Information about bees in South Texas

Bees and wasps can be quite a problem around the home and yard. As far as bees go, there are two species that are of main concern to the homeowner. Carpenter Bees, and Honeybees. Carpenter Bees are a rather large Bee. They bore holes into soft wood to lay their eggs. They do not eat the wood, however they will cause some damage to the wood as they excavate their holes. Control can be difficult and may require replacing infested lumber. Honey Bees are beneficial insects and are necessary for the pollination of many plants and crops. They are normally not aggressive and will not sting you if you leave them well enough alone. They become a problem when they move their colony to close to or into a wall of your home. With honeybee controls there are two options, remove the living colony, or kill the bees in place. If you chose to remove the living colony you will need the help of a beekeeper. This process is difficult and may take several weeks. If you kill the colony in place it is best to open the wall and remove the honey comb. After the bees die the wax will melt and honey will run down inside and maybe come through the wall, creating quite a mess and inviting other pests.

Wasps are a much more common pest around the home. There are two types of wasps, solitary wasps and social wasps. Solitary wasps are not much of a problem. They pretty much keep to themselves and will not sting unless handled. These are wasps such as the spider wasp, mud daubers, and digger wasps. Solitary wasps seldom require control. When they do become a nuisance about the only thing to do is destroy the nest and spray the individual wasp with an aerosol insecticide labeled for such use. Social wasps are much more likely to be a problem in and around the home. They live in sometimes large colonies and tend to be very defensive of their nest site. These are wasps such as Yellow Jackets, Hornets, and Paper wasps. Like solitary wasps, social wasps are generally considered beneficial insects; they feed on many spiders, caterpillars, and other harmful insects. They may require control when the nest sight is to close to your home or activities. Control can be difficult when these wasps build their nest in an enclosed area. These wasps are very aggressive and will sting if at all disturbed. Protective clothing is required for most social wasp control.