RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

An elderly Texas couple were killed by bees this week after they apparently tried to remove the insects from a fireplace in a house on a remote ranch, the Valley Morning Star reported Wednesday.

William Steele, 90, died Monday in the house on a ranch outside Hebbronville, Texas, about 100 miles west of Corpus Christi. His wife, Myrtle Steele, 92, died Tuesday after she was flown to a Corpus Christi hospital, the couple's daughter-in-law, Judy Steele, told the newspaper.

Judy Steele told the paper that the bees swarmed when her father-in-law sprayed a hive the insects had built in the small home's fireplace.

Her husband, Richard Steele, was with his parents when the attack occurred, Judy Steele, told the Morning Star. He was also stung but was able to drive several miles to the nearest phone to call emergency services, she said. There is no cell phone service in the remote area, she said.

Jim Hogg County sheriff's deputies responded and told the paper they were able to get Myrtle Steele out of the house.

“We were getting stung in the process, but we were able to place a blanket over her and take her to an awaiting ambulance – we did what we could,” the paper quoted Deputy Reyes Espinoza as saying. William Steele died inside, Espinoza said.

Judy Steele said her mother-in-law was stung more than 300 times.

Espinoza told the paper the species of bees involved in the attack had not been identified and the hive had yet to be removed from the house.

source: www.cnn.com

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

One of the things people think about the coldest part of winter is, "at least it will kill the bugs." However, that is not true for all species.

Each species has its own life cycle characteristics, so the stage an insect overwinters in and how tolerant it is to temperature tells the true story.

Below are some examples of the area's more common insects and how they overwinter in Fairfield County.

Let's begin with the honey bee. The queen and sterile female workers overwinter in the hive. In spring, the eggs are laid, and the workers will feed the larvae and tend to the pupa. In late spring or summer, the fertile males and females appear, and the queen will leave the hive with a swarm of workers to start a new colony.

Bumblebees have hibernating queens that arrive in spring to establish underground colonies. Again, the workers -- all sterile females -- forage and tend to the larvae and pupae. Late in the season, males and young queens emerge, leave the nest and mate. Males, workers and the old queens die, with new queens overwintering to repeat the cycle.

The common house fly female lays her eggs in clusters on garbage or manure. Eggs hatch within a day, and the larvae mature in five days, pupate and emerge as adults in another five days. House flies produce many generations per year. That is why you will see adult flies in a sunny windowsill on warm winter days.

Fireflies, also known as lightning bugs, lay their eggs on the ground during warmer weather. The larvae become active, preying on snails and other small animals. The larvae then hibernate and enter the pupa stage. Adults will emerge the next summer. Fireflies produce only one generation per year.

An aphid's life cycle is variable. Eggs survive winter and hatch into wingless females that give birth to more wingless females, but no males. They then progress to a winged generation that moves to another host plant where more wingless females migrate back to the initial host plant. Finally, males are produced, mating occurs and eggs are laid.

Lastly is the dreaded mosquito. Their eggs are laid singly or in small clusters on water or damp ground prone to flooding. Wiggly larvae feed on tiny aquatic plants and animals, then molt into active pupae. The adult mosquito emerges at the water's surface from floating pupae. Mosquitoes have one or more generations per year.

This winter, it seems unlikely Fairfield County will experience extreme cold or even the annual spring thaw. Keep an eye on those insects as they emerge.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Swarming Bees Kill Elderly Couple

An elderly Texas couple were killed by bees this week after they apparently tried to remove the insects from a fireplace in a house on a remote ranch, the Valley Morning Star reported Wednesday.

William Steele, 90, died Monday in the house on a ranch outside Hebbronville, Texas, about 100 miles west of Corpus Christi. His wife, Myrtle Steele, 92, died Tuesday after she was flown to a Corpus Christi hospital, the couple's daughter-in-law, Judy Steele, told the newspaper.

Judy Steele told the paper that the bees swarmed when her father-in-law sprayed a hive the insects had built in the small home's fireplace.

Her husband, Richard Steele, was with his parents when the attack occurred, Judy Steele, told the Morning Star. He was also stung but was able to drive several miles to the nearest phone to call emergency services, she said. There is no cell phone service in the remote area, she said.

Jim Hogg County sheriff's deputies responded and told the paper they were able to get Myrtle Steele out of the house.

“We were getting stung in the process, but we were able to place a blanket over her and take her to an awaiting ambulance – we did what we could,” the paper quoted Deputy Reyes Espinoza as saying. William Steele died inside, Espinoza said.

Judy Steele said her mother-in-law was stung more than 300 times.

Espinoza told the paper the species of bee involved in the attack had not been identified and the hive had yet to be removed from the house.

Source = www.cnn.com

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Click on image to enlarge

There are emergency calls and there are EMERGENCY calls of the 911 variety! This one was certainly a doozy! Our client called us to say that their rail cars of freight are stuck in the yard because their trains plus employees are being attacked by a swarm of bees. They connected the rail cars and this jolt ticked off the bees then when an employed whacked the hive with a stick he sent the bees into total attack mode! When this happens they release an aggression pheromone that tells all bees in the hive to attack anything in the area. This is how people are killed from bee stings.

This situation shut down the rail car with an estimated $12 million dollars in freight for ½ a day. The delays affected the company and their clients operations costing probably another several million dollars! The picture was taken from the safety of my truck. Once the hive began to calm down we used a bee keep to safely remove the hive and queen and relocate them. Since the threat to human safety was removed EHS decided to humanely remove the honey bees as they are beneficial insects to our ecosystem.

Frank Diaz
Service Specialist
Environmental Health Services, Inc.

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Aggressive Bee Swarms Torment Neighborhood For Weeks, Kill Family Dog

Aggressive swarms of bees tormenting a Southern California neighborhood have killed a family dog.

Residents in the southwest Riverside County community of Wildomar say the bees can be heard buzzing at certain times of the day. People are now timing their comings and goings to the bees’ schedule.

Kim Bammes’ chocolate Labrador mix, Reggie, died after being stung so many times the veterinarian lost count.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise says Bammes tried but failed to get help from the county or city. County officials say there’s little they can do because the hive is on a neighbor’s private property.

The bees built large nests on Bammes’ home and an exterminator killed some 8,000 bees. But the exterminator warns the bees will return if the main hive with the queen isn’t eliminated.

Source = Washington Post

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

10,000 bees shut down rail cars in Boston freight terminal yard. An estimated $12 million dollars in freight for commerce was grounded as a result until EHS saved the day!

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA