Bee season has arrived

By Michael Picarella Acorn Staff Writer

Spring is here and bees are buzzing. There are ways to prevent bees from gathering in or around your home and there are methods to remedy bee stings. It’s smart to be prepared for bees.

Experts offer suggestions to keep bees from gathering around your home and how to treat bee stings.

Honeybees are social creatures that live in groups. At certain times of the year, part of a colony, which could be made up of about 60,000 bees, separate and look for a new place to live. While on the move, the swarm of bees may stop in an open space, such as a tree branch. The swarm will continue traveling until it finds a place to build a many-celled wax structure called a comb.

A swarm of bees might find a place near or on your home for their new hive.

The best way to prevent bees from establishing a colony on your property is to deny them the perfect environment, an expert said.

"Honeybees require three things in order to survive: food, water and shelter," said an exterminator. "Honeybees use nectar and pollen from flowers as food. Honeybees visit swimming pools, hot tubs and pet- and livestock-watering dishes to consume water—not only for themselves—but also to take back to cool the hive."

Honeybees nest in trees and rocks, animal burrows, overturned flowerpots, irrigation valve boxes and drainage tiles—nooks with shade. They can enter openings as small as 3/16 of an inch in diameter (the size of a pencil eraser). But the hole or opening must have a suitable-sized cavity within for bees to nest inside.

Bees prefer to build their nests away from active people. That’s why they go into air vents that lead into attics. They might try an open garage and build a hive in the rafters, but a garage usually has too much human activity for bees.

It’s best to eliminate any potential shelter for bees. Fill holes in trees and walls; caulk cracks in walls and on your roof. For vents in the attic, cover the openings with screening that’s too small for bees. Don’t cover the vent with cardboard because air circulation is necessary for any attic. Remove, too, any trash that might attract bees, especially empty soda cans or similar items.

Fill or cover animal burrows in the ground. Make sure, if you have a shed or another structure that isn’t used often, to keep its doors sealed tightly.

While bees like swimming pools, so do humans. And most Californians aren’t going to get rid of their pool because of bees. It’s wise to have someone watch for bees while others enjoy the pool. Bees probably won’t come around because of the activity, but they might. And it’s smart to use non-flowering plants around swimming pools.

For birdbaths, you could add two tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water to keep bees away.

Watch for bees passing in and out of or hovering under eaves or near attics or in or at ground level. That usually means a colony has settled nearby. If you do find a hive, experts warn not to destroy it or remove it yourself. Bees are defensive and can easily go into an attack mode. Call for an expert to assess the situation.

If a bee, wasp, hornet or yellow jacket stings you, don’t try to pull the stinger out or you risk the release of more venom. Don’t pinch the spot where you were stung either. Try to scrape it out with a blunt-edged object, like a dull knife or even a credit card.

Wash the area with soap and water several times for at least a day until the skin is healed. After the first washing, apply a cold pack on the spot for a few minutes. Afterward, apply a paste of baking soda and water and leave it on for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you experience pain, apply ammonia to the sting area.

Seek immediate medical attention if stung in the mouth or nose, if there are large areas of swelling, if you experience abnormal breathing, tightness of chest or throat, dizziness, nausea or other abnormal symptoms. Some people have hypersensitive reactions to bee stings.