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One of the most familiar insects in the world is the honey bee. Honey bees are social insects and are highly evolved. Worker bees are usually 2/3 inches long and are covered with light colored hairs, thickest on top of the thorax. Honey bees may be various shades of yellow, black, brown or orange. Honey bees have three adult castes queens, drones(males) and workers (sterile females). A colony may have as many as 50,000 bees. Honey bee nest are made of wax cells constructed by the workers, these masses of cells are called combs. These cells are used to store eggs, larvae, and pupae others are used to store honey. If a person approaches a nest, honey bees can become aggressive, especially if they are Africanized.
Africanized honey bees:
Are less predictable and more defensive.
They will pursue an enemy 1/4 mile or more.
They sting in large numbers.
Honey bee’s
Queen’s have a life span of 2-3 years and can lay up to 2500 eggs a day.
The worker honey bee has an average life span of 6-8 weeks.
A honey bee strokes it’s wings 11,400 times per minute and can fly at a speed of 15 mph.
Honey bee’s can travel as far as 6 miles to collect nectar from flowers.
Similarities between Africanized and European honey bees are:
They both protect their nest and sting in defense.
They can only sting once.
Both types of bees look the same
Both produce honey and wax.
Subterranean termite damage
Interior evidence of Subterranean Termites
There are two kinds of houses in Tucson. The houses that have termites and the houses that eventually will have termites. Subterranean termites are a common problem, and left undetected can cause serious damage. Approximately $4.5 billion is spent annually in the U.S. to control subterranean termite infestations and repair damage they cause. The most common house infesting termite is the subterranean termite. Subterranean termites travel through a mud shelter tube from the soil to their food source. Their food source typically is the wood parts of a structure. Subterranean termites will also eat the back of the sheet rock in the wall, cardboard, books, pictures hanging from a wall, and anything made from cellulose. Sub-termites may gain access through cracks in the slab or seams where plumbing and electrical lines penetrate the concrete. They can also gain access from the perimeter of your home. A soil treatment can be performed to eliminate a current infestation and prevent future infestations. The goal of a soil treatment is to establish a continuous chemical barrier around a structure and around pipes leading into a structure. If a soil treatment is done correctly a barrier can last for many years. There are two types of termiticides used in soil treatments, they are repellents and non repellents. Repellents are designed to be detected by the termites and intended to keep termites from entering a treated zone. Non repellents are designed to allow termites to travel through the treated zone. Once the termites go through the liquid barrier they will carry the chemical back to the colony. Once this is done a colony can be eliminated. AMA uses only non repellent termiticides and has found that they are superior to the repellents.
Oriental cockroaches are a very common pest. The females are 1 – 1 1/4 inches long and have wings, but cannot fly. The adult oriental cockroaches are dark brown to black in color. They can be found in mulch beds decomposing leaves, under stones, near drains, and in crawl spaces beneath your home. Oriental roaches can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, sewer pipes, and other entry ways. These roaches leave a scent trail for other roaches and can become a problem rapidly. The oriental roach is known to cause food poisoning, diarrhea, asthma, and dysentery. To help prevent roaches, cleanliness inside and out is a must. Keep your kitchen clean and do not allow grease, crumbs, or clutter to accumulate anywhere. Store all food, including pet food in tightly sealed containers. Outside, seal all gaps around water, gas and heating pipes. Make sure all window screens fit properly and seal gaps around doors. Remove debris and trim ground cover, as well as remove firewood and garbage cans away from house.
Tags: oriental roahces
Termite Tube on Foundation
Termites are structured very similar to an ant colony. The majority of the colony population is made up of worker termites. Worker termites are responsible for constructing tunnels, caring for eggs, and securing the food supply. The soldier termites are responsible for defending the colony. Winged reproductive termites produce the offspring in the colony and swarm at certain times of the year.
There are two common types of termites found in Arizona, they are “drywood” and “Subterranean” termites. Subterranean termites live in the soil and leave mud shelter tubes and exit holes as a sign of infestation. Drywood termites live entirely in wood and leave fecal pellets and frass next to infested area.
Termites can not determine the difference between the wood material from a tree in your back yard and the wood material found in your homes structure. The can infest almost every part of your home and can enter through a crack or opening as thin as a piece of paper.
Termite fun fact: Termites cause more damage then most natural disaster (tornadoes,hurricanes, wind and hail storms) combined.
Are you seeing piles of debris and plant material around your house? If so you might have a Pack Rat issue.
Pack Rats are known for collecting different objects to help construct their nest which can be as big as 3-4 feet across. Nest are usually found constructed in a tree, cactus or on the ground.
Once the Pack Rat has made a home on your property they wont stop there. They can become quite a nuisance getting into car engines, attics, electrical wiring, and stealing any thing they can carry off. Pack Rats are able to reproduce quite frequently, delivering up to four litters a year. Each litter can consist of one to five young per litter.
Pack Rat fun fact: Pack Rats like shiny objects and have been know to cause problems for un-expecting campers at night when they get into their tents and walk off with coins, rings and other shiny objects.
Tags: Pack Rats, Pest Control