A swarm in May — is worth a load of hay
A swarm in June — is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in July — isn’t worth a fly

The following information has been taken from BBC Berkshire  “Bee Part Of It” campaign see http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8684000/8684538.stm

Swarming Bees
Swarming is the natural means of reproduction of honeybee colonies. A new honeybee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees, a process called swarming. In the prime swarm, about 60 per cent of the worker bees leave the original hive location with the old queen. Secondary afterswarms may happen but are rare. Afterswarms are usually smaller and are accompanied by one or more virgin queens. Sometimes a beehive will swarm in succession until it is almost totally depleted of workers.

An individual bee without a colony cannot survive for long. It also needs a certain colony size to reproduce. In the process of swarming the original single colony reproduces to two and sometimes more colonies.
Swarming is mainly a spring phenomenon, usually within a two or three-week period depending on the locale. But occasional swarms can happen throughout the producing season.

A swarm of bees sometimes frightens people, though the bees are usually not aggressive at this stage of their life cycle.

This is principally due to the swarming bees’ lack of a hive to defend and their interest in finding a new nesting location for their queen.

This does not mean that bees from a swarm will not attack if they perceive a threat; however, most bees only attack in response to intrusions against their hive.

Swarm clusters, hanging off of a tree branch, will move on and find a suitable nesting location in a day or two.

UK – National Swarm Coordinators

For more information see the British Beekeepers web site at http://www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php before contacting their nearest honeybee swarm coordinator via the following link on British Beekeepers’ Association website at http://www.bbka.org.uk/help/find_a_swarm_coordinator.php

You will be asked to supply the exact location of the swarm. Most beekeepers would make a charge for removal of a swarm from your garden depending on travelling distances to cover costs of petrol etc.

The cockchafer beetle is often misidentified as a cockroach but they are very different.

The cockchafer is also known as the may bug as May is the time of year it makes it an appearance. Cockchafers are not a public health pest and are harmless and do not require a treatment. Cockchafers can fly and will often fly into a property at night being attracted by a light, best advice is to collect it up and pop it back outside.

The cockchafer larvae (grubs) are not popular with gardeners or farmers as they can be destructive.

Please see images below for identification purposes:-

Queen Wasps

Now at last the weather has started to warm up we have begun to receive enquiries from customers saying “they have a wasp nest”.  We can assure you that wasps will not have begun to make their nests in April.  This time of year queen wasps (which are larger than the worker wasps which we see during the summer months) are emerging from hibernation.   The queen wasps are transient individuals during the Spring so we are unable to control them.   As a general rule we do not start treating wasp nests until mid June.  During the spring and early summer wasps can be regarded as beneficial insects as they kill an enormous number of flies, caterpillars and other insects to feed to their young.  However, as their numbers increase in the summer they can become a nuisance and that is when we can help by treating wasp nests.

Don’t Panic! It’s only a Bee

It is so lovely to see bumble bees buzzing busily around the garden searching for pollen and nectar to turn into honey and food for their newly hatching brood.   Where would we be without our bees? They are a very important part of our food chain, one third of the food we eat would not be available but for bees.

Mason and Mining Solitary Bees

Did you know that there are approximately 270 different types of solitary bee in this country?  Solitary bees are excellent pollinators often attracted to one type of flower so when that flower’s season ends so does the bees activity.

The fertile female bees live alone in a hole or burrow for about 6-8 weeks of the year while they lay eggs.  The burrow may be in well drained dry soil (mining bee) or in soft brick mortar (mason bee).   Sometimes as these bees can congregate together their numbers can be quite alarming but please do not let them frighten you.  They are very interesting to watch as they go backwards and forwards with mud to block up the entrance to their burrow.  You can even purchase nesting boxes for them from wildlife shops/garden centres or see http://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/acatalog/Bird_Food_Bees_42.html#aFGSB_2d00 (or make your own, as we have done by cutting down a piece of guttering and put short lengths of garden cane inside see photo below). Put the bee house up on a sunny side of your house.

Solitary bees have a short lifespan, living as adults for only about 6 to 8 weeks. So activity can cease as quickly as it is started.  Most solitary bees have no sting. For more information see http://www.insectpix.net/solitary_bees_gallery.htm

Honey bees

The poor honey bee is having a tough time of it.  Not only struggling with the varroa mite but now the Asian Hornet is threatening the British honey bee see link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/beekeeping/7585774/Asian-hornet-threatens-British-bees.html

Harlequin ladybirds are becoming more a problem to householders during the Autumn/Winter months.  Like cluster flies they come inside gathering around window frames to hibernate over winter. As a servicing pest control company we have seen an increase in Harlequin Ladybird enquiries, during the Autumn months, over the last 3 years.

Harlequin ladybirds

The Harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) is not a native species of the UK and is a relatively new visitor. Originally from Asia the Harlequin Ladybird is now being found in North America and Europe.   In North America it is also known as Halloween Ladybird as it becomes more a problem inside properties at the end of October.

How to Identify the Harlequin Ladybird?  I can do no better but to direct you to the The Harlequin Ladybird Survey website which is very informative http://www.harlequin-survey.org/recognition_and_distinction.htm

We can help by carrying out an insecticidal treatment to internal parts of window frames, this will control Harlequin Ladybirds once inside but please note that we cannot stop them from coming in.  If you would like to arrange a treatment please let us know how many windows are affected (usually the sunniest side of the house south/south west).

We have recently joined Wasp Control UK see link to their website Wasp Control UK. Wasp nest control services throughout the UK

We are now well into the wasp nest season and are having a busy summer. Our wasp (or hornet) nest treatment charge is from £45 plus VAT.

This year wasps seem to be doing particularly well and we are finding that most of our customers have more than one nest. So before you phone us to book an appointment have a look good round your property to see if you can find anymore, as it is cheaper to have the nests treated together rather than on separate occasions.

When you phone please let us know where the nest is (i.e. eaves, shed etc.) and we will then make an appointment for one of our professional technicians (Andrew, Roy or Wez) to come out to you.

So don’t get stung this summer give us a buzz on 0118 972 4895 or 0800 781 4059

We have a wasp nest in our shed!  At the moment (16 May 2010) the queen wasp is a very hard working single mum; she has to build the nest and look after her young.  As you will see from the photograph the nest is quite small about the size of a golf ball.  The queen is constructing her nest from chewed up wood mixed with salvia which she makes into a paste (a bit like paper mache) she then builds her nest layer by layer.  When her young hatch they will take over the building of the nest and foraging of food for the wasp grubs. The nest (if left untreated) will grow rapidly throughout the summer months.

Queen wasp building her wasp nest

At the moment, unless you can actually see the wasp nest, you will probably not know it is there.  During the summer months when activity increases you may spot a steady stream of wasps coming and going from one area.  It is best to leave treatment of wasp nests to the experts as wasps will know when their nest is under attack and defend it. So don’t get stung this summer give us a buzz on 0800 781 4059.  We charge £45 plus VAT to treat a wasp nest.

We treat a number of different species of ants but the most common is the black garden ant (Lasius niger). These ants tend to nest in gardens, around footings of houses and under paving slabs favouring sandy dry soil in sunny sites. Small piles of fine earth brought up to the surface by the ants can easily distinguish nest openings. Sometimes nests are well inside buildings with the ants exploiting proofing defects such as cracks in the building fabric. Garden ants are not regarded as a significant risk to public health; they are more of a nuisance when they find their way inside properties.

Ants, wasps and bees belong to one of the largest orders of insects the Hymenoptera order. Ants have complex social structures with one queen per nest, males and a large number of workers (infertile females) tending to various functions. The queen may live for up to 15 years. Ants collect food for their colony from nectar, organic material and high protein foodstuffs.

It is the workers we usually see foraging for food. Foraging workers can be a nuisance when they find their way inside houses, office kitchens, bars in search of sugary substances.

Ant nests may survive for many years but young queens together with reproductive males will leave the nest as ‘flying ants’ in July and August usually triggered by weather conditions, this used to be known as “the ants’ wedding day”. This is a common sight on a hot sunny afternoon and will only last a few hours. The winged ants fly away mating in the air. The males die off leaving some of the mated females (who shed their wings and return to the ground) to attempt to start a new ant colony.

Before you call us, it is worthwhile carrying out simple cleaning measures to try and persuade ants to forage elsewhere i.e. clearing up food and drink spillages, putting away sugary food/fruit etc.

Vermatech can carry out one off treatments to control garden ants that are finding their way inside your home or work place and causing a nuisance. We will treat internal areas and if applicable the external perimeter of the property. For commercial premises we would recommend the use of ant bait to avoid out of hours treatments, however patience is required to allow this method of control to work. We will only use insecticides that are appropriate for the situation.

Please note we will not treat ants in gardens or on lawns, after all, that is where they live and can actually be a beneficial insect and of course ants are food for birds (such as woodpeckers).

Queen Wasps

Now at last the weather has started to warm up we have begun to receive enquiries from customers saying “they have a wasp nest”.  We can assure you that wasps will not have begun to make their nests in April.  This time of year queen wasps (which are larger than the worker wasps which we see during the summer months) are emerging from hibernation.   The queen wasps are transient individuals during the Spring so we are unable to control them.   As a general rule we do not start treating wasp nests until mid June.  During the spring and early summer wasps can be regarded as beneficial insects as they kill an enormous number of flies, caterpillars and other insects to feed to their young.  However, as their numbers increase in the summer they can become a nuisance and that is when we can help by treating wasp nests.

Don’t Panic! It’s only a Bee

It is so lovely to see bumble bees buzzing busily around the garden searching for pollen and nectar to turn into honey and food for their newly hatching brood.   Where would we be without our bees? They are a very important part of our food chain, one third of the food we eat would not be available but for bees.

Mason and Mining Solitary Bees

Did you know that there are approximately 270 different types of solitary bee in this country?  Solitary bees are excellent pollinators often attracted to one type of flower so when that flower’s season ends so does the bees activity.

The fertile female bees live alone in a hole or burrow for about 6-8 weeks of the year while they lay eggs.  The burrow may be in well drained dry soil (mining bee) or in soft brick mortar (mason bee).   Sometimes as these bees can congregate together their numbers can be quite alarming but please do not let them frighten you.  They are very interesting to watch as they go backwards and forwards with mud to block up the entrance to their burrow.  You can even purchase nesting boxes for them from wildlife shops/garden centres or see http://www.arkwildlife.co.uk/acatalog/Bird_Food_Bees_42.html#aFGSB_2d00 (or make your own, as we have done by cutting down a piece of guttering and put short lengths of garden cane inside see photo below). Put the bee house up on a sunny side of your house.

Our Mason Bee House

Solitary bees have a short lifespan, living as adults for only about 6 to 8 weeks. So activity can cease as quickly as it is started.  Most solitary bees have no sting. For more information see http://www.insectpix.net/solitary_bees_gallery.htm

Honey bees

The poor honey bee is having a tough time of it.  Not only struggling with the varroa mite but now the Asian Hornet is threatening the British honey bee see link http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/beekeeping/7585774/Asian-hornet-threatens-British-bees.html