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| West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Assistant Quan Vong vacuums a nest of bees behind the Elks Club in Ontario. Diana Mulvihill • Special Info: What to do with problem bees |
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Vector control assistants take sting out of bee seasonBy JOE FLORKOWSKI, STAFF WRITERONTARIO - Quan Vong received a painful lesson on the
perils of bee removal during his first week on the job last
year.
Vong, a control assistant with the West Valley Mosquito and
Vector Control District, removed his protective headgear too
soon while removing a bee hive one day last summer.
Ouch!
But being stung is sort of a badge of honor, Vong said
Friday as he was called to 12 locations throughout Chino and
Ontario to remove bees.
"Doing this you have to be stung once," Vong said.
Since then, Vong has only been stung one other time -- when
a wayward bee somehow got inside his protective suit.
He's more careful now, especially this time of year.
Beginning in spring, vector control districts across the
Inland Valley report an increasing number of service calls as
bees come out for the warmer weather.
"(Calls) are exploding now," Vong said.
Removing bees can be tough, hot work. Vong wears heavy
protective gear, and lugs along heavy equipment as he responds
to various calls across the Inland Valley.
Try as he might, Vong can't always help people with their
problems.
For instance, on Friday, Vong responded to an Ontario call
for service on Campus Avenue near Holt Avenue, but found he
could not remove a bee hive because it was in the branches of a
tree, 25 feet off the ground. He will recommend the homeowner
contact a pest control service to remove the hive.
At his next stop, Vong was more successful.
He removed a hive of bees near the back door of the Ontario
Elks club.
Using a vacuum, Vong sucked up hundreds of bees into a
bucket. He then sprayed Raid on the hive site to prevent bees
from coming back. Later, he will place dry ice into the bucket
of bees to kill them.
After informing the Elks members about the bee problem, Vong
moved on to the Ontario home of Jovita Yu.
At Yu's home, bees had swarmed around a trash can in her
back yard.
Vong sprayed a soapy chemical mixture on the trash can to
kill the bees on the outside. He then rolled the trash can into
the sun and taped the can closed.
Within a week, the heat should kill the bees inside the can,
Vong told Yu.
Yu said she discovered hundreds of bees in her back yard
Thursday.
"I'm relieved," Yu said. "I'm scared of bees."
At Vong's next stop in Chino, he made it to a house that had
reported a bee problem earlier in the week.
However, a neighbor told him the bees had already moved on,
which happens often, Vong said.
As Vong neared the end of the day, he guessed that he might
remain on bee patrol for the near future.
"I think they're going to make me the bee guy," Vong said.
• Special Info: What to do with problem bees
Joe Florkowski can be reached by e-mail joe.florkowski@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9391.
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