Steve Downs

How to Get Rid of a Wasp Without Getting Stung

Eliminating angry pests while protecting yourself As scary and intimidating as they may be, wasps aren’t particularly smart and you should be able to get rid of a lone wasp or two without getting stung. However, as tem...

How to

Identify Africanized Honey Bees

Africanized honey bees (AHB) have earned the alternative name of "killer bees" due to their aggressive nature. A hybrid of honey bees that were interbred by a biologist in Brazil in the late 1950s, Africanized honey bees...

How to

Get a Bee out of the House

A bee in the house can be a source of worry, especially for children and for those with allergies. Some might be inclined to spray copious amounts of toxic insect repellent at it or swat it dead on sight. However, ther...

How to

Kill a Bee

It's important to learn to identify the different types of flying pests before you start swatting away. Honeybees shouldn't be killed, but wasps can be painful and dangerous. Whatever pest has invaded your space, however...

How to Spot a Queen Bee in a Hive

Learn to tell a queen bee vs a worker beeA queen bee is the leader of a bee colony and the mother of most -- if not all -- of its worker and drone bees. A healthy queen is necessary to the health of the hive; when she ge...

How to

Get Rid of Bees

Dealing with a single bee is a rather easy task, but removing a whole colony can be a very complicated and potentially dangerous process. For this reason, you should arrange for a professional to deal with the problem. B...

How to

Make a Bee Trap

Stop pesky bees from bothering you with a homemade bee trapBees and wasps are an important part of nature, but when these little critters are attracted to the sweet and savory foods in your home they can be a pest. If a ...

How to Locate a Yellow Jacket Nest

Track yellow jackets and get rid of their nest to prevent stings Yellow jackets are aggressive wasps that will swarm you and sting if you accidentally disturb one of their nests. If you’ve seen yellow jackets around yo...

How to Keep Bees Away from Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders are great at attracting hummingbirds, but they also attract insects like bees. While bees are great pollinators to have in your yard, they aren’t great feeding companions, as they often fight hummin...

How to

Get Rid of Bumble Bees

Bumble bees are top pollinators and they're pretty cute, but if you or a loved one has an allergy, bumble bees can be problematic. Instead of exterminating the bees with harsh insecticides, try natural solutions using th...

How to

Attract Honey Bees

Honey bees help your garden to become more fruitful and beautiful then ever before. Having bees buzzing around to act as pollinators brings life to the yard and makes flowers and other plants lush and abundant. You can a...

How to

Feed Bees Sugar Water

Feeding a bee sugar water off a spoon makes for a cute image, but bee experts generally advise against feeding sugar water to a bee you stumble across. However, some trained beekeepers ''do'' feed bees sugar water in par...

How to

Remove Bees from a Chimney

Safe and effective ways to clear away and prevent bees in your chimney There’s nothing better than sitting by the fireplace on a cool night with a warm beverage. Unfortunately, the chimney is a perfect oasis for bees, ...

How to

Get Rid of Bumble Bee Nests in the Ground

If you see round, hairy bees with black and yellow stripes flying around your yard, then you probably have a bumble bee nest somewhere nearby. Unlike other bees, bumble bees actually make their nests in the ground, which...

How to

Get Rid of Ground Bees with Gas

If you've recently discovered that bees have set up shop in your soil, you're probably eager to get rid of these unwanted guests. You may have heard about people using gasoline to get rid of ground bees, but is that real...

How to

Keep Bees Away from Your House

Bees are important to the surrounding wildlife, but you don’t want them buzzing around your house constantly. Since it’s important not to kill these valuable insects, try warding them off in a humane way. Take a clos...

How to

Get Rid of Sweat Bees

Sweat bees definitely live up to their name—when the weather gets warm, it seems like these critters are constantly flying around and looking for a sweaty section of your skin to land on. How can you get rid of sweat b...

How to

Follow Bees to Their Hive

Following bees to their hive is an age-old tradition as well as an exciting endeavor. Whether you’re looking to capture bees for your own hive, or simply want to find a wild bee colony, you can do so with a little time...

How to

Identify Wasps

Wasps are one of the most misunderstood insects out there. In fact, most people picture one kind of wasp—the yellowjacket—when they think of a wasp! In reality, they’re one of the diverse groups of insects out ther...

How to

Deter Bees

A guide to deterring bees from different situations While bees are typically not aggressive if their hive is undisturbed, many people prefer to avoid flying insects with venomous stingers. To deter bees from stinging ...