Welcome to a Day in the Life of Dovid Davis Pest Specialist. Yesterday, I had a chance to talk with Dovid Davis, the owner of A#1 Pest Control. I asked Dovid what he wanted to talk about, and he said Bees, hornets and wasps.

According to Dovid, the end of the summer brings an abundance of stinging insects, the bees hornets and wasps. The three stinging insects have different characteristics but several things in common.When they detect aggressive behavior, they will defend themselves. They may interpret your waving your hand to swap them away as a sign of aggression. They may determine your trying to douse them water, alcohol or other liquids as a sign of aggression. Or, they may interpret your trying to cut out their nest from a tree or the ground as a sign of aggression.

Stinging insect home colonies are always guarded by quick response soldiers. Stationed outside to repel any outside  invaders, they can quickly call in reinforcements within 20 seconds, in large numbers. If the colony is small, approximately under 25, or less than the size of a tennis ball or a baseball, then the home owner can attempt to remove it himself. Of course, while removing the nests, he should be wearing protective clothing and should have suitable replant

close at hand. If the nest is anything larger than a tennis ball or baseball, Dovid recommends that you call a professional

It should be noted that the home colonies of the stinging insects are not only paper nest hanging from a tree. Quite commonly, bees will make their homes in the ground and can make their home in the crack or a crevice of a concrete or brick wall, or, in dead or hollowed out dead tree trunks. Extreme caution should be used in trying to eradicate them yourself. And a home owner should get rid of the small nest in the evening,when the stinging insects are less ferocious, whereas a professional can properly irradiate them during daylight hours.

I was amazed to hear that these insects live in hives made of paper, and I asked Dovid to clarify that point.He told me that indeed, Bees make the paper hives. They chew anything made of cellulose and they spin into a large paper ball with many layers and many cells in it. Dovid also cautioned that home owners should  not attempt to rid a bee hivewhile standing a ladder larger than 6 feet tall,. as the bees always win. And also,if someone is allergic to bee stings, he should call a professional immediately.

I asked Dovid how much it costs to remove stinging insect hives. He told me the cost depends on the difficulty. Heusually charges 50.00 -70.00 to remove a hive on the ground. If the hive is in a tree, or otherwise located above ground, the cost varies on the height. A beehive in a tree, higher than the first floor of a house, for instance, might run125.00 or more.

We'll that's it for another episode of day in the life of Dovid Davis, pest specialist. And I wish you all a pest free day.