May 23, 2023 | Pest Control
Do you know what it takes to become a qualified beekeeper? In the state of Georgia, there are many different levels of skill and knowledge needed when it comes to beekeeping. The minimum requirements include at least one year of beekeeping experience, a written and practical test, and participating in lectures, and that’s just for the bottom tier certification. It’s a process to become someone wholly trusted to care for the honeybee population. It requires the utmost attention and care to continue their important job. Luckily, Northwest has teammates that continue to prove how important their career in pest control is to them.
Let’s meet Northwest’s Honeybee Experts:
Curt Lockhart
Curt has been with Northwest since 2010, with his last 3 years working as the Quality Assurance Trainer and Inspector with our Learning and Technical Services team. Curt currently keeps his own honeybees, so he has extensive knowledge in making sure they are properly cared for. More recently, Curt is a Certified Beekeeper and has also received a newly required license for the State of Georgia that allows him to safely remove honeybee colonies that are in any structure or home.
Curt believes that it’s important to ensure the success of honeybees while also educating our customers and teammates on the importance of these pollinators. He continues to strive for Northwest to be the go-to for honeybee relocation services in the state of Georgia.
Rob Bounds
Rob is currently our Wildlife North Branch Manager and is also a certified Beekeeper. He is a big advocate of the newly required Georgia license that ensures a safe removal process for honeybees and has also received that in the past year. The removal process can sometimes be stressful for the colony, so having the proper qualifications and resources to ensure their safety is key.
A fun fact about Rob is that he has his own honeybee farm and utilizes the honey that he receives from his bees. Rob began his farm as a place to take any removals performed on the job and ensure they were properly cared for after being safely relocated. He likes to think of the care for honeybees as an ever-evolving science project. The idea that you can safely and correctly remove them from their colony and into a new location and still thrive fascinated him.
Rob is proud of Northwest for making sure its teammates have access to the proper equipment and training needed to safely care for honeybees. He can’t wait to see how big of an impact we can truly make!
At Northwest, we take pride in knowing that we can bring awareness to an important topic that is near and dear to our hearts. We’re grateful for teammates like Rob and Curt who take the time to learn more about a service and how it can positively impact our local communities. If you believe you have a bee colony on your property that needs to be safely relocated, give your licensed honeybee removal company a call!
Mar 31, 2023 | Pest Control
Honeybees play a vital role in our ecosystem, as they are responsible for pollinating various crops we eat daily, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts! Unfortunately, sometimes these insects will build their colonies in inconvenient places, such as inside our walls, eaves, and roofs. Luckily, there is a safe and sustainable solution when these situations happen for both our home and the bees with Honeybee Relocation Services. Learn more about honeybee relocation services and how they can support your home!
What is Honeybee Relocation Services?
Relocation services involve carefully removing honeybees and their colonies from unwanted locations and relocating them to more suitable environments for them to produce their honey and live. This service must be performed by a certified beekeeper who has the knowledge, skills, and equipment required to handle these insects safely and effectively.
What are the Benefits of Honeybee Relocation Services?
Relocation services help the preservation of honeybees. These insects are essential to our food system, making it important to continue efforts to maintain a healthy bee population! Instead of eliminating these insects, their preservation will help continue their pollination of our crops and sustain our environment.
How Does Honeybee Relocation Services Work?
A certified beekeeper will arrive at your home to inspect and locate the honeybees and other factors before removing the colony. On the day of the relocation, your beekeeper will begin accessing the colony if it’s found in walls or attics. Once the beekeeper has access, they will carefully remove the honeybees from their current location, which may involve physically removing the bees from their colony or using special tools to place them into the bee box. Once they have been safely removed, the beekeeper will transport them to a new location where a hive will be set up to provide a suitable environment for the bees to thrive!
Honeybee relocation services aim to safely remove and relocate these insects without harming them or damaging your home. If you’re interested or would like more information on Honeybee Relocation Services, reach out to your local pest control company.
Mar 3, 2023 | Pest Control
It’s a little-known fact that every good garden needs a pollinator and bee. Without the help of these friendly pollinators, there would be fewer flowers and vegetables. If you want more visits from honeybees, follow these simple tips.
Bees are interested in two things when visiting your garden:
- Nectar: loaded with sugars and a bee’s main source of energy
- Pollen: provides a balanced diet of protein and fats
An effective way to attract bees into your garden is to plant flowers that offer these two main food sources. Try to plant non-hybridized flowers in your garden, as they typically do not produce enough pollen or nectar for our helpful pollinators.
Here are some other helpful tips to keep the bees around:
- Don’t use pesticides
- Use local, native plants
- Choose a variety of colors to plant
- Have a diversity of plants flowering all season
- Plant where it’s safe for bees to visit
We hope these tips help bring the honeybees back to your garden, so they can do what they do best: pollinate! If you discover an active colony near or around your garden, then reach out to your local certified honeybee removal company to safely remove these colonies and relocate them to a safer location.
Feb 23, 2023 | Pest Control
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon that occurs when the majority of working bees in a colony disappear and leave behind the queen, and the rest of the colony. Hives cannot sustain without worker bees and the colony would eventually die. Fortunately, what was once thought to be a major long-term threat to bees, CCD has been reported to have dropped over the last few years.
Some of the best tell-tale signs of CCD are discovering a few dead bees around and near the colony and a lower population of a colony. Another is discovering the queen and young bees remaining with an abundance of honey and pollen reserves. Colony Collapse Disorder isn’t the only reason for a declining colony; here are some other reasons as to why a hive has died:
- Certain pesticides are harmful to bees. Most pesticides have labels that indicate if they are harmful to pollinators. You must always read instructions of a pesticide before usage.
- The bees starved to death. A true indication of this happening is if you discover bees inside their cells with their butt pointing out. This occurs mostly in the winter and a big reason is due to the weather being too cold or a beekeeper harvesting too much honey, which is why honey should be harvested in the springtime.
- The hive was impacted by a disease. Varroa mites can infiltrate a hive and spread many diseases that impact the health of the bees. Over time, if left untreated, the bees will begin to die. A telltale sign of a mite infestation is discovering a dead colony inside of a hive that’s full of honey.
The honeybee community understands how detrimental it is to discover a colony collapse no matter what the reasoning is. As a homeowner, there are some ways for you to get involved with helping the bees:
- Plant a bee garden that encourages pollination. They typically include bee-friendly plants like lavender, cosmos, bee balm, butterfly bushes, geraniums, marigolds, and so many other options.
- Support local beekeepers and organizations by purchasing honey, beeswax products like soap, lotions, and candles, and you could also donate your time to volunteering for local beekeeping societies.
- Creating a bee bath is a simple way to give back. Use a bird bath and place pebbles or rocks in shallow water to allow bees to take breaks and drink water.
If you discover a beehive on or around your property, be sure to reach out to your local certified honeybee removal company to ensure the safety of the hive and colony.
Feb 14, 2023 | Pest Control
Honeybees have a significant role within our environment, the food we eat, the flowers we plant, and so much more. They are extremely hardworking and support so much of the sustenance of life. There are many reasons why honeybees and their honey are so important to humans; find out why below!
They Pollinate Our Food
To look for pollen, honeybees will travel long distances. Through these trips, fertilization takes place between food crops. They do this by using the hairs on their bodies to carry large grains of pollen between plants, helping crops produce better. In the US alone, honeybees are known to pollinate more than 100 crops! Because of their pollination, we can enjoy foods like cucumbers, cherries, apples, limes, and lemons. These insects also pollinate our wild plants, helping provide food to a wide variety of insects, birds, and animals, and overall, playing a major component in our biodiversity.
The Importance of Their Honey
Honeybees carry nectar extracted from plants and taken back to their hive. They create honey by mixing this nectar with their saliva in a cell within their hive. Honey is known to provide immense benefits to humans and our health. It’s been found that honey can prevent cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, heal wounds, and fight bacteria! There are also several products made from honey that can support us overall. The most common products we often see come from honey, including bee pollen for health benefits and bee wax for skin care products, candles, and even furniture polish!
Caring for Honeybees
The importance of honeybees is significant to our environment and overall well-being. At Northwest, we are proud to offer our honeybee relocation and protection services to continue keeping honeybees active and alive! Our Certified Honeybee Keepers are trained to safely remove, relocate, and care for the honeybees that have found their home in yours! If you’re interested in Northwest’s Honeybee Relocation & Protection Service, call our team today for a free inspection!
