The Bathroom Boogey DO IT YOURSELF is something that has been around since the beginning of time. New homeowners are now able to take control of their finances and satisfaction of service. There has also been an increase in videos of foolish tasks captured on video. There ought to be a line where we depend on the research performed by EPA scientists rather than YouTube or trusted employees at hardware stores. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/understanding-science-behind-epas-pesticide-decisions I have a close friend who is well versed in the world of event security planning, trusted by major sport arenas for his knowledge on how to make sure your experience at places like Madison Square Garden are safe and enjoyable. He called me about an ant problem, but something caught my eye so I asked him “why did he seal that hole under the window?” I thought I knew the answer to his question, but I did not know the complications that would follow his answer. Yellow Jackets were entering a hole, so he waited until night and he and his wife took on the task of spraying a store bought long distance aeraerosol, then covered the hole for good measure . My friend told me that his son, who was highly allergic to bees, had come back home for summer break and he did not call me because he wanted to take care of it quickly. When I asked if he had been in the bathroom since he sealed it, he said ‘No.’ I asked this questions because the seal also sealed the bees in walls of the bathroom. This raised alarm bells in my head and he started to see where my questioning was leading. “Do you think the bees got into the bathroom?” This had gone from a quick ant treatment to a concerning issue. His mind was working, he called his wife over, and asked her about the odd noise she had complained about. The reply she gave told me how serious this situation was. “I knew the noise came from the bathroom, so I called our son over and we found a wet spot so we were going to poke it and see if we had a leak.” My main concern was the stings from yellow jackets can be life-threatening for some people. This is called anaphylaxis, which causes the closing of the airway, causing breathing problems, dizziness, stomach cramps, nausea and diarrhea. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/insect-stings Once I entered the bathroom, I knew my worst fear was true. As if the sound of buzzing bees heard me coming, one bee poked through the hole. Bees aren’t preprogrammed automatons, but they learn from experience. They can communicate with each other, conveying their intentions, work assignments and the location of a new threat. Exactly how they communicate is not understood, but it seems that it might be through chemical signals or touch. One or two of these little buggers are not the end of the world, many times they lose communication and act lethargic. On the other hand, an angry Hive will attack to protect their Queen. This can happen within a few feet from the colony. The Yellow Jacket is known for its smooth stingers, so they can sting multiple times. The hive in my friends’ bathroom was moments of falling through the ceiling, in fact the rising damp spot was the moisture as the hive developed. The fact that they no longer had an exit point, the artificial light, led them to the bathroom. I moved quickly and told them they should wait outside and then I went into action. I took the steps two at a time and got outside to the back of my truck and quickly opened it. I looked for my bee pole and remembered that I had been repairing it in the barn. I didn’t think to bring it for a simple ant job. At this point, I looked at the green bulb duster, sighed, and grabbed my ½ gallon spray bottle filled with only water and soap 50/50. I got back up the stairs and saw that the door was ajar, several bees were escaping, so I hit them with the soap and water. Then I finished them off with my boot. I got into the bathroom and closed the door; it was just me and them! I had to act quickly. The original hole had gotten slightly bigger, but I still had a plan. I put my pre-pumped ½ gallon sprayer of soap and water on the counter and set it to auto-spray. The bees around the hole moved in response to my spray, So I jumped in and grabbed my bulb duster into the hole and pumped the dust into the void as my soap and water shield kept the bees at bay. I got my last pump of dust into the hole delicately removed the tip of the duster, grabbed my sprayer and opened and closed the door. I jumped up looking around swinging at the air, but There were no bees in the hallway, only my thoughts. The next day I followed up and the hive was completely expired; I had to cut the ceiling above the bathtub open to remove it. There were two lessons learned on the day of the bee incident: If bees are flying into your structure, call your professional such as Lighthouse Exterminating 516-800-1272 and I should always have a backup bee pole. https://www.lighthouseexterminating.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG-1394.mov Call Lighthouse
