About poisoning honeybees:
When is the right time to use poisons? If you are having a problem with wasps and/or yellow jackets you might want to go the chemical route. Those social insects could build a significant size nest but the contents within the comb are different from those of the honeybee. Although wasps and yellow jackets do feed on nectar, their main food source coming into the nest is usually "other insects". Honeybees on the other hand feed strictly on pollen and honey which they store in large quantities to expand their colony and to survive the winter months.
If you exterminate the honeybee colony and plug up the entrance hole your problems have just begun! All those dead bees, left-over brood, honey, wax and pollen have just become the food source for other critters.
Perhaps you attempted to spray some poison at the entrance to the colony. Now that you have disturbed the nest the bees have decide to search for another exit point. This is when you start finding bees flying around inside your home. That previously unnoticed small gap where the TV antenna enters the living room or that hanging light on your ceiling usually has holes large enough to allow bees to slip through.
Once you kill the bees you destroy the defense of the hive and it now becomes a target zone for scavengers. Mice and other insects will be attracted by the smell and will begin to feast on the eggs, brood and honey. Wax moths will take over the comb and create an ugly entanglement of fibers and feces. Also, if you decide to exterminate the colony during a time of hot weather, you might find stains forming on your walls and ceilings. The reason for this is that while the bees are alive they maintain a constant temperature of around 93 degrees Fahrenheit year round. They do this by fanning the nest, thus creating a flow of air that regulates the temperature and moisture content within the nest.
No Bees = No Fanning = Wax/Honey Melting = Dripping on Ceilings = Stains!
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If your problems do require the use of a licensed exterminator to treat for other problem insects you might want to visit Dave's Pest Control, Inc. in Sturbridge, MA or you can check your local Yellow Pages for other such services.
