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About Us
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Introduction
Wasps are important
scavengers and insect predators. Bees are extremely valuable pollinators. It
is the threat of their stings that makes them unwelcome when they nest on,
in or near peoples' homes.
Wasps
Colonies survive for one year only. Nests are not reused.
Fertilized queens overwinter and build new nests in the spring. Each wasp
can sting repeatedly without dying.
are
1.3 to 1.6 cm (1/2 to 5/8 inches) long, and black and yellow in colour.
Their paper-like nests are usually ball-shaped and can be in the ground, in
walls or hanging from trees or buildings. In the summer there may be as many
as 4,000 workers in a single nest. Yellowjackets become aggressive late in
the summer when new queens are being produced. When they sting you a
chemcial is released which tells the other wasps to come and sting you too!
Bald
Faced Hornets
are 1.6 to 1.9cm (5/8 to 3/4 inches) long and are black and white in colour.
They build ball-shaped, paper-like nests in trees, shrubs and sometimes on
buildings. The nests are often 12 inches or more in diameter. These hornets
are very aggressive when their nest is approached or disturbed but rarely
bother people at other times. We have been attacked by wasps in a nest on
the other side of the yard.
Umbrella Wasps are
1.3 to 2.5 cm (1/2 to 1 inches) long and are more slender than yellowjackets.
They are usually mostly yellow with small areas of black. They build
umbrella-shaped aerial paper-like nests with a single layer of exposed
cells. They have small colonies of up to 200 workers. They rarely sting.
Mud Daubers are
2.5 to 2.9 cm (1 to 1 1/8 inches) long, with a long thin "waist".
They are usually mostly black with some yellow patches. Each wasp constructs
its own nest out of mud or clay. They do not defend the nest so almost never
sting people. They feed paralysed spiders to their young.
Bees
are 1
to 1.9 cm (3/8 to 3/4 inches) long. They rarely sting unless provoked. Each
bee can sting only once as its stinger is left in the wound and the bees
disembowel themselves when they pull away from you. In the wild, they nest
in hollow trees, wall voids and other protected cavities. Whole colonies can
survive the winter. There can be up to 60,000 in a colony.
Bumble Bees are 1
to 2.2 cm (3/8 to 7/8 inches) long, robust and hairy. Each can sting many
times. They usually nest underground but are also frequently found in
compost piles and sometimes in walls. Fertilized queens overwinter and
establish new colonies in the spring.
Control
We provide control of wasps and bees when they are a
health concern or hazard. Where possible, we have a professional bee
keeper remove honey bees.
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We wear "bee suits" and long thick gloves to
protect ourselves from stings. We also wear our respirators so we do
not breath pesticide during application.
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Application of pesticide using a pole duster.
This device allows us to reach high places without the aid of a
ladder. In this case a "hidden" wasp nest inside a wall is
being treated. |
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To see some of the
application and control equipment and materials we use to manage insect and
bug pests click here.
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If you need service
for controlling a Wasp
or Bee
problem,
call
us now.
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Thanks for visiting http://www.pestvictoria.com
PES Professional Ecological Services Ltd.
98-B Burnside Road West, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
V9A 1B5
Phone: (250) 383-2445
Fax: (250) 383-6775
e-mail: services@pestvictoria.com
We provide professional integrated pest
management (IPM) services, a high-tech form of pest control. We are called
professional pest managers, not exterminators or fumigators. We provide
pest management, not extermination or fumigation. Excluding pests before they
cause a pest offence is a good example of IPM at work.
If You Need Professional
Services from Your Pest Control and
Pest
Management Experts,
for pests in Greater Victoria, British Columbia (B.C. or BC), Canada
Contact Us Now!
© Copyright PES Professional Ecological Services Ltd.
February 2002
contact webmaster at: services@pestvictoria.com
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