Hello : If you're like most folks you've probably heard that old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do", so often that it's meaningless and generally ignored. Now you're probably wondering what in the world is the old bug guy talking about and what's it have to do with pests? Well, hang with me here and you'll understand. Recently I learned a valuable lesson by foolishly failing to follow that sage advice and as a result literally got stung... big time. Here's what happened. The Experience: A few weeks back a somewhat anxious client who lives on a large horse farm called after noticing a large beehive in her back yard and was quite concerned about bee activity in the area. We take bee reports very seriously so I immediately got my trusty bee suit and other necessary gear then went to her home to assess the situation. I arrived and went to the back yard to check things out and determine whether the situation warranted donning my bee suit. It's a hassle to put on and unnecessary more often than not so I prefer to see what's happening first. Anyway, a cursory search failed to turn up a hive or any bees so I phoned the client to get an exact location. She directed me to a remote area of brush at the rear of the property - but still no bees so I relaxed and began thinking false alarm. Just before leaving the area I kicked a bunch of leaves off of a partially buried water valve box and all hell broke loose. Without any warning what seemed like thousands of angry African killer bees attacked me stinging every part of my body. Instinctively I ran for my truck, got in and slammed the door shut while covered with bees that were relentlessly stinging me. Survival overcame my intense pain as I furiously swatted and killed the irate critters that engulfed me from head to toe. After the battle I opened the door to take stock and was again attacked by a swarm of killer bees as they still considered my presence a threat to their hive. A repeat performance ensued and following another hard fought victory I noticed a mare and her colt in a near-by corral that were jumping while frantically shaking their heads - apparently under attack from the killer bees. Being wiser now I put on my bee suit, rushed to the corral gate and opened it so the horses could escape. The mare ran off but the colt was apparently in shock from the stings and wouldn't move. My adrenaline rush was now in overdrive, making me somewhat oblivious to the pain while I focused solely on obliterating the hive and its feisty residents. First I notified the client about the colt then zealously accomplished my mission with a vengeance. The colt was in serious condition but fortunately survived the attack. I was swollen all over but like the colt, am here to fight another day. A Lesson Well Learned: All too often folks ignore warnings about serious matters that we think can't happen to us but rather, "only to the other person". Here, yours truly with all of my experience didn't bother with a bee suit because even if bees were present they wouldn't be a problem - how utterly naive. While the information I constantly provide about dangers posed by African killer bees and scorpions gets stale please heed it because they will inflict serious injury if given the opportunity. Don't mess with bees under any circumstances - call us with your concerns... and be assured I will be donning my bee suit. Your business is appreciated and will never be taken for granted. Sincerely, | 
