If you have ever heard about a book called “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” Then you have an idea about how easy it is for a mouse or a family of mice to set up home in your house. The story is a children’s book that is meant to entertain but the truth behind it is still there. A mouse will come in to your home for a cookie but even more that that they will be happy with a few crumbs. It doesn’t take leaving an entire snack out to entice them into your home. Mice are very small are willing to eat crumbs and small bits of food that they find under cabinets, in sinks and around the table and kitchen. The thing with mice is that they are east to miss. They are usually pretty small and can stay hidden for some time. They are prone to hiding when they sense even the smallest amount of noise or commotion and will come out when the coast is clear. That means that they may have a well-established nest and food collecting process before you even realize they are there. That is why prevention is the key and the best way to keep your family safe from these nasty little rodents. Mice are known to carry disease and bacteria that can be harmful to people all around. They can be spreading the disease and bacteria just by simply walking around surfaces that you then touch. They can also cause trouble for people that have asthma and allergies with trouble breathing. Bat Bee & Hornet Removal lists ways you can prevent mice from getting into your house below.

Food is what Rodents Want

If you want to stop any kind of pest including mice from getting in your home you want to stop enticing them. You can keep mice from sniffing out food by cleaning up after each meal. Take time to wipe down counters, sweep the floors, and clean off the dishes. Remember that even the smallest bit of food can be a real meal for a small mouse family. Never leave food out and always seal up left overs tight in a closed container of zip seal bag. That will ensure that the mice don’t have food and will in turn send them on their way.

Keep Pet Food Up

Pet food is hard to keep a good eye on but you want to feed your pest just enough that they will finish it and do not leave any food out overnight. Also be sure that you seal the bag of food up or put it in a separate container that has a lid. Extra bits of pet food out will not only cause mice but other pests as well.

Close Off Easy Rodent Access

You can take some time to look around the exterior of your home and find areas that a small mouse could fit and possibly get in. They can usually fit in a space the size of a nickel so you need to look carefully. You can use silicone or caulking in any gaps that might be used as an entrance to your home.

Mouse & Rat Rodent Inspections, Control & More in Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air & Greater Richmond, Virginia

Call Bat Bee & Hornet Removal for all your pest control needs!

Bats can be found in almost every habitat in Virginia. You might be surprised to learn that bats live near humans without us even knowing it. Virginia is home to 17 species of bats, with the big brown bat being the one that is encountered most.

Bats are not Rodents

Bats are flying mammals that do not chew to get into your home, but do have tiny, sharp teeth they use to grab food. Their only food source is insects. Bats are great for the environment as they can eat their body weight in mosquitoes and other flying insects. When a colony is large, consider the huge benefit they are to humans. They can literally eat millions of insects every year! Bats have fur that is dark brown and glossy on the back, with the upper parts slightly paler and grayish underneath. Their wing membranes are dark brown. They measure 3 ½ inches with a 10-inch wingspan, weighing ¼ oz and the females are usually larger than the males.

Bat Behavior

Bats are nocturnal and use echolocation to navigate and gather food. Leaving at dusk to feed and returning to a dark secluded place just before daylight. They will roost in tree cavities and other crevices, like caves. They are most active in the warmer months and hibernate for the winter.

Are Big Brown Bats Dangerous?

When bats are found in homes they can pose a serious health risk. Their droppings contain fungi that can lead to lung disease and histoplasmosis. An accumulation of droppings needs to be taken care of by professionals. Bats can also carry rabies. It can be transmitted when the saliva or body tissue of an infected animal comes in contact with another animal or human. While they can carry rabies, it’s rare to have an encounter with a rabid bat. If you suspect you been in contact with a rabid bat, you will need medical attention immediately.

How Do You Keep Brown Bats Away?

Most states protect bats and it’s illegal to poison or harm them, so it’s vital to secure your home against a bat infestation. Bat colonies can number from 40 to 20,000 bats and damage can be extensive if an infestation gets out of control. When outdoor colonies become over populated, they will move into homes. Exclusion is the only way to keep bats out in the long term. Homeowners should inspect the exterior of their homes at dusk to see where bats are coming and going. Areas that are common for bats to come and go are attic louvers and under fascia boards. Any cracks and crevices need to be sealed with caulk and steel wool because they can get into an opening as small as 3/8 of an inch. Openings to dark, secluded places need to be sealed off as well. Make sure that chimneys and vents are screened, and doors should also have sweeps installed for further prevention.

Bat & Wildlife Inspection, Control & More in Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air & Greater Richmond, Virginia

Any active bat infestation needs to be taken care of by a licensed wildlife pest professional because do-it-yourself bat control will not work. Contact Bat, Bee & Hornet Removal for all your pest control needs!

You are sitting outside on a beautiful summer day when you notice wasps flying around. It is never good to have wasps that close or attached to your home. So you look around and you notice that you have a wasp nest attached to your home. Sometimes it is hard to identify what type of wasp you have. Bat, Bee & Hornet Removal will talk a little bit about what a paper wasp is and how they behave.

What Do Paper Wasps Look Like? What are the Markings?

A paper wasp may get confused with a yellow jacket, but they are slimmer than a yellow jacket and have a smaller waist. They have six long legs, wings, and an antenna. Paper wasps are brownish in color and usually have yellow markings but they can also be found with red stripes. They are about .75 to 1.5 inches. There are about 22 species of paper wasps. They are also known as umbrella wasps.

Paper Wasp Nest

Many people call them umbrella wasps because of their nests. Their nest often looks like an upside-down umbrella. It can look and feel like papier-mâché. Their nests are not completely covered. They are somewhat open, unlike a yellow jacket. The nests are attached horizontally by a single stock and can grow depending on the size of the colony. You will find these on the attic rafters, porch ceilings, or high in the trees. They like to build their nest up higher in places.

Are Paper Wasps Good for Anything?

Paper wasps like to eat insects and spiders. They can be very beneficial in helping control insect populations. They also will kill many of the bugs that like to damage trees and crops. They are actually one of the top predators for killing bugs, like aphids that destroy crops. They will also kill houseflies and blowflies. They will help with pollination by feeding on the Nectar from flowers. They do not do it as much as bees, but they do feed on the nectar. Because paper wasps will eat insects and feed on nectar, they are actually good for your garden.

Should I Worry About Paper Wasps?

Paper wasps will sting you. Like many other insects, they will only sting you if they feel threatened. If you are by their nest or in their territory and they feel threatened, then they will sting you. They do this to protect the queen. They are considered aggressive and will sting repeatedly if they feel threatened. Their stings can be extremely painful. That is why you do not want to disturb their nest. It is best to leave it to a professional to get rid of paper wasps.

Is there a Queen in a Paper Wasp Nest?

The reason they protect the queen is because a single fertilized queen can start a new paper wasp nest. Once that wasp matures, they will expand the nest to as big as they need it. These wasps are called the Brood which become workers that search for food and care for the new larva. Once winter comes, the nest is abandoned and usually, the only one to survive is the queen until spring, and then a new colony is established.

Stinging Insect Inspection, Control & More in Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air & Greater Richmond, Virginia

Even though paper wasps can be good for crops and gardens they can be dangerous if you have a nest near your home or attached to your home. If you do have one you need to remove call Bat, Bee & Hornet Removal to come and remove the paper wasp nest, so that nobody in your house or coming to visit will get hurt.

Throughout the years moviegoers across the country have enjoyed box office hits in a variety of different genres. Movies have been made produced on just about every topic you can think of. We bet you will not be surprised to discover that here at Bat Bee and Hornet Removal we frequently take a particular interest in movies that are about pests and rodents. Years ago, Disney produced “The Bee Movie.” As you would expect, this movie is all about bees. Millions of people have enjoyed learning about bees as they watched this box office hit. Today Bat Bee and Hornet Removal is going to teach you even more about bees.
 

Bees Make Honey

When you mention bees the first thing that many people think of is honey. Bees are indeed known to produce honey. They produce honey that they store in their hives to help keep them alive during the winter months. Bees are so efficient that they are able to produce more honey than they consume. This allows us to enjoy some of their delicious honey. Honey bees are actually the only insect that produce food that is eaten by man. Honey actually has a large variety of uses. Many people use honey for medicinal purposes. It can be used to help with sore throats, digestive disorders, skin issues, hay fever, and more. Since honey has antiseptic properties it can be used to treat burns and cuts. When we eat honey, it gives us a natural energy boost.
 

Bees Pollinate

In “The Bee Movie” a bee’s ability to pollinate flowers was highlighted. Pollinating flowers, fruits, and vegetables is an extremely important function of bees. When bees pollinate these other plants, they are actually helping them grow. If there were not bees to perform this function flowers, fruits, and vegetables would be in danger.
 

Bees Live in a Colony Inside a Hive

Most people know that bees live in colonies. These colonies are called hives. Inside the hive the bees are broken into three different groups: queen bee, workers, and drones. In every hive there is only one queen. The queen’s job is to lay the eggs. These eggs help the next generation of bees to be born. Worker bees are always female. Their job is to forage for food; build the hive; and protect the hive. When we run into bees flying outside the hive we are typically seeing worker bees. The last category of bee is the drones. Drone bees are all males. Their job is to mate with the queen. Each type of bee must perform their job in order for bees to continue living. Bees fly around from spot to spot to perform their duties. There are many interesting facts about bees and their flying abilities. Honey bees can fly for up to six miles in one flight without stopping. They can fly as fast as 15 miles per hour. They beat their wings up to 200 times per second.
 

Stinging Insect Inspection, Control & More in Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air & Greater Richmond, Virginia

Hopefully you have learned something new about bees today. If you find bees on your property you will want to enlist the help of Bat Bee and Hornet Removal to help you get rid of them. You can call us at 804-745-6000 for more information about our services.

Birds are winged beauty, poetry in motion and masters of air and sky, but they can pose a problem. Yes our winged friends can be pesky as well. Bat, Bee & Hornet Removal list some common nuisance birds and the problems they can cause.
 

Feral Pigeons

They nest in the eaves of your homes seeking shelter from sun and rain to build their nests and in the process deposit and spread their droppings all over your roof. This bird waste contains mega doses of uric acid which can eat at the structure of your home causing expansive and expensive damage. Pigeon’s have an innate homing instinct, which transfers into “if they move in, it is to stay” and it is difficult to get them to move out. How to get rid of them? There humane and effective products, like predator simulators, usually owl, figurines that emit screeches and sounds of these hunters. Spikes, coils, barrier and wire can be used to discourage pigeons. Also trapping and relocation maybe used as a last resort. Some have described them as “rats with wings.”
 

Seagulls

Gulls are master scavengers living on nearly anything eatable and available. Gulls usually represent a ‘community’ problem rather than an individual home owner problem. Keep lids and tops on trash bins and cans and clean up around the house may alleviate the home owner any of these problems. Gulls are beneficial birds and feast on insects and rodents as well. But as with most birds there is a high concentration of uric acid in their droppings that his high corrosive to street lamps, signs and are of concern to boat, car and building owners. Bird Spikes, grid wire systems, bird coils and shock tracks can discourage these pests that are protect species in many coastal states. Noise producers and predator figures and other visual and audio devices can humanly dissuade gulls from your property.
 

House Sparrows

House sparrows are indirect nuisance pests as they can block rain gutters and pipes with their nests. Water backup caused by sparrows can lead to water damage and even electrical fires. Of course sparrow droppings contain concentrations of uric acid as well as fungal agents and parasites posing a health risk. Sparrows are prolific breeders and lack natural predators in the US and are an introduced species, not a native bird. A ¾ inch mesh net if properly installed can be an effective deterrent. Electrified edge striping will also disrupt perching and trapping can be used to control the problem.
 

Starlings

Closely following pigeons and house sparrows the starling is the next grievous species to be considered. Flocks of starlings are huge in numbers and represent another introduced species brought to the US in the 19th century. Starling flocks number in thousands of individuals and they may overwhelm buildings and trees. Large scale build up of Starling droppings, rich in uric acid can degrade metal, stone and masonry. Gutters and pipes are clogged causing similar problems to the House Sparrow. Bacterial and fungal agents are in this dropping build up as well and parasite species are present.
 

Bird Control & More in Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Sandston, Chesterfield, Midlothian, Bon Air & Greater Richmond, Virginia

As can be determined from the above sampling, our feathered friends are not as benign as many believe. Health concerns and property damage are of major concern for not only the homeowner but the community as well. Have a bird problem, call Bat, Bee & Hornet Removal, we be glad to manage all your pest control problems, on the land or in the air.