Take Care of Bees (& WASPS) for Good
What should you do when you want to get rid of bees (wasps) for good?
Let's look at this question a little closer "how do you get rid of bees?" This could be a loaded question for anyone not really into bees- like we obviously are at North 40 Outfitters. If you are INTO bees (then you need to check out our beekeeping supplies online), you know there are many honeybees you'd never want to get rid of because they are amazing gold producing, garden enhancing little pieces of sunlight- but if you are NOT into bees, they can all appear to be the same kind of buzzing, stinger wielding pests.
The Bee Break Down
If the "bees" you are seeing around your house/property are of the glossy variety- that means you are now proudly cohabitate with a wasp species. That's not good. Wasps are predators and eat other insects. That means they like meat. The traps you use will utilize a meat smell, and wasps are not afraid to protect their spaces.
So if you have wasps? Best option is to call an exterminator in this instance- or, if you're more of the DIYer slash "I don't want to pay XXX dollars, when I could do THIS instead-" Well, for those of you in that second boat-
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE! There's another option come into your local North 40 Outfitters and buy some wasp traps. We have a lot of options, and each one will help you get a handle on your pests without a huge price tag.
The Stinging Difference: Bees VS Wasps
Another important distinction between the glossy, predatory wasp and the furry, foraging honey bee? The sting. A wasp's sting is smooth and can be quickly retracted to sting again a honey bee on the other hand has a barbed stinger, and once stung, will almost always die because its stinger will be ripped out.
Honey Bee Removal
This is where it gets interesting- the boom in backyard bee keeping has shown no sign of slacking, and when it comes to removing honeybees, rather than having to pay an extraction company, you can get rid of your bees for free! Here's how- look online for a local beekeeping community. They are legion. And they will gladly come when beckoned. To a bee keeper, a call saying, "Help! I need these honey bees off my property!" is basically like saying "Hey! do you want about 150 dollars for free??"
And want to make a "beek" (slang for beekeeper) even happier? Tell them this, "THERE IS A HUGE BALL OF BEES ON MY TREE/FENCE!" This is called a swarm, and to capture this moneymaker, all you do is pick it up and put it in a new bee box. And that's a wrap.
The Fifth Element: Becoming a Beekeeper
Or there is another option- if you are sure you have honey bees on your premises, you could take it as a sign- its time you became a beekeeper. Why do this? Because you will be able to harvest pounds of truly fresh honey a year this honey will be natural and endemic to your area- and will supposedly help with allergies, and is said to be one of the oldest antibiotics used by man.
Why else should you take your swarming bees as a sign? You will have an excuse to wear a suit like THIS and a pellet wood smoker. You will learn about bees and the creation of a colony-
And something even cooler? Your garden or flowers around these bees will be much more productive- some have even claimed up to 7X more robust after adding a honey bee hive.
So think before you get rid of those furry flying angels- could I be a beek? At north 40, we think you could.