Interesting Facts About the Beloved Honey Bee
Honey Bee & Colony Facts you Probably Didn’t Know
The honey bee is one of the most interesting insects on planet Earth. Not only are they the only insect to produce food eaten by humans, but they are vital to our very existence! Richmond Pest Control highlights some of the most fascinating facts, information and quick snippets about Apis mellifera, more commonly known as the honey bee.
10 Fascinating Honey Bee Facts
Help Plants Grow: Roughly 80% of the fruits, vegetables and seeds grown in the United States were pollinated by honey bees!
Colonies are Divided into 3 Groups: Every member of the hive is divided into either the Queen, worker bees or drones.
- Queen: There is only ever 1 queen who runs the entire hive and colony. Her sole job is to lay eggs for the next generation of bees.
- Workers: Only females can be a worker bee. They generally stay close to the hive in order to fulfill their job of foraging for pollen and nectar, building & protecting the hive and clean & circulate air.
- Drones: The drone bees are only males and their role in the colony is to mate with the queen bee. While they are allowed inside the hive in the spring and summer, they are kicked out once the cold season starts!
Fly around 15MPH: Their small but mighty wings can reach speeds up to 15 MPH and beat around 200 times per second!
Great Sense of Smell: They need a great sense of smell in order to communicate with their fellow hive members and recognize different types of flowers.
Queen Bees Lay up to 2,500 Eggs per Day: She is especially busy during the summertime!
Only Female Honey bees Sting: Drones do not have the ability to sting, only female honey bees have stingers. However, if you are stung it is probably by a worker bee.
Male Honey bees (drones) Die After Mating with the Queen.
Foraging Honey bees Have to Visit 2 million flowers to produce 1 pound of honey.
A Colony has about 50,000 Workers.
Honey bees Can’t See Red: Many species of bees are incapable of seeing the color red. But the honey bee can still visit red flowers, because they can see the U.V. patterns.
As a pest control and extermination company, Richmond Pest Control understands the importance of preserving and saving these insects. If you have a large honey bee hive on your property, call a professional pest control company for a safe and humane relocation. Do not attempt to remove the hive and under no circumstance should you try to destroy it. Honey bees are an important insect that must be protected. Learn about other beneficial insects that should not be harmed or killed!
Cockroach Facts Every Homeowner Should Know
Cockroach Facts Homeowners Should be Aware Of
There are several misconceptions about cockroaches that many people believe, but simply are not true. The biggest universally accepted myth is that cockroaches are the only living thing that can survive a nuclear explosion. While that sounds great for the plot of a creepy sci-fi movie, is just simply not reality. Richmond Pest Control wants to shed light on 10 important cockroach facts that every homeowner should know. Being aware of these strange and bizarre cockroach facts may help to prevent an infestation in your home.
10 Fascinating Cockroach Facts
The American cockroach is attracted to beer. A favorite among a lot of pest species, such as flies and ants, the hops and sugar present in this beverage also attract cockroaches. To avoid an infestation be sure to dump empty beer and liquor bottles down the train and bring to your recycling bin, which should be kept at a distance from your home.
Cockroaches can live for 30 days without food. But, they can only survive one week without water. That’s why they’re commonly found in places with high humidity such as bathroom or basement.
There are 4,000+ species worldwide. The most common is America is the brown-banded cockroach, American cockroach and oriental cockroach.
A cockroach can live 1 week WITHOUT A HEAD! Probably the creepiest fact on this list. They’ll use other parts of the body to breathe since they’re not dependent on their mouth or head.
Capable of running up to 3 miles per hour. This impressive speed gives them the ability to spread germs and bacteria throughout your home very quickly.
Newborn cockroaches can run just as fast as their parents. Baby cockroaches are the size of a speck of dust. These practically invisible pests are spreading bacteria through your home at a rapid rate.
Cockroaches are dirty & dangerous. A well-known cockroach fact, these dirty pests are known to carry viruses, bacteria and diseases. They carry filth with them from dumpsters and sewers and are known to carry the eggs of parasitic worms.
Can survive submerged under water for 30+ minutes. Flushing cockroaches down the toilet is a completely useless means of getting rid of these nasty pests.
Newborns become adults in ~36 days. After birth, they grow, feed and begin reproducing very quickly.
DIY methods do not work. If you discover a few cockroaches in your home, you can rest assure there are dozens more hiding in cracks and crevices you cannot see. Cleaning, laying traps and bombing prove ineffective, because cockroaches reproduce faster than these methods can kill them. The best way to rid your home of a cockroach infestation is to call a professional pest control company.
Effective Cockroach Extermination in Staten Island, NY
You can safeguard your home against cockroaches by minimizing clutter, regular & thorough cleanings and making sure your garbage and recycling bins are kept away from your home. But once an infestation has been established it is nearly impossible to stop it on your own. If you need pest control solutions from cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, fleas or any other invasive insects, call the professionals at Richmond Pest Control. We offer highly effective, safe & all natural pest control and extermination services in Staten Island, NY and the surrounding boroughs. We also partner with a NJ-based company for pest control in Atlantic City, NJ. For more fascinating information on insects, check out 10 Fascinating Bee Facts.
Beneficial Insects you Should Not Kill
Environmentally Beneficial Insects You Shouldn’t Kill
While some may find insects to be pesky, annoying and even disgusting, many of the bugs we come across should not be disturbed or killed because of their beneficial contributions to the 
environment. As a professional pest control company, we’ve encountered millions of various bug species throughout our years in business. Our trained pest control technicians know which insects should be extracted and which should be exterminated. We’d like to enlighten our clients about several beneficial insects you should never kill, no matter how annoying or gross they may seem. If any of the bugs we’ve outlined below are invading your home or business, don’t kill them call Richmond Pest Control today for professional pest control services in Staten Island, NY.
6 Beneficial Insects you Should Not Kill
Honey Bees
Why: Honey bees are one of the most valuable bugs in our ecosystem. In order to survive they must collect nectar and pollen, as they do this they pollinate flowers and crop. A single honey bee can pollinate 50-100 flowers in a single day. They’re also the only insect to create a food consumed by humans. If you have a honeybee problem near your home or business, Richmond Pest Control works with local beekeepers to adopt and protect your unwanted bees.
Lady Bugs
Why: These harmless insects will do wonders to protect your garden from mites, fruit flies and many other damaging insects.
Praying Mantises
Why: Another helpful bug for avid gardeners, a single praying mantis can help control the insect population of a medium-size garden.
Butterflies
Why: Not only are butterflies beautiful to admire on a gorgeous spring day, they also help to pollinate the plants and flowers in your yard.
Dragonflies
Why: Dragonflies have a large appetite and vast taste for other insects. Most importantly, they devour all of these pesky mosquitoes ruining your outdoor living space.
Household Spiders
Why: While some spiders, mainly the brown recluse and black widows, are harmful to humans the vast majority of spiders pose no threat. Common household spiders actually feed on other insects and control the pest population in the darkest corners of your home. However, if you find an overwhelming amount of spiders in your home, call for our pest control services to have them safely extracted.
Safe Pest Extraction
If any of the above beneficial insects are invading your home or office building, while harmless it is still a nuisance. Call Richmond Pest Control for safe and effective pest control and preventative measures throughout Staten Island, NY and the surrounding areas. With over 25 years of industry experience, our pest control technicians have the knowledge and equipment to extract and remove harmless pests and insects from your property.