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How To Bee-Proof Your Home: What To Know

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If you live in Arizona, you understand that you might see a bee from time to time. Bees are typically docile creatures that are not going to hurt anyone unless they feel threatened. Therefore, you may not think about bee-proofing your home unless you have dealt with an infestation in the past; however, an infestation can be a serious situation, and it usually requires the intervention of a professional bee removal specialist.

As a result, it is always better to prevent this problem from happening than to try and fix it after it has already appeared. If you are interested in bee-proofing your home, what are a few of the most important tips you need to keep in mind? Learn more below, and reach out to a professional who can help you bee-proof your home.

The Top Reasons To Bee-Proof Your Home

If you haven’t dealt with a bee infestation in the past, what are some of the reasons why you might want to bee-proof your home? Some of the top reasons include:

  • Save Time: If you go ahead and bee-proof your home now, you can save a significant amount of time because you won’t have to worry about dealing with a future infestation.
  • Property Value: You also need to bee-proof your house because it could help you protect your property value. If you deal with a bee infestation, it could damage the structural integrity of your home, which may hurt its value.
  • Save Money: You can also save a significant amount of money because you should not have to worry about calling a professional beekeeper to come and remove an infestation later.
  • Prevent Injuries: Finally, you can also prevent injuries from happening if you bee-proof your house. You should not have to worry about people being stung.

So, if you are interested in bee-proofing your house, what do you need to know?

The Steps in Bee-Proofing Your House

There are a few important steps you need to follow if you would like to bee-proof your home. Some of the most important tips to keep in mind include:

1. Mark Potential Access Points

First, you need to mark potential access points. In general, if the gap is more than an eighth of an inch, it is vulnerable to a bee infestation. You will eventually have to seal off these points if you want to prevent bees from making their home in that specific area. Some of the most important locations you need to identify include potential events, screens, windows, and even gaps in your door frames.

2. Remove All Possible Temptation

You also need to walk around the exterior of your property and identify potential areas where bees might want to make their homes. A few common examples include trash receptacles, furniture, piles of wood, old tires, and swing sets. If you have old appliances that you keep outside, they could be attractive for bees as well.

3. Identify Sources of Water

Like all animals, bees require water to survive. If you have a source of standing water on your property, it could become an attractive target for bees. Some of the most common examples include bird baths, fountains, pools, ponds, and lakes. Of course, there is nothing you can do about a pond or a lake, but if you have a bird bath or a fountain, you may want to relocate it further from your property. You may also want to talk to a professional about how you can take care of your pool and make it less attractive for bees.

4. Work With a Professional

Finally, you need to work with a professional. If you want to bee-proof your home, this isn’t a process that you can simply set and forget. Instead, it is important to continually reevaluate your property and take additional steps if you want to prevent bees from making a home in your house. That is why you need to reach out to an expert who can help you.

If you are interested in bee-proofing your house in Arizona, our professional team is here to help you.

Call Buzz Tech Pest Control for Help Bee Proofing Your Home in Arizona

You never know when a bee infestation could develop, but you can reduce your chances of dealing with one as long as you reach out to a professional who can help you. We are Buzz Tech Pest Control, and it is our honor to serve the greater Arizona area. We have already helped countless homeowners in the local area bee-proof their homes, and we can use our skills to help you as well.

If you would like to learn more about what it will take to bee-proof your house, give us a call today to speak to a member of our team!

The Importance of Bees & Pollination

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You have probably heard that bees are incredibly important for just about every aspect of our agriculture. If we did not have any bees, many of the crops that we take for granted would disappear from the planet. For example, the vast majority of fruit that we eat depends on pollination, and that is where bees come into play.

Pollination involves the transfer of pollen from the male parts of one flower to the female parts of another flower. When this takes place within the same species, fertilization happens, and our props reproduce. Therefore, without bees and pollination, many of the plants that we love would die. Why are bees such good pollinators, and why is pollination so important?

What Makes Bees Great Pollinators?

There are a variety of reasons why bees are such good pollinators. First, they perform this job exceptionally well because they spend the vast majority of their lives collecting pollen. Pollen is important for bees because they can use this protein to feed their developing offspring. When a bee lands on a flower, the hairs on the bee itself use static electricity to attract pollen grains. Then, they can carry this pollen back to their nests. During this process, bees will also distribute pollen to other flowers, which is why they play an important role in the reproduction process. If bees did not pollinate, their offspring would have a difficult time getting the nutrients they need to grow, but our plants will suffer.

What Are the Top Environmental Benefits of Pollination?

It is true that pollination is important for ensuring we have enough food to eat, but pollination can also provide a variety of important environmental benefits as well.

For example, we depend on our plants to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Right now, there is far too much carbon dioxide in the world, and it is contributing to changes in our climate. We depend on these flowering plants to strip excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When they do so, they release clean oxygen, which we need to breathe. Without pollinators, many of the plants that we depend on to clean our air would not reproduce, and many of the environmental problems that we have today would get worse.

We also depend on pollinators because they can help us clean our water and soil. When we have a lot of flowering plants, they act in concert to purify our water and prevent erosion. Our flowers have very strong roots that reach deep into the surface of the planet, preventing erosion from taking place. If we did not have these flowers, erosion would get worse, and water pollution would worsen as well. Therefore, we depend on our pollinators to not only clean our air but also help us protect the quality of our water and soil.

Protecting Bees Is Critical For Protecting Our Food Supply

The reality is that we cannot live without these pollinators, and they play an important role in protecting our food supply. There are a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that depend on pollen to reproduce. For example, a significant portion of the fat and oil that we use comes from plants that require pollinators. some of the most common examples include oil palm, sunflowers, and canola.

Furthermore, more than 150 crops located in the United States depend on pollinators to survive. Some of the most common examples include the overwhelming majority of fruit and grain crops. This means that fruit and bread might disappear from grocery stores if we did not take care of our pollinators.

Pollinators also play a significant role in the economy. In the United States, the crops produced by pollinators are worth billions of dollars, and without these pollinators, a significant portion of the economy might suffer.

Therefore, it can be frustrating if you see bees on your property, but it is important to remember that they play an important role in providing us with the food and nutrition that we require. As a result, if you need to remove bees from your property, you need to reach out to an expert team that can help you.

Contact Buzz Tech Pest Control for Help Removing Bees

If you need to remove bees from your property, you should reach out to a professional team that can help you. We are Buzz Tech Pest Control, and we have a significant amount of experience removing bees from properties quickly and safely. We can provide you with service within 90 minutes, and all of our technicians are properly licensed and insured. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you safely remove bees from your property, contact us today to speak to a member of our team, and let us help you!

Top Dangers Faced By Bee Removal

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When you find that bees and a beehive infest your home or backyard, you may feel tempted to take it upon yourself to remove them. However, it isn’t the best idea for you to handle it for yourself. It can be dangerous to remove a hive, especially when you are not sure what you’re doing. Before you get too close to the beehive, consider these dangers. It’s always best to hire a professional like AZ Professional Bee Removal.

Damage To The Hive

When you are inexperienced with bees, you can damage the hive. You need proper tools, equipment, and protective gear to remove a beehive properly. If you don’t handle the beehive properly, you might crush the bees, which can agitate them. You may also cause direct damage to the honeycomb with improper handling. The beehive is where honey is stored, and bees raise and keep their young. Mishandling the beehive may cause bees to die.

Aggression From Bees

Thousands of bees can make a beehive their home. Not only that, but they create nectar when they are in the hive. When you move the hive, you are disturbing thousands of bees. When in their hive, bees are on constant alert for invading bees trying to steal honey. They have a pheromone that alerts them when anyone, not just other bees, invades their hive. When this happens, bees become incredibly aggressive. Before you know it, you have an aggressive swarm of bees. Anything that is anywhere close to the bees or the hive is going to be attacked. When the bees attack, they will sting repeatedly. This is a dangerous position for anyone nearby.

Bee Stings

When you move a beehive, you run the risk of being stung. Bees are defensive, and when they feel threatened, they will sting. When you move the hive, they feel threatened. This means you can be stung repeatedly. The number of times you get stung depends on the number of bees and the size of the hive. Even if you aren’t allergic to their venom, bee stings can be painful and severe.

Allergic Reaction

For those allergic to bee stings, it can be incredibly dangerous for you to be stung. You may not even realize that you have a bee allergy until you get stung. When you have an allergy to bee stings, some of the side effects can be severe but not dangerous. However, it is possible that bee stings are deadly to someone with an allergy. Other typical side effects may be vomiting, swelling, dizziness, suffocation, and diarrhea. The pain from a bee sting can be excruciating and become even more painful with the more stings you receive. When a bee stings, it injects venom into your skin. The more stings you sustain means, the more venom you receive.

Spreading Bees

When you remove the beehive improperly, you may spread the bees to other areas. When bees spread, they create more hives and could cause problems somewhere else. When bees start colonies in other places, it may not be in the best area for them to live. Just think if they create a hive in someone else’s backyard, garage, or on a child’s playset.

Harmful To Bees

When you see bees in your yard, you may attempt to exterminate them. Unfortunately, there are some extermination methods that are more harmful to a colony of bees than others. For example, pesticides are extremely harmful to bees and could lead to them becoming extinct. While using a chemical or pesticide may be your first thought, it isn’t always the best one for the bees. To have them removed safely, you should contact a professional bee removal company like AZ Professional Bee Removal.

It Could Be Illegal

Typically, it isn’t illegal to remove bees. However, the regulations change based on area and location. There could be specific regulations in your area regarding the way bees are removed. In areas where beekeeping is regulated, and permits are required, there may be laws to protect the bees. There could also be regulations about keeping and removing them from your property. To avoid breaking any laws related to bees, you should hire a professional to remove the bees for you.

Final Thoughts

There are some major threats to bees. For some, they can be a nuisance that you want out of your way. Others see the value of bees and work hard to protect them. As a result, you should not attempt to remove bees on your own. Not only could it be dangerous to you and your family, but also to the bee and honey population. If you have unwanted bees, contact AZ Professional Bee Removal.

After Bad Weather, Do Bees Become More Active?

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When there is a severe storm that rolls in, you have probably realized that a lot of animals tend to run and hide. Then, if you go outside immediately after a thunderstorm, you may feel like there are some animals that are out more than others. For example, you may see more lizards, bugs, and worms crawling on the sidewalk. Then, all of a sudden, you might feel a sting on your arm! If you feel like bees are more active following a severe storm, there are a few important points to keep in mind.

Animals, Including Bees, Are Good Predictors of the Weather

First, it is important to understand that many animals are exceptional predictors of the weather. If you own a dog or a cat, you may notice that they tend to run and hide right before a severe storm rolls through. That is because many animals, including bees, have organs and sensors that can detect changes in temperature and pressure very quickly. If there is a storm coming through, the pressure in the air might drop, and animals, including bees, can detect it.

There are a lot of scientists, including beekeepers, who have seen that bees tend to get more active immediately before or after a storm. After a storm departs, bees tend to require a lot of food and water, so they will behave more frantically. If you are outside immediately after a storm, you may see some bees flying around. That might be why you get stung. You will also see that bees are more active after hurricanes or tornadoes go through because they can cause severe changes in air pressure.

Securing Beehives Is Important

It is not unusual for beehives to weigh between 60 and 90 pounds when they have a lot of bees and honey. In preparation for a storm, bees will do everything they can to fill gaps in the hive to prevent it from being damaged. If you have beehives that you are trying to protect, you may want to secure the entire hive with some extra weight. Even laying a rock or brick on top of the hive could be enough to keep it in place. If there is a severe storm rolling through, it is important to use straps to prevent the hive from blowing away.

Bees Are Not Fans of Severe Weather

You are probably used to seeing a lot of bees outside during the summertime. It is true that they love the warm sun, hot temperatures, and more humidity. Therefore, if there is a severe storm system rolling through, they are not going to like the cooler temperatures. Bees can sense when severe storms are coming, so their normal behavior will disappear very quickly.

For example, when bees are stressed out by a severe weather system, they might become more aggressive. They could be concerned that something is going to threaten the hive, or they might be worried that their food source is about to disappear.

Then, after the storm leaves, bees will become more active as they try to make sure they have enough food and repair any damage to the hive. It is true that bees will eventually go back to their normal behavior, but it might take some time for them to do so. As a result, you may realize that bees are a bit more aggressive in the immediate aftermath of a severe storm.

Even though bees may have some difficulty flying in the rain, they need water to survive. Because they haven’t been able to leave the hive for a long time, they might be a bit hungry and dehydrated. This could make them more irritable and aggressive, so they are going to be more sensitive to changes in the environment. Even though you might not mean any harm, they may interpret you as a threat, which is why people are more likely to get stung after a severe weather system has gone through.

Once they realize that the hive is fine, they are likely to go back to their normal behavior. Regardless of whether you are a professional or not, you need to be aware of how changes in the weather could have an impact on bee behavior. If you see a lot of bees flying around in the immediate aftermath of a storm, you might want to keep your distance. Otherwise, you could end up getting stung.

Contact Buzz Tech Pest Control for Help Removing Bees

If you are looking for a professional pest control service that understands how to remove bees safely and compassionately, it would be our pleasure to assist you. We are Buzz Tech Pest Control, and we are proud to serve the greater Arizona area. We provide services ranging from beehive removal to preventative solutions, and we even offer same-day service. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment with a member of our team!

What To Do If Your Pet Is Stung By Bees!

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There are very few things in life that can cause panic like a beloved pet in pain or discomfort. As loving pet owners, we want to make sure that our animals are always taken care of in the best way possible. When it comes to life in Arizona, residents have to be aware of the many different pests and critters that can cause problems for their pets. One particular area of concern is with regards to bees or, more specifically, bee stings.

If you have a pet and are concerned about a potential bee sting, you’ve come to the right place to learn more. We are going to explore what to do if a bee stings your pets, as well as what to do in the days following the event.

Common Bee Threats of Arizona

Bees are vital to the health and vitality of the state of Arizona, as well as the entirety of the planet. Despite their importance, individuals should still exercise caution when dealing with bees. Let’s take a brief moment to highlight the most common bee threats in Arizona that you and your pet should be aware of.

  • Bumble Bees – Black body with black, yellow, and orange bands of hair. Social bugs with colonies, Bumble bees are often found underground, beneath wooden boards, or even within rodent burrows.
  • Western Yellow Jackets – Social ground-nesting creatures, Western Yellow Jackets are protective and likely to sting both pets and people that enter their territory.
  • Africanized Honey Bees – A highly aggressive population of bees, Africanized Honey Bees have thrived in Arizona while watching their population explode. Aggressive and defensive, Africanized bees are a threat to people and pets alike.

In Arizona, it is best practice to consider any bee infestation a threat to you, your family, and your pets. In these situations, it is best to get a certified pest control company involved.

Observe For a Reaction

Long before a bee infestation is identified and eradicated, it is possible that your pet may get stung by an angry bee or a protective wasp. In both situations, you will want to act with relative quickness to provide relief to your pet.

While your furry friend cannot tell you how they feel with words, their actions and/or sounds may leave you with all of the information that you need. Most bee stings will typically cause minor discomfort including pain and inflammation. Unfortunately, some animals are allergic to bee stings, thus offering an entirely new and dangerous dynamic to the mix. While allergic reactions in pets are rare, they do occasionally happen.

After finding out that your pet has been stung by a bee, watch them for any signs of reaction. This moment will be integral to taking the next step in finding relief for your pet.

Signs of an Allergic Reaction

If you fear that your pet may be suffering an allergic reaction, it is important to identify this as soon as possible. If it is possible to locate where on your animal the bee had stung it, you can find the localized area and analyze it for reactions. If your pet’s face or neck is swollen or if it is having any issues breathing, they may be experiencing a reaction and, as such, should be treated immediately by a veterinarian.

Common signs of a bee sting allergy in pets

  • Facial Swelling
  • Localized Swelling
  • Trouble Breathing
  • Drooling
  • Vomiting

Any of the above signs and symptoms could represent the onset of an allergenic reaction to the insect’s stinger. If you observe these signs in your pet, make sure to reach out to a veterinarian to find support and care for your pet. This is particularly important if your pet has experienced multiple stings or is exhibiting signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Provide Relief to the Targeted Area

If a sting only provides mild discomfort, pet owners can provide relief for their furry friends. Simply soothe the skin through a mixture of water and baking soda before applying a cold compress to the impacted area. By attending to the swelling and its pain, you can provide relief and reduce said swelling at the same time.

Pay close attention to your pet as well as how your care is received. It is during this period that you will decide whether or not to take the next step to bring them to a vet.

Bee Experts Available at Buzz Tech Pest Control

If you live in Arizona and want to keep bees at bay, make sure that you call on the team at Buzz Tech Pest Control to handle all of your bee removal needs. As the Valley’s MOST TRUSTED bee removal company, Buzz Tech Pest Control can offer exceptional service at unbeatable prices – all on a timeline that works for you.

Contact Buzz Tech Pest Control today to enjoy service within an hour!

Why Do Bees Keep Returning To My House?

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If you’ve ever had bees infest your home, there’s a good chance that they might try and come back someday.

According to researchers at the University of California, bees are directly responsible for pollinating at least %35 of the food we eat every day. It’s amazing that bees do such hard work, but it would be great if they did it a little further from home.

Here’s what you need to know about bees returning to your home.

First: Know the Signs That Bees Have Returned to Your Home

The first thing you should know is how to see the tell tale signs that bees have returned to your home. Just spotting a few bees around your property doesn’t indicate that the bees have come back. It’s very common for bees to explore a vast range of territory which means that seeing a few bees is a common sight all across the country.

If you frequently see bees entering and exiting the walls of your home, this is a sure sign that your infestation has returned. You can also tell an infestation is back by seeing dark spots form on the inside of your walls— this discoloration is caused by the presence of a hive that has been building for some time.

You can also start to see parts of the hive poking out from cracks and corners in your property.

How to Prevent Bees from Returning

There’s a few things that you can do to prevent the bees from returning to your home. These are key steps in making sure that not only the bees are safely removed the first time, but that the conditions that invited them in the first place are taken care of.

Here’s how you can prevent bees from returning to your home.

  • Get professional help removing the bees and their hive
  • Remove the things that attract hives in the first place
  • Make your home more resistant to infestation

Have Your Bees Professionally Removed

If you have a bee infestation, it’s always the right decision to reach out to professional bee removers. Bee removal services in Arizona, like Buzz Tech Professional Bee Removal, can safely remove the bees as well as their hive.

There are plenty of DIY options for removing bees, but this often leaves the hive behind. An empty hive is a sure way to make sure that the bees return. Professional bee removal services can quickly and easily remove the hive from your home.

Removing the hive is an essential step in preventing the bees from returning. Professionals can ensure that the hive is entirely removed and there’s nothing left to attract a new colony of bees.

Make Your Home Less Attractive to Bees

There are a lot of misconceptions about what attracts colonies of bees to your property. People tend to think it’s just flowers, but that only attracts a few bees that are foraging for pollen. What you need to get rid of is the things that allow bees to build their hives in the first place.

The first thing to check for are any piles of debris or junk on your property. This could be a stack of firewood, unused furniture, or construction debris. These provide shaded locations that are sheltered from the elements which are ideal for building a new hive.

You should also look for any abandoned or underused structures on your property. It’s very common for bees to set up their hives in underutilized sheds. Bees also enjoy building hives in abandoned barns, stalls, or in and around abandoned equipment.

Here’s a general tip. If you don’t use it on a regular basis, it could become an ideal place for bees to set up a hive. So, don’t worry about the flowers and pollinating plants that bees eat, worry about the places that they could build a hive.

Make Your Home Bee-proof

Keeping your home in good repair is also a great way to prevent bees from returning in building a new colony. Bees build colonies in the walls of a home because they can get in through cracks and gaps in the wall. Having a contractor inspect your siding and look for areas where you can do repairs is a great way to prevent bees from getting back in.

A professional bee removal service can conduct a survey of your home and look for areas that bees are likely to find egress. You want to get these areas patched to ensure that bees don’t have an easy way to enter your home or your walls.

Get Help from the Bee Removal Experts

The single best thing you can do is reach out to a professional bee removal service. The profs over at Buzz Tech Professional Bee Removal have been helping Scottsdale and Phoenix area homeowners with all of their bee removal needs for years.

Reach out to them today to bee-proof your home and get your bee infestation removed!

How To Tell The Difference Between Good and Bad Bees

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Bees are essential insects for pollination and also the environment. However, good and bad bees are distinguishable by their natural behaviors and appearances. Read further to determine which species to attract and avoid to prevent injuries and property damage.

WHAT ARE GOOD AND BAD BEES?

Typically, bad bees are naturally volatile and attack unprovoked. Since they can do significant structural damage to homes and are most responsible for bee injuries, you should avoid confrontation and rely on a professional bee removal company instead.

Good bees are often friendly and form bonds with humans who care for them. While they cannot sense personalities, they can detect a non-threatening intruder and refrain from using their stingers. Depending on their history with a specific individual, they can also remember faces and either attack or recoil.

Check out a few examples of the most common good bees and how you can distinguish them from their mean, threatening rivals:

LEAFCUTTER BEES

Leafcutter bees are essential pollinators of various wild plants. The typical bee has a black body with white hairs on its abdomen. They also have strong jaws designed to shear leaves off trees and use the leaf fragments to protect their nests.

Typically, leafcutter bees are not violent, but they use their stinger only during rough handling. Also, they rest in soft, rotted wood or rose bushes until their next task begins.

HONEYBEES

Honeybees are challenging to identify due to their abdominal brown and black stripes. However, they perform unique qualities that stand out among other bee species. For example, the honey bee is the only insect that produces food consumed by humans. Also, they can fly long distances up to six miles at 15 miles per hour.

Typically, honeybees maintain an exceptional reputation as one of the better species. While they do not have an aggressive disposition, they use their stinger as a defense mechanism when threatened. In addition, they hate rain and become hostile in wet, muggy weather.

ORCHARD MASON BEES

Orchard Mason bees are swift and agile fliers and carry pollen in the hair on their metallic, black, and green abdomens. Since they are not hygienically conscious, they hop from plant to plant instead of cleaning themselves before performing another pollination task.

The typical life cycle of a mason bee is short, lasting only one month on average. Therefore, they only stay around to perform early spring crop pollination to produce an adequate food supply.

Bad bees are hostile and attack humans and other insects aggressively. Not only can they sustain numerous stings, but they can cause lethal side effects due to their venom:

YELLOWJACKETS

Yellowjackets are predatory bees that aggressively protect their nest. They are distinguishable by their yellow and black bands, aggressive sting, and bite. Since they don’t lose their stinger, they can attack viciously and will do so unprovoked. While yellow jackets will not sting a non-threatening individual, they may land on a skin surface to inspect a scent. On the other hand, they will leave if you stay relaxed or move away carefully.

CARPENTER BEES

Carpenter bees have a bad reputation due to their habit of excavating round tunnels inside wooden materials. They are identifiable by their blue, purple, or black sheen and bald abdomen. While they chew on deadwood, they don’t eat the rigid material. However, their tunneling behavior can damage the structure of a home.

As the most dominant among their counterparts, carpenter bees are common in North America and aggressive toward smaller insects. While the females sting in volatile situations, the males usually fly straight toward trespassers at high speeds.

BUMBLEBEES

Bumblebees are often confused with carpenter bees. Both species have some similarities, but bumblebees are more prominent and have a distinctive body covered with yellow and black hair. Also, their name originates from the loud buzzing sound they make while collecting pollen. Not only do they appear to dance while at work, but they also create ultrasonic vibrations due to their rapid movements.

While bumblebees have a friendly reputation, the males hover around humans who venture too close to their nest. They do not set out to sting every intruder in their path. Consequently, they use their stinger to defend themselves when they sense danger.

AFRICANIZED BEES

Best known as a “killer swarm,” Africanized bees are responsible for many human deaths worldwide. Since they resemble domestic honey bees, one effective method to distinguish both is to measure their bodies. Most likely, you will discover that Africanized bees are slightly smaller than their counterparts. Also, they are golden yellow with dark brown bands.

While Africanized bees produce less potent venom than other bee species, they usually approach in swarms, stinging hundreds or thousands of people. Most bees are beneficial and play a significant role in gardening and agriculture. On the other hand, Africanized bees are incredibly aggressive and can chase intruders for more than a quarter of a mile.

RELY ON US TO ELIMINATE YOUR BEE PROBLEM!

Buzz Tech Pest Control offers bee rescue and removal services in Arizona. We are licensed and insured to assist residents in 28 cities and have over 30 years of industrial experience. If you need a hard-working team to eliminate beehives and swarms, you can call us to schedule an appointment.

Are Carpenter Bees A Problem?

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Bees are absolutely essential to the health and vitality of our planet. Essential pollinators, bees help to transform the agricultural landscape that we know and understand. With more than 1,300 known species of bees found within Arizona, it helps to know a little more about the most common pests of the bunch.

Today, we are going to take a closer look at one of the lesser understood pest problems for residents throughout Arizona: carpenter bees.

What Are Carpenter Bees?

Carpenter bees are unique creatures in that they build their nests inside of wood. This traditionally isn’t a problem, as there are many wooden spaces in their natural habitat for carpenter bees to lay claim to. Carpenter bees are often confused with the far more common bumblebee thanks to their oval bodies with yellow and black markings. The key differentiator visually between carpenter bees and bumblebees has to do with their abdomen: carpenter bees have smooth bellies rather than hairy ones.

The carpenter bee is also a solitary creature, especially when compared to honey bees and bumblebees and their larger hives. Carpenter bees often live on their own and can be identified by the smooth and round holes they leave behind, typically bored into wood. These holes are where male carpenter bees host their nests and where females lay their larvae.

How Dangerous Are Carpenter Bees?

While carpenter bees can surely leave a trail of destruction in their wake, they aren’t very harmful directly to humans. Carpenter bees of the male variety aren’t even capable of stinging. While female carpenter bees can sting you, they only do so if they feel provoked – and even then, only rarely.

Even though we understand carpenter bees to not be dangerous, that doesn’t mean they can’t create harm while causing chaos in your daily life. If you have a home in Arizona and want to keep it free from potential issues, you might want to keep on reading!

How to Prevent Carpenter Bees.

Preventing a carpenter bee infestation is the best way to deal with any potential fallout from their presence. There are a few things that homeowners in Arizona can undertake immediately to help protect their property.

Identifying signs of a carpenter bee infestation is the first step toward getting the problem under control. Before picking up the phone to call on the team at Buzz Tech AZ Professional Bee Removal, consider enacting a few of the following tips and tricks.

  1. Paint and Stain all wooden structures on and around your property. The right stain can help prevent damage from carpenter bees.
  2. Address your foundation by filling in potential cracks or leaks with caulk. Seal other holes in your home’s exterior including your vents, pipes, and utility lines. Any entrance to your home is a path toward an infestation.
  3. Replace ripped screens on your doors and ensure that all openings at the top and bottom are sealed. Address weather-stripping or install weather-stripping elements yourself.

Common Signs of Carpenter Bees

While we’ve outlined that carpenter bees are largely harmless from a physical perspective, most homeowners throughout Arizona still won’t want these insects on their property. Carpenter bees are considered one of the primary wood-damaging insects in the United States, due in large part to the prevalence of their population.

While carpenter bees are often found in old, soft trees, they can also present symptoms of an infestation through other signs.

  • Visually See Bees – The easiest way to identify a carpenter bee infestation on your property in Arizona is by visually seeing them. A carpenter bee problem is notable because you will see them buzzing around your home, especially if they’ve nested within your walls. Bumblebees will largely avoid your roof and property line, while carpenter bees will be very interested in any local overhangs or wooden structures.
  • Audibly Hear Them – The second easiest way to identify carpenter bees on your property is by hearing them. The sound of carpenter bees chewing through wood is particularly notable and potentially even scary if you don’t know what you are hearing.
  • Holes In Wood – The most telling visual sign of an infestation, absent from seeing the bee itself, is the unique prevalence of bored holes in wooden structures. Carpenter bees leave behind nearly perfectly circular holes, typically in straight lines, from beneath wooden boards. Sometimes these bored holes may not appear circular, and this is due to the fact that carpenter bees can survive in the sun, thus allowing them to enter and exit your home.
  • Physical Stress / Something Breaks – The slow erosion caused by carpenter bees eating wood can lead to physical consequences for your property. Carpenter bees can weaken stairs, break railings, and weaken balconies. For these reasons alone, it is important to catch a carpenter bee infestation as early as possible.

Buzz Tech Pest Control is proud to offer services to residents throughout Arizona. With service promised in under an hour, you are never far away from the help you need to deal with carpenter bees and other buzzing pests.

Why Are Bees So Important Anyway?

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Whether you live in the heart of downtown Phoenix or somewhere in the rural surrounding areas, you’re likely used to two things: hot weather and sunshine. There is one OTHER common connector for residents of Arizona and that is their exposure to bumblebees, carpenter bees, honey bees, and even Africanized bees. More than just another pest we have to deal with in Phoenix, bees are incredibly vital to our day-to-day lives.

If you have a bee infestation, take a moment to learn about the importance of these industrial creatures before contacting Buzz Tech Pest Control for your pest removal needs.

Introducing the Mighty Bees

Incredibly hard-working, bees are some of the most important pollinators on the entire planet. As of this writing, we know that there are at least 25,000 different bee species on the planet, subdivided into nine different families. The most prominent family of bees is the Apidae family, containing 5,700 species, of which the Honey Bee and Bumblebee are two.

Prevalent throughout the world and absolutely vital to our long-term health and vitality, let’s break down the direct benefits that bees provide to the world we share with one another.

Pollinating the Planet

Plants reproduce through the process of pollination. Pollination is when the flower, or stamen, is introduced to the female flower, or the pistil. Plants aren’t able to just uproot themselves to mingle, so it is important for pollinators to carry out the process for our planet. Plants regularly rely on animals and insects to help as pollinators. Bumblebees are some of the most prolific pollinators in the state of Arizona thanks to their larger size and frequency of travel.

Without insects like bees, we couldn’t enjoy the world of greenery that surrounds us. Extend that thought further and we can begin to understand the globe-shattering importance of a healthy bee population. According to scientific studies, a colony of bees can help to pollinate more than 4,000 m2 of fruit trees. Bees pollinate more than 70 types of crops, as well.

To protect bees while removing them from your property, consider calling Buzz Tech Pest Control for a 60-minute emergency service call. A professional technician can be on your property within the hour.

Embracing a Sustainable Ecosystem

The natural world that we live in and enjoy could not exist without bees pollinating the countryside. Far more than pollinators for food crops, bees are integral to our ecosystem up to and including wildflowers, shrubs, trees, and even clovers. Now take a moment to consider all of the other creatures that rely on these plants and we can begin to see the falling domino effect of bee extinction.

Current scientific research suggests that certain bees are more effective at pollinating certain plants, offering a better end result. We can look at the Red Mason Bee and its efficacy in pollinating apple blossoms, ranging up to 120x more efficient than honeybees. We can look to other bees and their work pollinating cotton crops as another extreme advantage that these wonderful creatures can provide. Everything from the clothing we wear to the food we enjoy for dinner is dependent on the work of our bee population.

Outside of the pollinator/pollination paradigm, bees are a natural source of food for many creatures in our natural ecosystem. There are a group of birds known as the Meropidae that feed extensively on bees. Bees are also the appetizer of choice for robins, badgers, and other wild animals.

Who knows what other ways the bee population can impact adjacent creatures? It’s becoming increasingly clear that bees are the key by which our sustainable ecosystem turns.

Engineering Food Production

Without a healthy population of pollinators, the world we live in would look dramatically different. Imagine all of the food that requires pollination for production. If bees were no longer around, we would be legitimately at risk of losing the entire production of broccoli, asparagus, apples, almonds, cherries, and cucumbers – just to name a few!

While bees aren’t going to go extinct overnight, nor will the crops they pollinate, we can behave proactively to offset these potential concerns. If you enjoy any of the agricultural goods we’ve discussed above, consider hiring a live bee removal expert for all of your pest concerns.

About Buzz Tech Pest Control

Buzz Tech Pest Control has more than 30 combined years of industry experience within the pest control and bee removal industry. Licensed by the Arizona Department of Agriculture and insured beyond required limits, Buzz Tech offers fast and friendly work through professional technicians, guaranteed to arrive within 90 minutes of your appointment request.

Clients who call upon Buzz Tech get to enjoy

  • Service Within 90 Minutes
  • 24/7 Emergency Availability
  • Licensed & Insured Coverage
  • Preventative Solutions to Future Issues

Call Buzz Tech Pest Control today to make your pest problem a thing of the past!