| FOR EMERGENCY
BEE SERVICES 24/7 CALL ….. 727-458-2586 |
| Dangerous bee calls way up |
|
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 |
| |
