Hazardous to remove beehives in the day

The best time to exterminate bees is at dusk, said two pest-busters that The New Paper spoke to.

Mr Carl Baptista, a former pest control technician and now director of Origin Exterminators, said that doing so in the day is hazardous as it is when bees forage for food.

The bees are outside their hives and can easily notice human activity around their abode, stinging anyone who poses a threat.

Mr Baptista, 38, said: "Sadly, most clients are unaware of this.

"They often request for an immediate extermination lest the bees pose a threat to the public, regardless of the time of the day.

"What they do not realise however, is that the pest control worker's life may in turn be endangered."

Mr Nor Afendi Shan Min, senior manager for operations at PestBusters, agreed with Mr Baptista.

He said that there is "definitely a lot less risk of being attacked by the bees", in the evening or at night.

Around noon on Nov 6, pest controller Mr Mohd Sallehen, in his 30s, was attacked by a swarm from a beehive he was planning to remove at Sherwood Road in Tanglin. He was stung before he could get his protective gear on, and later died.

It is not clear if his was the first bee-attack death here.

A National University Hospital spokesman said Mr Sallehen's death could be due to anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction to bee venom. Bee stings release pheromones, a chemical that attracts other bees, which can compound an attack.

But hornets are more dangerous than bees because they can sting multiple times.

AVOIDING STINGS

Mr Larry Qwek, 64, a pest controller at Origin Exterminators with over four years of experience, has avoided stings despite having removed tens of hornet nests and beehives.

He attributes this to preparation as his team checks the site carefully before every operation.

Mr Baptista said: "Anyway, both bee and hornet stings sustained during jobs are rare."

Mr Afendi attributed the low incident rate to the protective clothing many companies require their workers to don.

Mr Baptista agreed - his first work injuries were two stings, one on each arm.

He was dressed in protective gear and had nearly 10 years of experience then. Mr Baptista said he had been tasked to remove a beehive from a 2m-tall tree.

He said: "I carelessly missed out the other side of the beehive. So when I sprayed the hive with insecticide, the bees escaped from the other side and stung me."

He now bears a 10-cent coin sized scar on his right arm, a reminder to the lesson learnt.

weejl@sph.com.sg

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