Call: 913-440-4703 (MO or KS)
Pest Control Identification Page
Honey Bee
Honey bees vary in color from yellow to black, have black or brown bands across the abdomen, are approximately 3/4 inch long and are covered with hairs or setae. A foraging honey bee has pollen baskets on each hind leg, which often are loaded with a ball of yellow or dark green pollen. Honey bees sting once and die as their barbed stinger remains in the skin and their venom sack is left behind. An alarm pheromone is released to help others find and continue the attack.
We use safe and efficient live removal methods or euthanize them when absolutely required for safety.
Yellowjacket
Yellowjackets, unlike carpenter bees and honey bees, lack dense body hairs and pollen baskets on their hind legs. They are approximately 1 inch long and have an abdomen with alternating yellow and black bands. Yellowjackets typically reside in meadows and nest either on the ground or at ground level. Occasionally, they establish colonies within structural walls. Adult yellowjackets primarily feed on nectar and pre-chewed insects for their larvae. They relish invading picnics and can even carry off small pieces of food. Yellowjackets possess a very painful sting and tend to attack in large numbers. They are highly aggressive and will repeatedly sting at any perceived disturbance. A single yellowjacket can sting multiple times during an attack, similar to most hornets and wasps, where stings usually occur on the face.
We use safe and efficient pest control methods to either help prevent or exterminate them as requested.
Wasp
Carpenter Bee
Wasps, social insects exhibiting behavior akin to bumblebees, construct new nests annually, typically by a solitary female (occasionally multiple females) who assumes the role of queen for the colony. As offspring mature and the colony expands, they assume the primary responsibilities of food procurement, nurturing the young, nest maintenance, and defense. Notably, the colony’s activity and stability are seasonal, with it disbanding before winter’s onset. During the fall swarming rituals, only a select group of females engage in mating. As temperatures cool, brood rearing and food gathering cease, leading to the dissolution of the nest. These newly mated female wasps seek shelter for the winter in protected locations such as attics, wall voids, hollow trees, birdhouses, wood piles, or similar settings. Occasionally, they form small clusters, but the absence of a nest is evident. Only the mated females survive until the following spring.
We use safe and efficient pest control methods to either help prevent or euthanize them as requested.
Carpenter Bee
Bald-Faced Hornet
Carpenter Bee
People who complain about bumblebees flying about under the eaves of their homes are probably being annoyed by carpenter bees.
Carpenter bees, resembling bumblebees in size and appearance, are solitary insects. Unlike bumblebees, they construct their nests in trees or frame buildings. Notably, the majority of the top of a carpenter bee’s abdomen lacks hairs and is a shiny black color. In contrast, bumblebees have fully clothed abdomens, adorned with numerous yellow hairs. If you spot a group of large bees hovering near the eaves of a house or drilling into wood, it’s likely carpenter bees.
We use safe and efficient pest control methods to either help prevent or exterminate them as requested.
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bald-Faced Hornets also known as the White-Faced Hornet, are a large (1.5 inches) black and ivory yellow jacket. Bald-Faced Hornets aren't hornets, but pretty close, they are wasps. Typically Bald-faced hornets live in wooded areas but may occasionally be found attached to your home or out buildings. The nests are constructed of a paper-like martial formed from chewed wood. Bald-faced hornets construct almost exclusively gray football-shaped nests attached to trees and buildings (but they may exceed a basketball in diameter or even the nest may grow to be larger by the end of the summer). Bald-faced hornets are the most aggressive of the stinging insects so you will want to avoid them!
We use safe and efficient pest control methods to either help prevent or exterminate them as requested.
Bumble Bee
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bumblebees are are characterized by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands. However, some species have orange or red on their bodies, or may be entirely black. Another obvious characteristic is the soft nature of the hair, called pile, that covers their entire body, making them appear and feel fuzzy. Bumblebees can sting, but unlike a honey bee, a bumblebee's stinger lacks barbs -- so they can sting more than once. Bumblebee species are normally non-aggressive, but will sting in defense of their nest, or if harmed. Click for conservation information.
We use safe and efficient pest control methods to either help prevent or exterminate them as requested.
Identify (continued)
Cicada killer
Cicada killer
Cicada killers are solitary, meaning that each female typically builds her own nest and hunts prey to feed her own offspring (unlike yellow jackets, hornets, and paper wasps, which live in social colonies). Even so, cicada killers are often found in groups, since many wasps are attracted to the same suitable nesting areas. These are usually sparsely vegetated, southeast-facing slopes or unmortared retaining walls, with plentiful cicadas in nearby deciduous trees.
Male wasps appear a week or two before females, and spend their time feeding at flowers or sap and establishing territories. They perch on vegetation or stones and make brief, hovering flights to inspect newcomers, including people, pets, and other wasps. Although these inspections may be intimidating, male wasps cannot sting.
When females emerge, they mate once and then begin to prepare nest burrows, which can be up to 40 inches long and include about 16 individual chambers. One female wasp can excavate nearly a half-gallon of soil for a single burrow, and she makes about four burrows in her lifetime. She piles the tailings in a neat, U-shaped mound at the entrance of each burrow, and this soil can damage turf and other plants.
We do not recommend bothering them as they kill noisy cicadas!
Ground Bees
Cicada killer
Ground bees become active in early spring. These bees dig nests in the ground, often in bare patches of the lawn or garden. If you find mounds of soil, similar to anthills but with larger openings, these may be ground bee nests. Watch for bees flying low over the ground and entering their burrows.
Female ground bees can sting, but rarely do. Ground bees are not aggressive. However, they will sting in defense if threatened. Males of some species may behave aggressively around nesting areas, but they lack a sting.
In most cases, you can mow your lawn and continue your regular outdoor activities without fear of being stung. And nesting activity is limited to spring, so ground bees won't stay for long. Unless you have concerns for a family member with a bee venom allergy, it's usually preferable to leave ground bees alone.
Ground bees nest in dry soil, and avoid damp areas when choosing nest sites. The easiest and least toxic method of controlling ground bees is simply to water the area. As soon as you see ground bee activity, start soaking the area with a full inch of water per week. This is usually enough to discourage the burrowing females, and to make them relocate to drier ground. A thick layer of mulch on bare garden beds will also make ground bees think twice about nesting there.
We do not exterminate them under any circumstances
Iridescent Beetles
Iridescent Beetles
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) --
The iridescent insects arrived in Kansas City 10 years ago and they’ll savage all kinds of natural beauty.
K-State Extension agent Zac Hoppenstedt gestured at a rose and said, “These are pretty much the prime host plant for Japanese Beetle.”
Roses are where you’ll notice the primarily aesthetic destruction most.
However, they’ll also go after fruits, vegetables, and a host of ornamental trees.
“There’s 300 to 400 species that they prey upon,” Hoppenstedt said.
They lay their eggs underground and the grubs burrow deep down.
Now is the time to start getting vigilant. Head out to your rose bushes and other plants. Take a look at them and examine the leaves every other day to catch the creatures before they do damage. Among the multiple methods of eradication, the one you might want to avoid are bag traps, because they attract the beetles -- more than normal and more than they’ll catch. And, you hardly want to invite an invasion.
Copyright 2019 KCTV (Meredith Corp.)
We do not normally exterminate them.
Woodpeckers
Jeffrey has excluded woodpeckers. Mounted decoys and placed metallic type reflective repellant strips.
Even woodpeckers look for insects on a structure with an infestation, most often they are simply creating a nest or exhibiting mating behavior. I recommend concrete siding which makes it uncomfortable for their beak.
This Johnson County Extension Website might be helpful to you: http://www.johnson.k-state.edu/natural-resources/nuisance-wildlife/.
Check out this study from Cornell University for more of the story: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about/.
How to protect yourself from woodpecker damage:
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/06/30/woodpecker-home-damage/
