|
| FOR
EMERGENCY BEE SERVICES 24/7 CALL ….. 727-458-2586 |
|
|
Tuesday, 29 Jul 2008, 9:26 PM EDT
|
reported by Fox 13 News Tampa Bay |
| TAMPA - Local pest control companies say they're keeping
as busy as the bees they're trying to get rid of. |
 |
| Just one day after an 18-month-old puppy was stung
to death by nearly one thousand bees, Steve Winger with
McDonald Pest Control says July has been a crazy month. |
| "We don't like to show our cards, but we have
definitely increased in calls for bees," Winger
said. |
| The bulk of the company's calls generally
come in March, but over the past six or seven months,
Winger says they've seen a solid increase in the calls
their taking for bee colonies and hives. |
| Patrick McDonald, the owner of the company,
says this isn't a surprise. The Florida Department of
Agriculture predicted over fifteen years ago that Africanized
honeybees would be prevalent in the area by the early
2000's. |
| In 2006, 87 percent of bees examined tested
positive for the Africanized gene. Africanized honeybees
have no natural predator and can be more aggressive
than other bees. |
| While working a job in St. Petersburg,
Winger said you should never try to take care of a hive
or colony yourself. |
| "You don't know what you're dealing
with. We could have had twenty or thirty thousand bees
here. That entire trunk of the tree is hollow,"
he added. |
| A hive full of bees can be deadly to humans
as well as animals. Monday, 18-month-old Mimi, a puppy,
died after she got too close to a hive under her neighbor's
house. |
Winger says if you see a few bees in your yard, it's
probably nothing. But, when you see bees entering or
exiting a hole in the side of your house or a nearby
tree, it's time to call a professional. |
| FOR
EMERGENCY BEE SERVICES 24/7 CALL ….. 727-458-2586 |
| |
