Common Household Pests


Beetles

Mosquito

Ant

Brown Recluse

Honey Bee

Flea

Weevil

Termite

Honey Bees


BEE SAFE! Protect yourself, your family, home and property from honey bees.

AFRICANIZED AND EUROPEAN HONEY BEES

Africanized honey bees are well established in the wild population of honey bees in Texas. The Africanized bee is a hybrid (mixture) of African and European honey bee subspecies. Both are not native to the Americas. As a hybrid the Africanized bee appears identical to European honey bees. Individual foraging European and Africanized bees are highly unlikely to sting. A swarm rarely stings people when in flight or temporarily at rest. However, established Africanized colonies are more highly defensive toward perceived predators than European colonies.

SIMILARITIES


  • Look the same
  • Protect their nests from predators by stinging
  • An individual bee can sting only once and then dies
  • Have the same kind of venom
  • Pollinate flowers, produce honey and wax

AFRICANIZED BEES


  • Respond quickly to disturbances by people and animals 50 feet or more from the nest
  • Sense vibrations from power equipment 100 feet or more from the nest
  • Sting in large numbers
  • Will chase an enemy up to 1/4 mile or more
  • Have a higher rate of reproduction (swarm more frequently)
  • Nest in smaller cavities and sometimes underground (e.g. water meters and animal burrows)

POTENTIAL NESTING SITES

Bees will choose a nesting site in many places where people may disturb them. Nesting cavities may include: buckets, cans, empty boxes, old tires, or any container ranging in volume from as little as 2 to 10 gallons and more. Bees will also choose infrequently used vehicles, lumber piles, holes and cavities in fences, trees, and the ground, in sheds, garages, and other outbuildings between walls or in the open, low decks or spaces under buildings. REMOVE POTENTIAL NEST SITES AROUND BUILDINGS.


Insect of the Month

Carpenter Ants

Normally workers are black or red and black in color and range in size from 3/8 to 1/2 inch. Winged queen ants may be as large as one inch. However, size is not a reliable characteristic to identify carpenter ants. Carpenter ants differ from termites by having dark-colored bodies, narrow waists, elbowed (bent) antennae, and if present, hind wings shorter than front wings.