“Bee” Careful: That’s What the Phoenix Fire Department’s Telling Us

Good advice, says Fred Willey, A professional Phoenix Exterminator after he read and viewed the following stories about bee attacks around the Phoenix area.

Five emergency calls in five hours were enough to prompt fire officials here to put out word that bee season has arrived, and that it could be a busy one after a wet winter.

Bees swarm in the spring as groups break away from overcrowded colonies, often setting up hives in places that bring them in contact with people. That’s no small issue with aggressive Africanized honeybees established around Arizona.

This story and the following two stories are typical Calls that our Media has been reporting all year long here in Phoenix, said Fred, and Due to last year’s winter rains there have been a lot of flowers blooming this year from desert areas such as Cave Creek, to downtown Tempe and Mesa, and it’s been a busy season so far, Fred said. When it rains a lot, there’s more pollen and nectar on the plants and that gives the bees a lot of food, which increases the number of swarms. Unfortunately because of the bees had such a successful spring, it can be expected that this fall will be even worse as they prepare for winter time and swarm season is upon us again from here on until we reach the colder winter months.

It is so important that people do exactly what the Phoenix Fire department is saying, BEE Careful, just read these stories, and you will understand why messing with bees is “Not a Do It Yourself Project” you should be attempting.

PHOENIX ? An elderly man is in critical condition after being attacked by a swarm of bees Wednesday as he tried to use a vacuum to suck them up.

At about 6 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services said they responded to the scene of the attack near 32nd Street and Indian School Road.Captain Dorian Jackson of the Phoenix Fire Department said the 85-year-old man tried to vacuum the entire hive in a tree outside his home.Jackson said the victim suffered between 50 and 75 stings on his face alone.When firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they tried to walk with the victim to get him away from the bees, but the bees continued to attack for two-city blocks, according to Dorian. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.Dorian said it’s extremely important that when people come into contact with a hive on their property, they should contact a professional Phoenix Exterminator and not attempt to get rid of the hive themselves.Firefighters used foam to extinguish the bees.The attack was the second time Phoenix firefighters responded to a serious bee attack Wednesday. An 81-year-old woman is also in critical condition after she was attacked by bees near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In Phoenix — Neighbors say 81-year-old Toni Parker, who was attacked by a swarm of angry bees Wednesday, is doing better and hopes to return home soon.

“She’s doing fine, she’s up and alert,” said Debbie Cameron, who called 911. “She’s got a broken leg close to the hip, and she wants to come home already.”

Cameron says she had just returned home when she got a phone message from Parker.

“She must have left her phone on, because all I could hear was this rustling and I knew something was wrong.”

Soon after, Cameron’s mother came in telling her that Parker was being attacked by bees.

Cameron’s mother, MaryLou Cameron, had rushed over but had been stung nearly 12 times trying to get close enough to help her friend.

“As I got closer, she had the blanket pulled back to see who was coming out and all she kept doing was calling ‘help! help!’ … she uncovered her face and there were bees all over her face,” said Cameron.

Three police officers and another person were also stung in the attack.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was trapped on her back patio at 1 p.m. by the swarm of about 1,000 bees.

The home is near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In a call to 911, a Cameron told the dispatcher that “Parker’s fallen and bees are attacking her in a swarm.”

“She couldn’t get away,” Cameron told ABC15. “She must’ve slipped and fell … she broke her leg up near her hip.”

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was stung 300 times.

Three Phoenix police officers tried to help the woman by spraying the bees with fire extinguishers, but Jackson said that appeared to aggravate the bees further.

He said the officers were stung approximately 50 times each.

They were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and refused treatment, according to Jackson. He said one other person was also stung.

Firefighters closed off the street as they tried to locate the hive. Crews used foam to subdue the bees.

As you can read in these media stories, Africanized honeybees are dangerous to humans and pets because they respond aggressively and in large numbers to perceived threats, a trait that makes them far more dangerous than European honeybees.

The so-called killer bees arrived in southern Arizona in 1993 and since have been found in every county. They are descendants of a variety brought to Brazil from Africa in the 1950s by scientists looking for a better honey producer. The bees bred with the local honeybees and began spreading northward.

Africanized bee attacks can be fatal to people, especially the elderly and those who are allergic to bee stings. Dogs are vulnerable because they often are chained or enclosed by fences and can’t get away.

The bees don’t go out looking for trouble with people, but confrontations often occur when someone inadvertently disturbs a hive or decides to destroy the bees without professional help.

Those who are attacked should run away from the bees or get inside buildings, closing doors behind them. Diving into a pool doesn’t help; the bees will wait for a person to surface, and I always tell people ” They have more air than you do, and you can only hold your breath for so long and they will still be there waiting to sting you.”

The best protection is taking steps to avoid provoking bees, such as staying on hiking trails and not trying to take a closer look at a bee hive. Usually curiosity is the biggest cause of bee attack situations. Don’t wear floral scented perfumes when hiking, and if you are attacked by bees ? don’t panic, cover your face, protect your nose and mouth (bees are attracted to your breath and will usually try an sting you around those areas if possible which will cause your airways to swell shut and limit your ability to continue breathing) and run to a protected area such as inside your home, inside a car. It’s better to be in the car with a few bees than out of the car with 50000 bees, just be careful to not put others in danger as well, as the bees will go after everyone around you.

Most importantly of all “Don’t wait to take care of a bee hive” Hire a professional to do this work, as you have read, two individuals were put into almost life threatening situations, and our professional Phoenix firemen came to the rescue at potentially the same risk to themselves. It is alarming to me, with the amount of risk that bees can be, how many times I have heard, “oh, yea they have been there for quite a while”. The quicker we respond to a Hive the better, bees get more aggressive when they have a hive to protect, and the larger the hive the more bees there are, of course, however one thing we haven’t mentioned yet, is the honey! With large hives, there is a lot of honey and potentially more damage to the structure to remove this hive, as well as the fact that any left over honey will attract other pests such as ants, cockroaches, more bees and even beetles. Oh and did I mention that if you leave the honey, there is a good chance it will melt, and flood your house with ooehy, gooey, honey, or did I tell you about the time when the honey got rotten and the whole house smelled like rotten “Honey”. You get the picture.

“Bee” Careful: That’s What the Phoenix Fire Department’s Telling Us

Good advice, says Fred Willey, A professional Phoenix Exterminator after he read and viewed the following stories about bee attacks around the Phoenix area.

Five emergency calls in five hours were enough to prompt fire officials here to put out word that bee season has arrived, and that it could be a busy one after a wet winter.

Bees swarm in the spring as groups break away from overcrowded colonies, often setting up hives in places that bring them in contact with people. That’s no small issue with aggressive Africanized honeybees established around Arizona.

This story and the following two stories are typical Calls that our Media has been reporting all year long here in Phoenix, said Fred, and Due to last year’s winter rains there have been a lot of flowers blooming this year from desert areas such as Cave Creek, to downtown Tempe and Mesa, and it’s been a busy season so far, Fred said. When it rains a lot, there’s more pollen and nectar on the plants and that gives the bees a lot of food, which increases the number of swarms. Unfortunately because of the bees had such a successful spring, it can be expected that this fall will be even worse as they prepare for winter time and swarm season is upon us again from here on until we reach the colder winter months.

It is so important that people do exactly what the Phoenix Fire department is saying, BEE Careful, just read these stories, and you will understand why messing with bees is “Not a Do It Yourself Project” you should be attempting.

PHOENIX ? An elderly man is in critical condition after being attacked by a swarm of bees Wednesday as he tried to use a vacuum to suck them up.

At about 6 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services said they responded to the scene of the attack near 32nd Street and Indian School Road.Captain Dorian Jackson of the Phoenix Fire Department said the 85-year-old man tried to vacuum the entire hive in a tree outside his home.Jackson said the victim suffered between 50 and 75 stings on his face alone.When firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they tried to walk with the victim to get him away from the bees, but the bees continued to attack for two-city blocks, according to Dorian. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.Dorian said it’s extremely important that when people come into contact with a hive on their property, they should contact a professional Phoenix Exterminator and not attempt to get rid of the hive themselves.Firefighters used foam to extinguish the bees.The attack was the second time Phoenix firefighters responded to a serious bee attack Wednesday. An 81-year-old woman is also in critical condition after she was attacked by bees near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In Phoenix — Neighbors say 81-year-old Toni Parker, who was attacked by a swarm of angry bees Wednesday, is doing better and hopes to return home soon.

“She’s doing fine, she’s up and alert,” said Debbie Cameron, who called 911. “She’s got a broken leg close to the hip, and she wants to come home already.”

Cameron says she had just returned home when she got a phone message from Parker.

“She must have left her phone on, because all I could hear was this rustling and I knew something was wrong.”

Soon after, Cameron’s mother came in telling her that Parker was being attacked by bees.

Cameron’s mother, MaryLou Cameron, had rushed over but had been stung nearly 12 times trying to get close enough to help her friend.

“As I got closer, she had the blanket pulled back to see who was coming out and all she kept doing was calling ‘help! help!’ … she uncovered her face and there were bees all over her face,” said Cameron.

Three police officers and another person were also stung in the attack.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was trapped on her back patio at 1 p.m. by the swarm of about 1,000 bees.

The home is near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In a call to 911, a Cameron told the dispatcher that “Parker’s fallen and bees are attacking her in a swarm.”

“She couldn’t get away,” Cameron told ABC15. “She must’ve slipped and fell … she broke her leg up near her hip.”

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was stung 300 times.

Three Phoenix police officers tried to help the woman by spraying the bees with fire extinguishers, but Jackson said that appeared to aggravate the bees further.

He said the officers were stung approximately 50 times each.

They were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and refused treatment, according to Jackson. He said one other person was also stung.

Firefighters closed off the street as they tried to locate the hive. Crews used foam to subdue the bees.

As you can read in these media stories, Africanized honeybees are dangerous to humans and pets because they respond aggressively and in large numbers to perceived threats, a trait that makes them far more dangerous than European honeybees.

The so-called killer bees arrived in southern Arizona in 1993 and since have been found in every county. They are descendants of a variety brought to Brazil from Africa in the 1950s by scientists looking for a better honey producer. The bees bred with the local honeybees and began spreading northward.

Africanized bee attacks can be fatal to people, especially the elderly and those who are allergic to bee stings. Dogs are vulnerable because they often are chained or enclosed by fences and can’t get away.

The bees don’t go out looking for trouble with people, but confrontations often occur when someone inadvertently disturbs a hive or decides to destroy the bees without professional help.

Those who are attacked should run away from the bees or get inside buildings, closing doors behind them. Diving into a pool doesn’t help; the bees will wait for a person to surface, and I always tell people ” They have more air than you do, and you can only hold your breath for so long and they will still be there waiting to sting you.”

The best protection is taking steps to avoid provoking bees, such as staying on hiking trails and not trying to take a closer look at a bee hive. Usually curiosity is the biggest cause of bee attack situations. Don’t wear floral scented perfumes when hiking, and if you are attacked by bees ? don’t panic, cover your face, protect your nose and mouth (bees are attracted to your breath and will usually try an sting you around those areas if possible which will cause your airways to swell shut and limit your ability to continue breathing) and run to a protected area such as inside your home, inside a car. It’s better to be in the car with a few bees than out of the car with 50000 bees, just be careful to not put others in danger as well, as the bees will go after everyone around you.

Most importantly of all “Don’t wait to take care of a bee hive” Hire a professional to do this work, as you have read, two individuals were put into almost life threatening situations, and our professional Phoenix firemen came to the rescue at potentially the same risk to themselves. It is alarming to me, with the amount of risk that bees can be, how many times I have heard, “oh, yea they have been there for quite a while”. The quicker we respond to a Hive the better, bees get more aggressive when they have a hive to protect, and the larger the hive the more bees there are, of course, however one thing we haven’t mentioned yet, is the honey! With large hives, there is a lot of honey and potentially more damage to the structure to remove this hive, as well as the fact that any left over honey will attract other pests such as ants, cockroaches, more bees and even beetles. Oh and did I mention that if you leave the honey, there is a good chance it will melt, and flood your house with ooehy, gooey, honey, or did I tell you about the time when the honey got rotten and the whole house smelled like rotten “Honey”. You get the picture.

“Bee” Careful: That’s What the Phoenix Fire Department’s Telling Us

Good advice, says Fred Willey, A professional Phoenix Exterminator after he read and viewed the following stories about bee attacks around the Phoenix area.

Five emergency calls in five hours were enough to prompt fire officials here to put out word that bee season has arrived, and that it could be a busy one after a wet winter.

Bees swarm in the spring as groups break away from overcrowded colonies, often setting up hives in places that bring them in contact with people. That’s no small issue with aggressive Africanized honeybees established around Arizona.

This story and the following two stories are typical Calls that our Media has been reporting all year long here in Phoenix, said Fred, and Due to last year’s winter rains there have been a lot of flowers blooming this year from desert areas such as Cave Creek, to downtown Tempe and Mesa, and it’s been a busy season so far, Fred said. When it rains a lot, there’s more pollen and nectar on the plants and that gives the bees a lot of food, which increases the number of swarms. Unfortunately because of the bees had such a successful spring, it can be expected that this fall will be even worse as they prepare for winter time and swarm season is upon us again from here on until we reach the colder winter months.

It is so important that people do exactly what the Phoenix Fire department is saying, BEE Careful, just read these stories, and you will understand why messing with bees is “Not a Do It Yourself Project” you should be attempting.

PHOENIX ? An elderly man is in critical condition after being attacked by a swarm of bees Wednesday as he tried to use a vacuum to suck them up.

At about 6 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services said they responded to the scene of the attack near 32nd Street and Indian School Road.Captain Dorian Jackson of the Phoenix Fire Department said the 85-year-old man tried to vacuum the entire hive in a tree outside his home.Jackson said the victim suffered between 50 and 75 stings on his face alone.When firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they tried to walk with the victim to get him away from the bees, but the bees continued to attack for two-city blocks, according to Dorian. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.Dorian said it’s extremely important that when people come into contact with a hive on their property, they should contact a professional Phoenix Exterminator and not attempt to get rid of the hive themselves.Firefighters used foam to extinguish the bees.The attack was the second time Phoenix firefighters responded to a serious bee attack Wednesday. An 81-year-old woman is also in critical condition after she was attacked by bees near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In Phoenix — Neighbors say 81-year-old Toni Parker, who was attacked by a swarm of angry bees Wednesday, is doing better and hopes to return home soon.

“She’s doing fine, she’s up and alert,” said Debbie Cameron, who called 911. “She’s got a broken leg close to the hip, and she wants to come home already.”

Cameron says she had just returned home when she got a phone message from Parker.

“She must have left her phone on, because all I could hear was this rustling and I knew something was wrong.”

Soon after, Cameron’s mother came in telling her that Parker was being attacked by bees.

Cameron’s mother, MaryLou Cameron, had rushed over but had been stung nearly 12 times trying to get close enough to help her friend.

“As I got closer, she had the blanket pulled back to see who was coming out and all she kept doing was calling ‘help! help!’ … she uncovered her face and there were bees all over her face,” said Cameron.

Three police officers and another person were also stung in the attack.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was trapped on her back patio at 1 p.m. by the swarm of about 1,000 bees.

The home is near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In a call to 911, a Cameron told the dispatcher that “Parker’s fallen and bees are attacking her in a swarm.”

“She couldn’t get away,” Cameron told ABC15. “She must’ve slipped and fell … she broke her leg up near her hip.”

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was stung 300 times.

Three Phoenix police officers tried to help the woman by spraying the bees with fire extinguishers, but Jackson said that appeared to aggravate the bees further.

He said the officers were stung approximately 50 times each.

They were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and refused treatment, according to Jackson. He said one other person was also stung.

Firefighters closed off the street as they tried to locate the hive. Crews used foam to subdue the bees.

As you can read in these media stories, Africanized honeybees are dangerous to humans and pets because they respond aggressively and in large numbers to perceived threats, a trait that makes them far more dangerous than European honeybees.

The so-called killer bees arrived in southern Arizona in 1993 and since have been found in every county. They are descendants of a variety brought to Brazil from Africa in the 1950s by scientists looking for a better honey producer. The bees bred with the local honeybees and began spreading northward.

Africanized bee attacks can be fatal to people, especially the elderly and those who are allergic to bee stings. Dogs are vulnerable because they often are chained or enclosed by fences and can’t get away.

The bees don’t go out looking for trouble with people, but confrontations often occur when someone inadvertently disturbs a hive or decides to destroy the bees without professional help.

Those who are attacked should run away from the bees or get inside buildings, closing doors behind them. Diving into a pool doesn’t help; the bees will wait for a person to surface, and I always tell people ” They have more air than you do, and you can only hold your breath for so long and they will still be there waiting to sting you.”

The best protection is taking steps to avoid provoking bees, such as staying on hiking trails and not trying to take a closer look at a bee hive. Usually curiosity is the biggest cause of bee attack situations. Don’t wear floral scented perfumes when hiking, and if you are attacked by bees ? don’t panic, cover your face, protect your nose and mouth (bees are attracted to your breath and will usually try an sting you around those areas if possible which will cause your airways to swell shut and limit your ability to continue breathing) and run to a protected area such as inside your home, inside a car. It’s better to be in the car with a few bees than out of the car with 50000 bees, just be careful to not put others in danger as well, as the bees will go after everyone around you.

Most importantly of all “Don’t wait to take care of a bee hive” Hire a professional to do this work, as you have read, two individuals were put into almost life threatening situations, and our professional Phoenix firemen came to the rescue at potentially the same risk to themselves. It is alarming to me, with the amount of risk that bees can be, how many times I have heard, “oh, yea they have been there for quite a while”. The quicker we respond to a Hive the better, bees get more aggressive when they have a hive to protect, and the larger the hive the more bees there are, of course, however one thing we haven’t mentioned yet, is the honey! With large hives, there is a lot of honey and potentially more damage to the structure to remove this hive, as well as the fact that any left over honey will attract other pests such as ants, cockroaches, more bees and even beetles. Oh and did I mention that if you leave the honey, there is a good chance it will melt, and flood your house with ooehy, gooey, honey, or did I tell you about the time when the honey got rotten and the whole house smelled like rotten “Honey”. You get the picture.

“Bee” Careful: That’s What the Phoenix Fire Department’s Telling Us

Good advice, says Fred Willey, A professional Phoenix Exterminator after he read and viewed the following stories about bee attacks around the Phoenix area.

Five emergency calls in five hours were enough to prompt fire officials here to put out word that bee season has arrived, and that it could be a busy one after a wet winter.

Bees swarm in the spring as groups break away from overcrowded colonies, often setting up hives in places that bring them in contact with people. That’s no small issue with aggressive Africanized honeybees established around Arizona.

This story and the following two stories are typical Calls that our Media has been reporting all year long here in Phoenix, said Fred, and Due to last year’s winter rains there have been a lot of flowers blooming this year from desert areas such as Cave Creek, to downtown Tempe and Mesa, and it’s been a busy season so far, Fred said. When it rains a lot, there’s more pollen and nectar on the plants and that gives the bees a lot of food, which increases the number of swarms. Unfortunately because of the bees had such a successful spring, it can be expected that this fall will be even worse as they prepare for winter time and swarm season is upon us again from here on until we reach the colder winter months.

It is so important that people do exactly what the Phoenix Fire department is saying, BEE Careful, just read these stories, and you will understand why messing with bees is “Not a Do It Yourself Project” you should be attempting.

PHOENIX ? An elderly man is in critical condition after being attacked by a swarm of bees Wednesday as he tried to use a vacuum to suck them up.

At about 6 p.m., the Phoenix Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services said they responded to the scene of the attack near 32nd Street and Indian School Road.Captain Dorian Jackson of the Phoenix Fire Department said the 85-year-old man tried to vacuum the entire hive in a tree outside his home.Jackson said the victim suffered between 50 and 75 stings on his face alone.When firefighters and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they tried to walk with the victim to get him away from the bees, but the bees continued to attack for two-city blocks, according to Dorian. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.Dorian said it’s extremely important that when people come into contact with a hive on their property, they should contact a professional Phoenix Exterminator and not attempt to get rid of the hive themselves.Firefighters used foam to extinguish the bees.The attack was the second time Phoenix firefighters responded to a serious bee attack Wednesday. An 81-year-old woman is also in critical condition after she was attacked by bees near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In Phoenix — Neighbors say 81-year-old Toni Parker, who was attacked by a swarm of angry bees Wednesday, is doing better and hopes to return home soon.

“She’s doing fine, she’s up and alert,” said Debbie Cameron, who called 911. “She’s got a broken leg close to the hip, and she wants to come home already.”

Cameron says she had just returned home when she got a phone message from Parker.

“She must have left her phone on, because all I could hear was this rustling and I knew something was wrong.”

Soon after, Cameron’s mother came in telling her that Parker was being attacked by bees.

Cameron’s mother, MaryLou Cameron, had rushed over but had been stung nearly 12 times trying to get close enough to help her friend.

“As I got closer, she had the blanket pulled back to see who was coming out and all she kept doing was calling ‘help! help!’ … she uncovered her face and there were bees all over her face,” said Cameron.

Three police officers and another person were also stung in the attack.

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was trapped on her back patio at 1 p.m. by the swarm of about 1,000 bees.

The home is near 33rd Avenue and Cactus Road.

In a call to 911, a Cameron told the dispatcher that “Parker’s fallen and bees are attacking her in a swarm.”

“She couldn’t get away,” Cameron told ABC15. “She must’ve slipped and fell … she broke her leg up near her hip.”

Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Dorian Jackson said Parker was stung 300 times.

Three Phoenix police officers tried to help the woman by spraying the bees with fire extinguishers, but Jackson said that appeared to aggravate the bees further.

He said the officers were stung approximately 50 times each.

They were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and refused treatment, according to Jackson. He said one other person was also stung.

Firefighters closed off the street as they tried to locate the hive. Crews used foam to subdue the bees.

As you can read in these media stories, Africanized honeybees are dangerous to humans and pets because they respond aggressively and in large numbers to perceived threats, a trait that makes them far more dangerous than European honeybees.

The so-called killer bees arrived in southern Arizona in 1993 and since have been found in every county. They are descendants of a variety brought to Brazil from Africa in the 1950s by scientists looking for a better honey producer. The bees bred with the local honeybees and began spreading northward.

Africanized bee attacks can be fatal to people, especially the elderly and those who are allergic to bee stings. Dogs are vulnerable because they often are chained or enclosed by fences and can’t get away.

The bees don’t go out looking for trouble with people, but confrontations often occur when someone inadvertently disturbs a hive or decides to destroy the bees without professional help.

Those who are attacked should run away from the bees or get inside buildings, closing doors behind them. Diving into a pool doesn’t help; the bees will wait for a person to surface, and I always tell people ” They have more air than you do, and you can only hold your breath for so long and they will still be there waiting to sting you.”

The best protection is taking steps to avoid provoking bees, such as staying on hiking trails and not trying to take a closer look at a bee hive. Usually curiosity is the biggest cause of bee attack situations. Don’t wear floral scented perfumes when hiking, and if you are attacked by bees ? don’t panic, cover your face, protect your nose and mouth (bees are attracted to your breath and will usually try an sting you around those areas if possible which will cause your airways to swell shut and limit your ability to continue breathing) and run to a protected area such as inside your home, inside a car. It’s better to be in the car with a few bees than out of the car with 50000 bees, just be careful to not put others in danger as well, as the bees will go after everyone around you.

Most importantly of all “Don’t wait to take care of a bee hive” Hire a professional to do this work, as you have read, two individuals were put into almost life threatening situations, and our professional Phoenix firemen came to the rescue at potentially the same risk to themselves. It is alarming to me, with the amount of risk that bees can be, how many times I have heard, “oh, yea they have been there for quite a while”. The quicker we respond to a Hive the better, bees get more aggressive when they have a hive to protect, and the larger the hive the more bees there are, of course, however one thing we haven’t mentioned yet, is the honey! With large hives, there is a lot of honey and potentially more damage to the structure to remove this hive, as well as the fact that any left over honey will attract other pests such as ants, cockroaches, more bees and even beetles. Oh and did I mention that if you leave the honey, there is a good chance it will melt, and flood your house with ooehy, gooey, honey, or did I tell you about the time when the honey got rotten and the whole house smelled like rotten “Honey”. You get the picture.

Reported Rosie Huntington-whiteley: Let’s Get Saucy

It’s December and we’re only one days away from Christmas D-Day. Which means, of course, that lingerie sales are booming. At Selfridges alone, the average spend on luxury lingerie has gone up 16% on last year, and Harrods, too, reports double-digit growth over the same period. All of which means that the man in your life may well be hoping that, once you’ve unwrapped his gift, you’ll end up under the Christmas tree looking something like ? well, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, most likely. Don’t panic, though. Rosie, 22, one of the faces of Victoria’s Secret, has a few tricks up her sleeve. Having recently returned from strutting her stuff down the runway for the lingerie label’s annual fashion show (one of the most watched events on US television after the Super Bowl ? check it out online at vsallaccess.com), she is also one of the stars next year of the infamous Pirelli calendar. “I do believe in chicken fillets,” she says. “I’m not saying you have to use them, but if anyone knows me and sees me in a photoshoot, well, there are friends in there. I’m not a fan of that whole push-up look in the day. But, of course, you do need a lift with a sexy dress, so do what you’ve got to do, girls ? shove them in there.

I’ve been known to have three in at a time for shoots ? plus padding.” Feel better, yet? Possibly just as surprising is Rosie’s admission that “I don’t wear bras that often. If I do, I don’t like push-up bras ? though they’re fun for the bedroom, I think”. Ah yes, the boudoir. Rosie has other tips for that, too. Licking your lips, she says, is always a turn-on, and if you want to know how best to pose in your scanties, just flick through the Victoria’s Secret catalogue. “As a model, you learn how to use your body and how to make people believe something. So I know how to do sexy: there’s the arched back, bum out, hands on the hips pose. That’s sexy in one way, though there are a lot of different ways to be sexy.” In order to look your best in your (nearly) altogether, she recommends hitting the fake tan beforehand (maybe you should book in for a spray tan before December 25, just in case). “I won’t do a lingerie shoot unless I’m tanned,” Rosie says. “I think most women will admit that they look better when they’re brown. I fake tan ? but I don’t recommend sunbeds ? and at work, they’ll put body make-up on.” Indeed, her fellow VS babe Selita Ebanks confessed to wearing “about 20 layers of make-up on my butt alone” for her walk down the runway. Other things guaranteed to make our Rosie feel sexy include good hair (remember that VS catalogue ? where would they be without a glossy mane?). “A really good tip for confidence is a good haircut,” she says. “George Northwood at Daniel Hersheson is the best. For me, my hair is important before everything. Good sexy bedroom hair should be just a little tousled, nothing too neat.

Also, drink a big bottle of water every day, as it will take away puffiness ? Fiji is best. Everybody rolls their eyes at this tip, but it does work ? water is the drug of God, that’s what I say.” So what kind of undies is Rosie partial to? “I never match my underwear. It has to go together ? it can’t be completely different ? but it’s frustrating when you buy a set of lingerie and you can only buy one bra and one pair of matching pants. I’d like several pairs of knickers. “It’s important to have good lingerie under your clothes, it makes you feel good,” she continues. “If you put a designer top on over a skanky pair of knickers and an old bra, you’re not going to feel fabulous. It also shows self-respect.” She likes “girlie stuff, but I’m partial to a bit of suspender, too”. So does she, like most women, like to be given underwear as a gift? “Oh, yes,” she says. “It’s quite a sensual gift and quite sweet for a man to give it ? even though it’s obviously saying something. But it’s also them showing you what they think you look good in.” Shane Watson loves them I love these knickers. They remind me of Keira Knightley in Atonement, Kim Basinger in LA Confidential, Helmut Newton models striking poses in darkened alleyways, Vargas girls and Marilyn Monroe ? in other words, they’re smoking sexy. Not sexy like Tiger’s club of kiss’n'tell hostesses, but properly, sensually sexy. You can’t begin to see their appeal if you call them big pants. Let’s not.

Let’s call them tush tamers, or Hollywood knickers or cocktail panties ? something that does justice to their slinky, lingerie quality. They are smooth, sculpted, deliciously slithery undies from the same stable as French knickers and the satin petticoat. You don’t bung them on under your jeans and flannel shirt, you wear them with suspenders and stockings, or under a trench coat with heels if you’re really going for it. And they’re designed to make you feel like a seductress, not a sex worker ? because we have plenty of undies that fit that description, let’s face it. Which is precisely why Hollywood knickers are so perfect for now. Enough, already, with the plastic breasts and crotchless G-strings of the Tiger Wags. These Hollywoods have Alice Dellal written all over them (who’ll wear them out with hold-ups, lace-up boots and a leather jacket). They are so Sienna Miller in After Miss Julie, or on a date with Jude. Sexy needn’t mean tight and teeny-weeny, you know. It never does for men. Matt Rudd endures This is a trap, isn’t it? Do I think big pants are a good thing? It’s the does-my-bum-look-big-in-this question couched in a more obvious, more tempting, more dangerous way. I’m itching to say: “No, love. Of course they aren’t. Big pants are hideous. Get back in your lacy G-string and let’s hear nothing more about it.”

But I know what will happen then. You’ll accuse me of objectification. You’ll say you’re not a prostitute and you don’t see why you should wear dental floss all day purely for my edification. So I won’t say it. I’ll lie through my teeth and say I love those enormous pants that make your bottom look like two watermelons in a parachute. For clarification, it’s not only G-strings. All pants are fine: sporty ones, unsporty ones, slips, panties, hose, frilly, nonfrilly, cotton, silk ? all of them, even the ones with holes in. Especially the ones with holes in. It’s just that big pants ? really big ones ? are, well, too big. It’s not just that they leave everything to our imagination (never a good idea), but also that they make us think of our grannies. Which is Oedipus squared and not very sexy. Put yourself in our pants: you wouldn’t like it if we started walking around in Y-fronts up to our necks, Frank Skinner-style, would you? HEAVAGE The first clue was the announcement last year by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons that the number of pectoral implants had tripled. Then it was the championing of Russell Brand as a modern sex god. Followed by pictures of Simon Cowell, Jude Law and Ed Westwick unbuttoned down the front. Yes, ladies, male cleavage is having a moment. You thought it was only Enrique Iglesias who could get away with showing a little rug? Think again. Male cleavage ? or heavage, as we shall now call it ? is back in fashion. Unlike the chest rug of the 1970s, heavage is all about tone and pertness. Those interested should try channelling it with a pale, deep V-neck T-shirt or a crisp, standard white shirt, unbuttoned as far as you dare. Going commando under a V-neck jersey,