Perfecting Pest Control

If you don't like pests setting up shop in your home, you might be interested in hiring a professional exterminator to help you with your problems. However, unless you understand the tools that they are working with, you might find yourself wondering what else you can do to curb issues. For example, if you don't mention that mosquito problem, your exterminator might not know to treat that water feature with a pesticide that targets larvae. My site explains different ways you can prepare for your professional pest control treatment, so that you aren't left with issues later down the road.

5 Steps To Remove Bees From A Daycare Center

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If  you discover a swarm or nest of bees near your daycare center, you need to take immediate action to ensure the safety of both the children and adults at your school and have the insects removed as soon as possible. It is a good idea to have an emergency plan in place so you can handle the situation quickly and efficiently. There are several things that you can do to make sure the bee removal is safe and successful.  

Take Measures to Ensure the Safety of Children and Workers

Your primary goal should be to keep the children and adults at your center safe. Since most preschoolers have not yet been stung by a bee, one or more children may have an allergy that you are unaware of, so you should minimize their risk of getting stung. This may involve taping off the area where the bees are located and making sure people do not go near it. If you have children outside you should bring them into the center, in an area away from where the bees are located. If the bees have a way into the center, you may need to call parents to arrange an emergency pickup. While you are waiting for parents you should keep the children a safe distance from the bees. 

If a child does get stung, you should be prepared to treat the area with cold compresses and watch for signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as a rash or difficulty breathing. 

Make Sure They Are Bees 

It can be easy to mistake a wasp for a honey bee. However, they are different in the way they sting, their aggressiveness, and their swarming behaviors. If you can find a dead insect suspect, you can look closely for hairs. If it has hairs it is a bee; but if it is smooth, it is a wasp. This will help whoever removes the insects know what to expect when they arrive at your daycare center. 

Identify Whether You Have a Swarm or a Nest 

If you have bees, you may have a swarm or a nest. A swarm rests in a place temporarily while scouts look for a permanent home. They are easily identified because you will see a large ball of bees, exposed. With a nest, you will usually see bees flying in and out of a hole and flying around, not settling in one place. 

Swarms usually move on without interference within a couple of days. While the generally advice is to wait for a swarm to move on its own, because there are several children involved, you will want to call in a professional to relocate the swarm as soon as possible. This will ensure that the swarm does not form a nest near your daycare center. If the bees have already nested, then only a professional can fully remove them. 

Create a Plan For Having the Bees Safely Removed 

Once you figure out whether you have a swarm or a nest, you should create a plan to have them removed. You may want to call a local beekeeper to see if they would like to take the bees. If not, then you should call an expert that has experience removing bees without harming or aggravating them. Ideally, you will find a pesticide-free solution that allows the colony to live. However, if there is a hive in or around your building, the colony may have to be exterminated in order to be successfully moved.  

Use the Experience as a Teachable Moment  

If children are at your center when the bees are discovered, there will surely be a lot of excitement, and some children might be nervous about the bees. This is an excellent time to teach the children about the importance of bees and the life-cycle of bees. You may want to keep some of the dead insects to examine carefully under a magnifying glass if pesticides were not used. 

Bees can disturb anyone's day, but they are particularly bothersome around young children. If you run a daycare center, make sure you keep your kids safe by following the above steps. 

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22 January 2016