Even if you are not allergic to bees or their stings, it’s possible to experience issues with stinging insects who choose to make their homes near (or inside!) yours. Here’s more on the types of bees you’ll find in New Jersey, as well as how to handle their removal when necessary.
Types of Bees and Stinging Insects in New Jersey
The most common types of bees in New Jersey are carpenter bees, bumblebees, and honeybees. Of course, within those three classifications, there are many different distinct types of bees, making it difficult to tell what you might be looking at. There are also wasps and hornets in NJ, many of which are beneficial in terms of pest control but which can also pose a hazard to your home and your health.
Although you might wish to take the DIY route with bee removal, for your safety, we do not recommend it. Even if you are not allergic to bees, stings can be painful and even life-threatening, especially if you’re dealing with an entire hive or nest of stinging insects.
Bees
Bees common to New Jersey include honeybees, bumblebees, and carpenter bees, but it’s crucial to know the difference between them. Honeybees are often demure critters, only reacting when they feel threatened. Bumblebees are similar in their behavior and only attack when necessary.
You might find honeybee hives in trees, walls, or even in the ground. Bumblebees tend to nest closer to the ground and sometimes even in abandoned rodent nests, making their homes an easily stumbled-upon danger.
Carpenter bees are a bit more territorial, but the primary issue with these wood-loving bees is where they make their homes. Carpenter bees bore into wood to create nests and can cause serious damage to your home or other structures on your property.
Wasps
New Jersey is home to wasps such as yellow jackets, red paper wasps, mud dauber wasps, and eastern cicada killer wasps. Though few of them are aggressive and most control other insect populations, you still do not want to encounter a ready-to-sting nest full of any type of wasp.
Hornets
Hornets like the bald-faced hornet and the European hornet often live in areas of New Jersey and tend to make paper carton type homes. Bald-faced hornets often build their nests high up and out of the way of humans, but European hornets may use barns, houses, or attics to start building their paper carton nests. Dealing with Hornets in NJ? Call us for hornet control!
Bee and Stinging Insect Behavior in Summer
Like many other types of animals and insects, bees, wasps, and other stinging insects tend to be more active in spring and summer. After all, most bees are in the business of pollinating flowers come spring, so it’s understandable that we’ll see more of them when the temperatures begin to rise.
However, the place you do not want to see bees or any other type of insect is in your home, garage, barn, or kids’ play area. But with the variety of bees and other insects we have in New Jersey, keeping an eye out for newly formed nests in all areas of your property should be part of your spring checklist.
Because you may find insect nests in the ground, in walls, in trees, or even inside or along the house, it’s crucial to recognize the danger and contact a professional immediately. If the bees you find are honeybees or bumblebees, it’s often possible to re-home them in a safer place so they can keep on with their bee business.
However, with wasps and other stinging insects, you do not want to attempt to remove a nest yourself. You may wind up with insect bites, which are hazardous on their own, but the potential for an allergic reaction is also a concern.
How to Handle Bees and Other Stinging Insects
Even the most mild-mannered wasp or hornet may sting if it feels threatened, so attempting to move or destroy a nest could put you in harm’s way. Fortunately, Arkadia Eco Pest Control is available to manage any pest concerns you might have, including bee control, even if you are unsure what type of bee or wasp nest you have found.
Our experts can come out and determine what type of insect and nest you have, remove it in the safest way possible, and help to prevent the pests from returning. Contact us today for a free quote!