Earlier this week, it was reported that the White House has adopted a beekeeper to tend to the honey the White House will use in its meals.  The idea of bringing in a beekeeper started earlier in the year when White House chiefs were considering the idea of making honey in the White House garden.  They sampled Charlie Brandt’s honey and decided to go with his honey.  Naturally, Brandt brought a beehive into the White House garden and is tending the bees daily.  The bees also help pollinate the other crops in the garden.  The first lady take pride in the garden and put on many displays,now including the delicious home made honey.  Not all bees are friendly, and some can cause destruction to peoples homes and decks.    JP McHale is a Westchester pest control company that can conduct an inspection for your home or building to check for bees. Simply contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, or twitter.

Yesterday, the NY Times published an article about how some Germany airports test their air quality by using bees.  The airports will close down the terminals and release up to 200,000 honeybees to fly around.  Once the bees go back to the nest and produce honey, scientists will take the honey and test it to see how the air quality is.  This method has been proven to be very effective. Scientists started this back in 2006 and the process has become a year routine.  The first bees were tested this year was in early June.  The results were pleasing.  the number of toxins in the air were significantly lower than in 2006, and some people say even the honey is good!

JP McHale is a Westchester pest control company that can conduct an inspection for your home or building to check for pests.  We also service companies in need of pest control. Simply contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, facebook, or twitter.

Top 5 Summer Pests to look out for:

Ticks: Deer Ticks are coming out! Westchester County, New York, New Jersey, and all states are affected with ticks.  They are very hard to feel when they bite and can be on your skin for days.  The problem with ticks is that they can transmit diseases such as Lyme’s Disease to humans.

Mosquitoes:  Everyone slaps their skin once in a while to get rid of mosquitoes, but they keep coming back.  Mosquitoes can also transmit diseases like the West Nile Virus.  When you go to bed at night, try sleeping with a fan, mosquitoes will go with the stream and away from you. Mosquitoes like to lay eggs in stagnant water, so make sure there is none laying around.

Consumer Reports rated Top insect repellents against ticks and mosquitoes.  Most of the products contained 30% DEET.  Here are some other ways to keep off ticks and mosquitoes: Ware long sleeved clothing when outside, ware light colored clothes, use yellow lights instead of white, use candles outside but position them in the corners and on the floor of the space, cut your lawn often, and tuck your pants into your socks.  If you get bit by a tick, freeze the tick once you remove it so you can bring it to your doctor if you feel sick within the next few days.

Termites: Termites are very destructive pests that come out in the spring and summer.  Colonies can form with thousands of workers.   Read more about termites.

Carpenter Ants:  Carpenter ants and termites can get confused with one another.  The difference is that termites eat wood were the ants only hollow it out.  Read more about carpenter ants.

Carpenter Bees:  Carpenter bees are not only destructive to homes, but they are a nuisance to humans.  Carpenter bees like to hollow out the wood so they can nest in it.  Read more about carpenter bees.

To prevent all of these pests, make sure you have screen in your windows and doors.  Seal all of the rips and holes. All of these pests we can treat here at JP McHale.  If you’re looking for a termite exterminator, ant exterminator, bee exterminator, or a solution to your tick and mosquito problem you have come to the right place.

JP McHale is a Westchester Pest Control company.  We would love to help you with your pest problem! Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

Yesterday, WINK News published an article about flying ants and termites and how they are starting to emerge.  When the rainy season comes around and colonies are getting big, male ants and termites will develop wings and fly away to find a mate and a new colony.  Since the pests are nocturnal, you will see smarms of them in the night time. A tip for home owners is to keep all lights off at night time so the ants and termites are not attracted to your home.  Once the males find their mate, they will shed their wings and start a new colony.  Both carpenter ants and termites can do a sufficient amount of damage to your home, so feel free to call JP McHale for an estimate. JP McHale is a pest management company in Westchester, New York.  We would love to help you with your pest problem! Contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

Came across a great short video talking about carpenter bees:

To learn more about carpenter bees, see our other articles. If you have a carpenter bee problem, feel free to contact us.  JP McHale is a pest management company in Westchester, New York.  We would love to help you with your pest problem!

Here is a great article by Veronica Davis about the differences between Flying Ants and Termites.

Veronica Davis is a freelance copywriter for businesses online. She works extensively with a host of real estate related entities and Realtors, helping them with their website content, blogs, social media and marketing. She currently writes for a Long Beach pest control company and contributes to several sites. She has worked with a large range of clients over the years, from helping small site owners establish a profitable presence online to blogging for Planet Green.

Is it Flying Ants or Termites?

Getting rid of pests in and around your home can sometimes be quite the headache. Flying ants and termites can be difficult to differentiate. If you think you have termites or flying ants, here are some ways that you can make sure you know which of the two are actually invading your property.

Body Shape

If it’s termites that are giving you problems, they will have a body that seems to be one piece or segment. You won’t really be able to tell any hourglass shape or “waist” on a termite. Flying ants on the other hand, will have different segments that make up their body. You can clearly see where the shape curves in, forming a “waist”.

Wings

Both termites and flying ants have two sets of wings. If you look closer though, you will see that either all the wings are the same size or that one pair is larger than the other. Flying ants will have one pair of wings that is larger than the other and their wings are pretty much clear. The two sets of wings in termites are both the same size and they’re larger to closer match their body size. Their wings have more of a milky appearance and you will probably notice a lot of veins.

Antennae Differences

You can also tell if it’s flying ants or termites by looking at their antennas. Flying ants will have antennas that are bent in kind of an “L” shape. A termite’s antennae will poke straight out, with no curves or bends.

These are some of the differences that will help you determine just what kind of pest you’re dealing with. But these are pretty small details. So a magnifying glass will definitely come in handy. If not possible, then you can also take a photo and enlarge it. The last thing you can do is if you think you have termites, look for their pathway tubes. Look in your basement or down in any crawl space to look for brown/tab mud tubes. These are created by the termites for easy access to food from their nesting areas.

Here is a YouTube video on insects whose sting hurts the most.  This is one mans opinion, but it is pretty accurate.

The buzzing sound you hear emanating from your TV while watching the World Cup soccer is not a swarm of bees but the sound of vuvuzelas.  Spectators in the stands love to blow these horns with the hope of rallying the players.  The buzzing sound can be quite annoying to the listeners at home and there has been some discussion of trying the ban people from bringing them into the World Cup soccer games.  In fact, someone snuck one into Yankee stadium last night.  When security tired to confiscate the horn, the owner of the vuvuzela decided to leave the game early, taking the horn with him.

Moving rapidly, bees generate a similar sound.  While the horn is harmless, a swarm of bees can pose a threat depending on the type of bee.  This morning it was reported that a man was killed by a swarm of bees after accidently hitting the hive.  If you see a bee hive, contact a pest control company as soon as you can.  JP McHale offers services that treats and eliminates bee problems.  Contact us for more information or to get an estimate by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

The best thing to do if you come across a bee swarm is to get low to the ground. DO NOT SWAT THEM.  Irritating the bees will cause them to sting.

JPMcHale is one of the leading pest control companies in Westchester, New York, we would love to help you with your pest problems!

Today, Fox.com posted an article about a 55-year-old California man who was pronounced dead after suffering from over 500 bee stings.  His nephew, who was with him, says his uncle was driving his tractor and accidentally ran into a hive of bees. The bees swarmed at the man right when it was struck.  The man started to run but he could not get away from the large swarm of bees.   He eventually isolated himself in a shed but it was too late.  He was allergic to the bee stings and suffered over 500 of them.  Officials are not quite sure what kind of bees stung him, but their best guess is a type of Africanized honeybee, which are very aggressive.  If you see a hive near your house, do not try and get rid of it by yourself.  Contact a pest management company immediately so the hive will not get bigger and no one will be harmed.  At JP McHale we offer programs that cover bee problems, to learn more or ask for an estimate contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.  JPMcHale is one of the leading pest control companies in Westchester, New York.

Picture Source

On Monday afternoon, pedestrians were surprised to find a swarm of bees bother them as they came across the Lake Street Bridge in White Plains.  The swarm was stationed on the bridge for about an hour, and it is unclear if any pedestrians were stung.  A local beekeeper says that it is common for bees to swarm in the early summer months.  Bees will swarm either from an over population of a hive or to find a new area to nest by finding their queen bee.  If you encounter a swarm the best thing to do is not to swat them.  Swatting will only make the bees angry.  Simply walk away from the area.  Usually bees in a swarm are honeybees.  If you have any bee problem feel free to contact us by phone 800-479-2284, email, live chat, twitter, or facebook.

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