UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
Feature
Article - for release the week of
Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent
After
the storm – don’t get stung
Extension
agents in southern
The calls center around two of our common stinging insects, yellow jackets and honey bees. While I wrote a story about yellow jackets two years ago, some updated facts about these pests are now in order. Today’s column will review stinging wasps and bees, and suggest what can be done when they become a nuisance in Florida Yards.
When our office gets requests for help with these stingers, one of the first questions we tackle is which insect are we are dealing with. It is pretty easy to distinguish between honeybees and yellow jackets by their appearance, but few people want to get that close to really figure it out. Their behavior is another way to make some good guesses as to which insect is in the area.
There are distinct differences in color: Yellow jacket wasps are, well, yellow, with white and black – their back abdomen has alternating stripes that go all the way around their body. Honey bees are basically golden brown and black in color.
The way these insects fly around is a clue to their identity. Bees are found around flowers, looking for nectar. Yellow jackets are looking for caterpillars and other insects to prey on, but in the fall are often seen hovering around food, trash cans and dumpsters. Yellow jacket food preferences change from diets of insects to sugar when they begin to store carbohydrate food for the winter.
With the storms, normal wasp food sources were disrupted. And remember that after Wilma, a cold front arrived to encourage this change in food preference. No wonder we have had many calls about yellow jackets from restaurants, event coordinators and schools alike. The best defense is to cover trash cans, double bag containers of garbage that contain food wastes, and wash out those waste receptacles to remove sugary food sources.
Honey bees are considered to be beneficial insects because the pollination services they provide bring us many different food products. They are also a source of honey and beeswax. Commercial beekeepers “train” bees to live in hives; however, they can sometimes escape and take up housekeeping in unwanted places. There are also colonies of wild bees that can also move from hollowed out trees or hanging in swarms into openings in houses.
Honeybees
and wasps taking up residence in and around homes are a
problem – and can be a serious problem if people have
allergic sensitivity to bee stings.
For these people, stings can be a life or death
matter. A trip to the hospital will be necessary for those
allergic to bee stings.
In other cases, stinging bees may only be a serious nuisance. One of our local callers needed a FEMA blue roof applied after Wilma, but when the contractors arrived, they backed off because a honey bee colony was living in the roof cornice that needed to be covered. That’s where our office came into the picture.
Traditionally, insect problems are “solved” by spraying pesticides. However, it is sometimes a challenge to find a pest control operator willing to spray stinging insects. In the case of honeybees, another option exists – some local beekeepers may be willing and able to “extract” a swarm and use the combs to strengthen their own commercial hives. Our office maintains a list of the licensed beekeepers in the area that may be willing to assist if honeybees are a problem.
Beekeepers are important agricultural producers, and there is a wealth of information available on how to take up “apiculture”. Recent challenges to beekeepers include parasites of honeybees, the arrival of aggressive Africanized honeybees, challenges with prices due to cheap imports, and urbanization that makes some bee hives an attractive nuisance. Despite these challenges, beekeepers are valuable agricultural producers – and our office can help you learn how to be a beekeeper if you would like to explore this dynamic enterprise.
Yellow jacket removal is a bit more challenging. There are a few companies now interested in removing yellow jackets. What they are looking for are the nests, which can provide lots of wasp venom that is used to make desensitization shots.
If relocation of bee colonies and removal of wasp nests can’t be done, a competent pest control company should be used. Licensed pest control businesses have access to more kinds of pesticides and equipment, plus the training to safely use them. Call us if you need a bulletin with the latest UF pesticide recommendations for wasp and bee control. And BEE safe – don’t get stung.
I’ve
placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.
If you need additional information on bees and
wasps, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu
or call us at 863-763-6469.
Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy
98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our 
-30-
Trade
names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific
information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products
named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida
Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to
provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals
and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age,
handicap, or national origin. Florida
Cooperative
Extension Service / IFAS /
University
of
Florida.
Larry
A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 11/10/2008
. This page is maintained
by Dan Culbert