What Are Organic and Green Pesticides? Is Any Pesticide Safe To Use On My Home or Around My Honeybees?

Many individuals and pest control companies advertising “live bee removals” in Arizona, whether or not the bee problem is an African bee swarm or an African bee colony in a structure, are not licensed because they claim not use pesticides, which are heavily regulated and supervised by the State of Arizona Office of Pest Management for good reason. All pesticides are toxic, but the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows their use and has deemed the pesticide product safe for use, if it is applied according to the strict instructions on the product label and if the product is being applied by a licensed applicator. Even the new “green pesticides” called “minimal risk” pesticides are heavily regulated by the EPA and the State of Arizona Office of Pest Management. Some of you may be surprised to know that even soap and water is regulated when used to kill bees and wasps. This is simply means that these companies or individuals are trying to get around having to get licensing and certification with the State of Arizona. It is a fraudulent practice and a scam.

The words “Organic, Green and Natural” are confusing to the consumer and although the EPA has defined the requirements for “Organic” and “Minimal Risk Insecticides”, the EPA has not identified the meaning of any of the other words. For example, any pesticide that has qualified as an “Organic Pesticide” means that it has been scrutinized for use on agricultural crops, commercial food storage areas, and food processing establishments. The contents may also contain inorganic materials. On the other hand, if a pesticide is labeled as a “Minimal Risk” pesticide, it means that the EPA has scrutinized the product after examining both the active ingredients as well as the inert ingredients and found them a little safer for use if applied exactly according to the product label.

Many “Minimal Risk” Insecticides use essential oils from trees and plants. It is common knowledge that some trees and plants can be very toxic in their “natural” state. Eugenol which is largely extracted from the Oil of Cloves is a common ingredient in these pesticides. It is claimed to disrupt the neurotransmitter “Octopamine” which is common in insect species, spiders and mollusks without effecting higher life forms that do not have Octopamine based neural transmitters. However, Eugenol and other essential oil products are indiscriminate killer of these species including beneficial pollinators and predatory insects that help control pests. Also, clove oil has commonly been added to tobacco products in Middle Eastern countries and has been the cause of many inhalation deaths. Are “Minimal Risk” insecticides safe?

Again, all pesticides are toxic and need to be applied correctly according to the EPA certified product label to a specifically listed target pest by an OPM licensed applicator – that is the law. All pesticides are toxic whether they are labeled “organic or minimal risk.” The EPA even goes so far as to forbid licensed applicators from using the words, “safe, non-toxic, natural, or harmless to humans” when referring to pesticide products.

Arizona sets new record for African bee sting fatalities in 2013

There was a 4th human fatality today (10-8-13) in Arizona attributed to African honeybee stings.  An undocumented person, gender not known at this time, was found just North of the Arizona/Mexico Border having crossed the US Mexico Border, and reportedly suffered fatal bee stings from an African bee colony inhabiting one of the US Border mile markers.  Very little info was available today about this incident but sources say that the person appeared to be in their early 20s, and in otherwise healthy condition.  African Bees were found inside the victim’s trachea, (wind pipe) and nostrils, with multiple stingers still penetrating the eye- socket area and elsewhere around the face of the victim.

Africanized honeybees were 1st discovered in Arizona on 6-6-1993 after fatally stinging a large 70+ pound dog in Tucson near I-10 and Speedway.  That incident occurred as the dog’s owner was attempting to shampoo the dog on the back porch of the residence.  Thereafter, this sub-species of honeybee has proliferated and has actually become much more genetically pure as feral colonies of European honeybees (once prevalent in Arizona) have been decimated by 2 parasitic mites to which Africanized and African bees are not susceptible.

Thomas Martin

Are there really free Bee Removal Services in Arizona?

  Africanized Honeybees (now called African bees) are here to stay in Arizona. The USDA had predicted that “Africanized Honeybees” would not cross the Arizona Mexico border until 1995, however, the same USDA bee researchers were shocked when the first Africanized bee stinging incident occurred in June 1993 in Tucson, and not anywhere near the US Mexico border. A woman began to wash her 70 pound dog on the back porch when the bees reacted to the smell of the soap and water and attacked her and her dog. She survived and the dog died. That bee attack occurred on June 6, 1993 and our company founder, Thomas Martin, was called to that site to exterminate the Africanized Bees and thereafter to remove the honeycombs from that hive.

  Africanized bees proliferated and in 1996, both the US Department of Agriculture, and the Arizona Department of Agriculture declared that Arizona’s “feral bee” (wild bee) population had become totally African honeybees. This honeybee species has caused millions of dollars of property damage to Arizona homes, and commercial building structures on Arizona properties.

  Since then, these “killer bees” have caused many human fatalities and thousands of animal stinging deaths. Further, although most bee attacks are not fatal, countless injuries to people, pets and livestock have occurred from even the smallest of African Bee attacks. Even if a person is not allergic to bee stings, the normal reaction to one bee sting will last 5-7 days with severe swelling, redness and extreme itchiness.

  African honeybees “bees” are genetically programmed to raise a new queen, the colony then dividing in approximately one-half, with one-half of the bees leaving the "Mother Colony" with the old queen to begin a new colony in another location. This process is called swarming. Where European honeybees would swarm once or possibly twice a year, African honeybees can swarm more than 10 times a year. This results in one African bee colony and it's swarms being capable of creating up to 33 colonies in one year. Then, within 24 hours of a new swarm inhabiting a structural cavity, the bees build honeycomb. Therefore, even if a “live bee removal” were feasible, homeowners would be foolish to permit anyone to attempt to perform live African bee removal when African bees attack and cause so many injuries and property damage.

  We know that it is not possible to do live bee removal of African killer bees when the bees are inside a cavity of a structure, and companies who advertize live bee removal or live bee control, are seducing customers and then will likely do a bait and switch. Think about it, why would anyone want to offer free bee removal or free bee control for African killer bees from an irrigation valve box, overhang eave, soffit, rafter, gable, a storage shed, floor, conex container, perimeter patio block wall, stucco wall, garage wall foundation, stucco pillar, bird board, vent board, scupper, drain pipe, rain gutter, viga beam, parapet, cricket, tile roof, shingle roof, roof vent, vacant or foreclosed house? This is a ploy to get customers to hire them to perform a service that is not possible to do.

   Some companies advertise under a “free bee removal” listing on the Internet. The question most people should ask is: Is there really a “free bee removal” service in Arizona? Here are the facts:

  1. Any commercial bee removal company has to make a profit to stay in business. If they advertise under “free bee removal”, then this usually means that they are willing to do a “free” inspection and will try to sell you bee extermination after they look at your bee problem. This is an advertising scam to get you to call them and is usually a “bait and switch” when they get to your home. They believe that if they get to your home and talk to you, then they will be able to convince you that you have a serious bee problem and that you have to pay them because of the difficulty of the job.

 2. There are no public agencies that will offer free bee removal service in Arizona. For example, if you call 911, unless someone is being stung and in imminent danger of death or serious injury, they will refer you to a Licensed Bee Removal Company. The Fire Department’s job is public safety and the preservation of life. They are actually prohibited from “exterminating bees of any kind unless there has been a major stinging and clear danger of humans being attacked if calling a licensed bee exterminator will take too long. Typically, when and if a fire department responds to a stinging attack, they will treat the stinging victims and tell them to stay indoors. Then, they always will instruct the property owner, or occupant, to phone a licensed, trained bee removal specialist. They will remove the person to safety and tell you to call a Licensed Bee Removal Company. They are not qualified or responsible to remedy the bee infestation problem that caused the bee attack.

 3. There is no federal, state, municipal or local agency that will respond to a bee problem let alone provide free bee removal or free honeycomb removal service. Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Cochise, Graham and Santa Cruz counties have zoning ordinances that limit where beekeepers can keep bees and specify that homeowners who allow feral bees and wasps to remain on their property are in violation of those county ordinances. For example, Pima County, Arizona, has even gone so far as to declare feral bee colonies and wasp colonies on a property are a pest and safety nuisance and a violation of Pima County ordinances. A $2000.00 fine is the normal fine and the County will hire a licensed bee removal company to abate the problem and collect that cost from the property owner. If not paid timely, the County records a lien on the property.

 4. As it is “unlawful to hive, harbor or cause the proliferation of African bees.” No beekeeper will want to collect an Africanized bee colony or African bee swarm for their own personal use. If a beekeeper claims to want them, ask yourself how it is possible to accomplish this? When a live bee removal is attempted and it goes wrong and the bees begin attacking, the liability always falls on the property owner. No beekeeper will have liability insurance to perform “live bee removal” as no insurance company will take on that risk. Therefore, the property owner will sustain the financial liability as we have seen in many cases, where lawsuits are filed against the homeowner as a result of a bee removal that went wrong.

 5. We have had callers that are misled thinking that the honey that the bees produce, has commercial value, and could be re-used. These same callers often believe that there must be someone who would want to do a honeycomb cut-out and removal simply for keeping the honey.It is not feasible to “save bees” once a colony has built honeycomb. The colony would have to be exterminated, and pesticides would contaminate the honey and for that reason alone, it is impossible to consider utilizing the removed honeycomb. In fact, the laws require that we go through great effort to double bag the honeycomb that we remove at honeycomb removal jobs, and then take it to a proper dumpsite and make sure it is disposed of properly. As commercial beekeepers spend a great deal of time and effort making certain their hives forage on plants without coming into contact with insecticides, what beekeeper would want to consider saving honey that could contain pesticides?

  6. Don’t be fooled by misinformation about “free bee removal” services, in Arizona. Read the advertised offering for free bee removal services carefully. The bee removal industry is highly competitive and many people in this industry, particularly inexperienced and unlicensed companies or wholesalers, that contract other local pest control companies to work for them, will try to take advantage of you. In Arizona, there is no such thing as a “free bee removal.” Trust the experts and call us first to get the facts and straight answers about your bee problem! Call AAA Africanized Bee Removal Specialists first and get straight answers and the facts!