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Author Topic: Yellowjacket Control  (Read 8225 times)

Offline pbaumeister

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Yellowjacket Control
« on: November 12, 2008, 02:41:48 pm »
Yellowjackets can be a big problem for a weak hive. I have found yellowjackets living in my hive with the bees. There probably are different ways of control. You can use two different traps found at Home Depot. One is the yellow canister, which works well. After the scent is gone, you can use a piece of sausage and place it in the button of trap. The other trap is more effective though. It is the one that you place the scent in water in the bag. That one has been more effective for me. After it fills up you can pour it out and replace it with 1 can of apple concentrate with a little water. You wont have to purchase any new traps after that. The last thing I do, is I make sure I make the entrance of the hive during the winter or if the hive is weak, more narrow. I only allow about 2 inches of an opening, so the bees can protect the hive. If you have any other ideas, post them here.
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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2008, 08:34:35 am »
Many things can be a problem for a weak hives. I think the last item you mentioned may be the best solution of everything you said.

For me, if I have yellowjacket problems due to weak hives I also probably have a robbing problems, etc. Much easier to just deal with the weak hive, then kill off every potential threat to the hive.
My thoughts are (assuming everyone is at least smarter than the pests they are dealing with).....

Deer eating your strawberries....find a way to keep them out. Don't shoot them. (unless it's for the food, hunting season, etc.)

Raccoons getting in the garbage....find a way to secure the cans. Don't just shot them.

Yellowjackets picking on your weak hives....Find a way to strengthen your hives or take appropriate action to allow the bees to better defend the hive.

Yes, I'm no tree hugging radical PETA guy. I just have seen way too many people, who are suppose to be smarter than the rest of the animals on earth, resort to picking up a gun, or resorting to the destruction of anything that irritates or bothers them. I have seen, and have a neighbor who treats his yard so no ants, no bugs, and nothing else can live in his lawn, so his kids can play pest free. (Although he's an idiot to have his kids rolling around in that chemical cesspool in the first place)

You got a yellowjacket nest on the side of your house? I see no problem getting rid of them. I think common sense should always be used. But setting up traps to attract every yellowjacket in the area, due to a few getting into your weak, beekeeper managed beehive, just strikes me as wrong.

I have no problems with pest control people dealing with real and safety issue pest control. We need the services. I just do not like the fact that way too many people see a yellowjacket (Or bees for the general public) and their automatic reaction is to reach for the can of raid. And if beekeepers have such notions about nature, I can not expect much from the rest of society.

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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2008, 08:47:47 am »
pbaumeister,
What is being licensed in California all about? I was not aware that for swarm or live bee extractions, that a license would be needed in any state. Of course, in California, I guess many things are required.  Are you a full pest control company, dealing with termites, etc? Or do you just do bees? Is this license mandatory?

Thank you.
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Offline JP

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2008, 09:11:01 am »
Quote "Deer eating your strawberries....find a way to keep them out. Don't shoot them. (unless it's for the food, hunting season, etc.)

Raccoons getting in the garbage....find a way to secure the cans. Don't just shot them.

Yellowjackets picking on your weak hives....Find a way to strengthen your hives or take appropriate action to allow the bees to better defend the hive."

Bjorn, I am a licensed PCO and I agree with the above statements let me elaborate, you have rats living in your house, chicken yard, getting into the dog food?

Why and how are two key words that come into play here, why, what's attracting them in the first place, how, how are they able to gain access?

Old school thought is poison everything where the solution might be to seal a hole in a fence or stop leaving dog food out, this is called integrated pest management (IPM) which goes to the root of the problem, this is the intelligent approach, smart for the environment as well.


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Offline pbaumeister

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2008, 12:42:56 pm »
I am licensed for general pest control. Not licensed for termites. Yes, some pest control companies go balistic and try to kill everything in sight including honey bees. We are different. We probably save more bee hives in Sacramento area than any other company. We save about 150-200 hives and swarms per year. Most of the people in town would rather charge a lot of money to kill the honey bees in a structure and save time than try to save the bees. It takes about 4 hours to save the bees out of structure compared to 1 hour if you kill them. With the declining bees in our area this is a problem.

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Offline pbaumeister

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2008, 12:52:46 pm »
I don't usually worry about yellowjackets unless they are prarie yellowjackets that live in the ground near a home or if there is a large infestation of any yellowjackets near hives or homes. I  have seen areas that have literally thousands of yellowjackets trying to infest homes. While this is a rarity, it can happen and does happen. A few little yellowjackets in the area are not worth messing with. A prarie yellowjacket nest can be dangerous in an area near a home. Usually there are about 5,000 in the nest. The majority of these are very aggressive and will attack in large numbers. I know people that have fallen on top of these nests not knowing they were there and getting stung 300+ times. I have no mercy for them when they are a danger to people --especially children.
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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2008, 01:35:04 pm »
pbaumeister,

The reason I ask about being licensed is your statement from your website...

>>>>"Many companies operate without a license and say that they are licensed and insured, however, they do not have the proper license and their insurance will not cover if they are investigated.">>>>

I am asking if it is a requirement if a beekeeper be licensed to collect a swarm? I know some states allow the collection of swarms and even extractions, as long as the beekeeper does not cross over into the area of an exterminator with sprays, and other pests besides honeybees.

I am asking what the "proper license" is as dictated by California law as you base your comments?

And what is a license for "general pest control"? I have never heard of such a thing. What does that involve and where would one find the information about such licenses?

I would like to also ask about "other companies" as to the being investigated and not having proper insurance and license. The two insurance companies I deal with have never in 30 years had a claim against a beekeeper, and they could not even find a lawsuit in the area of swarm collection or extractions. So I find your pointing out this "problem" about others in marketing your own services really interesting.

Thank you.
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Offline BEES4U

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2008, 10:34:52 pm »


Here are a few URL's on the topic:
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?s_it=topsearchbox.search&query=LICENSED+HONEY+BEE+REMOVAL+COMPANIES


"BEE Alert" - Professional Bee Removal Srvc. & Stinging Insect Control (your home or business)
(License info: No professional license is offered for bee removal by the State of California or by any County)

http://www.aaabeeremoval.com/

http://www.aafricankillerbee.com/

Regards,
Ernie

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Offline pbaumeister

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2008, 11:34:44 pm »
As it is right now anyone that practices any type of bee removal from structures requires a Structural Pest Control License. The law has allowed the beekeepers to remove the bees without the use of chemicals. However, the law is not very clear because there are many other parts of the law that says beekeepers cannot work on a structure. Also, beekeepers cannot do any removal of killer bees because it is doubtful that they would do "live" removal of them. So, what does that mean for unlicensed beekeepers? Even if they have paid for insurance, if there is any claim against them, the insurance companies would not have to pay anything. The insurance companies are under the assumption that the beekeeper is properly licensed. I would advise that you call your insurance company and ask them if they would cover an unlicensed company that operates bee control. They will tell you. I would tell you that if I was customer, I would hire a licensed pest control company that would save the bees rather than an unlicensed beekeeper that would save the bees. Also, most of the beekeepers that I know that do live bee removal in my area use pesticide quite often either to kill them or to kill the returning bees that come back to the hive after the removal.

Read this link on licensing for bee removal. It is from the PCOC Pest Control Operators.

pcoc.org/consumer/ahb/forhire.cfm
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Offline JP

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #9 on: November 14, 2008, 05:07:36 am »
As it is right now anyone that practices any type of bee removal from structures requires a Structural Pest Control License. The law has allowed the beekeepers to remove the bees without the use of chemicals. However, the law is not very clear because there are many other parts of the law that says beekeepers cannot work on a structure. Also, beekeepers cannot do any removal of killer bees because it is doubtful that they would do "live" removal of them. So, what does that mean for unlicensed beekeepers? Even if they have paid for insurance, if there is any claim against them, the insurance companies would not have to pay anything. The insurance companies are under the assumption that the beekeeper is properly licensed. I would advise that you call your insurance company and ask them if they would cover an unlicensed company that operates bee control. They will tell you. I would tell you that if I was customer, I would hire a licensed pest control company that would save the bees rather than an unlicensed beekeeper that would save the bees. Also, most of the beekeepers that I know that do live bee removal in my area use pesticide quite often either to kill them or to kill the returning bees that come back to the hive after the removal.

Read this link on licensing for bee removal. It is from the PCOC Pest Control Operators.

pcoc.org/consumer/ahb/forhire.cfm

http://pcoc.org/consumer/ahb/forhire.cfm


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Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2008, 08:18:36 am »
Thank you for responding.

First,
The site is from the California pest control Operators, and much of it is filled with opinion and their slanted take on it. It is not a state site stating actual law.

It clearly stated that beekeepers (Registered?) DO NOT need a license to do bee removals. And as I already commented that other states allow, as long as they do not practice as a pest control agent or cross over into pesticide use (Nice try on the "smoke" COULD be considered a pesticide - which is baloney) there is absolutely nothing prohibiting beekeepers from collecting swarms or colonies.

They go on to mention about AHB, to which I am grateful. Although they use AHB's to somehow suggest or market that beekeepers can not deal with such situations in a "live" manner, without crossing over into the "exterminator" side of the issue, I think posting your site with such information also allows beekeepers to know exactly what one may be dealing with since you also sell some bees. Personally, I think that instead of laws about who can provide a service to the community, to which beekeepers have done for hundreds of years, states should look at laws who can sell bees to the community, and non-AHB states should ban bees from these areas. Afterall, if the PCOC website (to which everything else it says is taken as correct) suggests that AHB's are no match for beekeepers, then I would think that maybe the public and the beekeeping community that reads such "stuff" should rely on this information in setting criteria for AHB concerns.

The website pbaumeister has is a very professionally done site. It uses some vague areas and the publics ignorance to market their own services. And I do not have a problem with aggressive marketing. But I also hope that when you plug that same website on a forum of the very people you are bashing, with no legal justification, someone may ask some questions. The PCOC website starts by making a comment about beekeepers to which they clearly state that no license is required. Then the site cleverly uses the next several paragraphs commenting on the need to have a license for this or that, all the while having this information targeted on "non-beekeepers" who are seeking information of what would be required to perform these procedures. It makes the information seem cloudy and somehow could be taken they are still talking about beekeepers but they are not. They are talking about others.



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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2008, 06:34:08 pm »
caution on using fruit to attract yellowjackets.  it will also attract your honey bees.  cat food, bacon, etc. are better and safer.

raccoons...shoot them.  they kill cats, chickens, even small dogs.  they carry disease.

all others?  live an let live as long as you stay out of my stuff.  for deer, i plant extra :-).  i kind of enjoy them.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2008, 06:47:21 pm »
We have had raccoons around for years. Here is a picture of three from a litter of 6, that was raised in the rafters of the garage at home last year. They would watch me work for hours as they stretched out on the rafters. The four family cats have never been bothered.

Someone once mentioned some obscure disease that raccoons could transmit to humans through their scat, but after looking up the records, it was found to only ever been documented two times in modern history. Better chance of my computer exploding.

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Offline Keith13

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2008, 06:49:25 pm »
KILL EM ALL LET THE BUTCHER SORT EM OUT :-D :-D

Keith

Offline BjornBee

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2008, 07:12:53 pm »
KILL EM ALL LET THE BUTCHER SORT EM OUT :-D :-D

Keith

Now eatin is a whole other topic... :-D  I'll never belittle a person who needs to eat raccoon or scape a armidillo off the side of the road..  :shock:
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #15 on: November 14, 2008, 07:35:50 pm »
they can carry distemper, also rabies.  they killed all my chickens and have attacked the cats.  granted, the coyotes are a bigger problem....they have killed my barn cats and also carry diseases like distemper, rabies, parvo, and heart worm.  they do keep the rabbit population down.....
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline JP

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2008, 07:43:17 pm »
Raccoons get rabies and get distemper. Keith, I bet I know why you want them all dead, is it because they are eating all of your deer corn? If you feed them, they will come.

My next door neighbor in Ms says the raccoons and her cats (all 8 of them) eat out of the same bowl.

I think they are beautiful animals, just beautiful. I once shot one with my bow because one of my customers begged me for the longest time to bring them one. I regretted it afterwards, brought them the raccoon and said enjoy it, this is the last one I'm taking.


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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #17 on: November 15, 2008, 08:59:00 pm »
they can carry distemper, also rabies.  they killed all my chickens and have attacked the cats.  granted, the coyotes are a bigger problem....they have killed my barn cats and also carry diseases like distemper, rabies, parvo, and heart worm.  they do keep the rabbit population down.....

True they can be courriers of distemper and rabies.
Raccoon's are opportunists and will eat what and where they can.  If dog and cat food is put out in the same spot regularly the raccoons will come in and eat from your pet's food dish and not bother the pet because other food is easier to get.  Remove the food to a more secure location and you'll start losing pets.
Right now I'm losing eggs and chickens to the critters.  I hate the loss but understand it and I'm taking measures to correct the problems--new chicken house and covered run.
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Offline pbaumeister

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #18 on: November 20, 2008, 01:52:39 am »
In reference to the post about proper licensing for bee control in Sacramento. There are about 5-10 other companies here in Sacramento that do bee removal. Only 2 of us are licensed with the SPCB. California is more strict from what I am told. However, most of the companies here in town kill them with or without a license. I have witnessed it and have heard them say it. One very well known bee removalist here in town only has a business license, but uses over the counter pesticides to kill them and then he removes the honeycomb. He says that it is quicker and he can do more jobs per day. Also, most of these bee removalists that claim they do not do bee removal also do yellowjacket control. I wonder what they do with the yellowjackets. Maybe they are raising them in their backyard.
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Offline mudlake

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Re: Yellowjacket Control
« Reply #19 on: November 23, 2008, 02:20:09 pm »
The best yellow jacket control 2 feet of snow and 20 degrees. We have no yellow jackets here.  Tony