quote.

The post How to Prevent Wasps from Moving In This Summer first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

The Drought: A Quick Recap

California suffered quite the dry spell in 2011 – one that lasted until earlier this year. It was so bad that in 2013, our state received the lowest rainfall we’ve ever recorded. The effects were devastating: lakes dried up, trees died, and the produce industry declined. You probably recall our state’s order to reduce water consumption by 25 percent a few years back.

The drought had major effects on pest activity. Because of the lack of sustenance in agricultural regions, pests – insects and rodents alike – began moving toward cities to survive. That’s where they sought out a friendlier environment. Pests were attracted to buildings with sources of food and water, and for some, a place to cool off as well. If you saw more pests around your home the past few years, the drought could be to blame.

Recent events have created a perfect storm for pests. While the drought-stricken desert pushed pests toward urban areas, other factors attracted them as well. The reduction in water usage – specifically from lawn sprinklers, hoses, and outdoor pools – also forced them indoors to seek moisture. In addition, tree deaths from fungal infections became common, urging pests to seek shade and fruit elsewhere.

The End of the Drought: Now What?

The drought has officially ended, but our state’s typically high temperatures aren’t set to change anytime soon. In recent years, summer heat has reached far above the regional average in Southern California – and that’s bad news for property owners. Pests looking for a cooler, darker alternative to the weather will continue to seek indoor habitats. Add that to the state’s recovering dry spell, and we should expect pest activity to persist.

The Return of the Summer Pests

Many pests are already active during the summer, and recent conditions continue to encourage their presence. Rats, mosquitoes, bees, and ants are four of the most common warm weather pests, and they seek shelter in or around homes due to the heat. Here’s what attracted each them during the drought and what continues to attract them afterward:

1. Rats: Like us, rats are mammals and need water to survive. Due to the harsh climate, they’ve been searching for cooler escapes with more moisture. While they don’t fly like other pests, they have sharp teeth that allow them to tear through siding and walls to get indoors. In addition, they’re excellent climbers – roof rats, especially – and they can scour the outside of your house for openings.

2. Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes seek water as a breeding ground rather than for consumption. Unlike rats, they prefer the heat. That makes outdoor features like pools and fountains hotspots for mosquitoes. During the drought, they flocked to urban California to find standing water. As one of the most common summer insects, mosquitoes are increasingly a problem due to the warm temperatures and abundance of water sources in the city.

3. Bees: Bees’ diets consist of two things: nectar and pollen. Since plants wilt without water, bees are another pest that migrated in large numbers to find nourishment during the drought. Following the drought, bees remain prevalent in green urban areas. If you have flowers that bloom during the summer, especially if it’s a full flowerbed, don’t be surprised if you encounter bees or even a nearby hive at some point.

4. Ants: The top reason for ant infestations is access to food and water, and this motivated them during the drought as well. Many species of ants moved toward homes to support the existence of their colonies. While they often favor the heat, their search for sustenance is enough to keep them coming back to kitchens and bathrooms.

Strategies to Combat Summertime Infestations

The California drought is over, and life is going back to normal for you and your family. But with our region’s hot and dry weather tendencies, pests are sure to come knocking. Their presence is frustrating, as summer should be a time for leisure and relaxation. Still, there are many steps you can take to stop them in their tracks.

Natural pesticides and traps are a solid pest elimination option, but remember that they don’t do anything for prevention. Also, if possible, they should be avoided when dealing with bees due to their dwindling numbers. Here are a few ways you can combat summer pests from the get-go:

• Drive away bees and mosquitoes: Limit the presence of outdoor water and plant sources that attract bees and mosquitoes. Introduce plants like lemongrass and feverfew that repel mosquitoes, and place peppermint and cinnamon near your outdoor plants to repel bees.
• Keep out rats and ants: Eliminate food and water sources rats and ants crave (i.e. open containers, spills, and dripping faucets), and clean behind fridges or other places they’re likely to hide. Seal home entrance points and make sure they can’t enter through windows or doors.
• Eliminate persisting infestations: If problems linger, or you’d prefer professionals handle them, contact us at Lloyd Pest Control.
  

  

Lloyd Pest Control’s Approach to Warm Weather Pests

Pests are typically most active during summer months. Many of them enjoy the warm weather and settle in backyards where they’re able to raise a colony. Others prefer the indoors, as they hope to find refuge, food, and water. While the five-plus year drought in California is over, pests aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, they have plenty of reasons to stick around.

At Lloyd Pest Control, we have what it takes to force warm weather pests out. Our experience and pest-specific solutions will eliminate pests from your Southern California property for good. Regardless of which pest is plaguing your summer, Lloyd Pest Control is here to help. Get an instant quote or call us at 1-(800) 223-2847.

The post The Great Pest Migration: A Consequence of Drought and Heat first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

How Beekeepers Save Hives (and Lives)

The honeybee decline stems from colony collapse disorder (CCD), noted by the departure of worker bees and the resulting disappearance of colonies. There are plenty of reasons that CCD may be occurring, from pesticides and malnutrition to environmental problems and parasites. But no matter the cause, the severity of this issue has given local beekeepers an important role.

You may know beekeepers as the folks who harvest honey from beehives for our consumption. More than that, though, they’re bee “managers.” To process honey, the bees must be healthy and the hives in great shape. Since environments differ by region, local beekeepers have a lot of responsibility to preserve their honeybees. They do so in several ways, including:

• Medicating them to prevent or combat disease
• Assuring they have safe, pesticide-free areas where they can pollinate plants
• Assuring they have enough room in their hives for continued honey production
• Replacing the queen bee if necessary

Why You Should Call a Beekeeper

Okay, you think you have a bee problem. But before you call anyone, know that their presence in your neck of the woods doesn’t mean they’re there to stay. Often, swarms pass through an area before finding the right place to build a hive. If after a few days the bees are still making themselves at home on your property, then taking action is acceptable.

If you call Lloyd Pest Control to combat honeybees, the unfortunate truth is that bees will die. That’s why it’s best to first call a beekeeper, who will transfer them to a new hive and allow them to keep living peacefully. Remember, they’re the experts in preservation, and we’re the experts in extermination. For a referral to a beekeeper in your area, call us at 1-(800) 223-2847.

As a Last Resort, Lloyd Pest Control Is Here

Our company understands the importance of bees to our ecology, which is why we ask you to call beekeepers first. But sometimes a situation unfolds where pest control is needed, and Lloyd Pest Control is well-equipped to stop honeybees while limiting ecological damage. Our “target pest-specific” strategies aim to preserve as many of them as possible. This includes treatments that kill other pests but leave bees intact, as well avoiding residual effects to nearby hives.

If you find yourself at a last resort with honeybees, or you have problems with other invasive bugs, contact the experts at Lloyd Pest Control.

The post Local Beekeepers Are The Key to Saving The Bees first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.