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!

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.