Bees! Did exterminator lie to me?

Question

I live in an apartment and two days ago, while I was outside sweeping my balcony, I noticed a swarm of bees on the side of the building. Some of them were swarming around outside and some were going into a vent in the wall. Since I'm terrified of bees (I've been stung before and had an allergic reaction), I immediately called the property manager and she called an exterminator. While waiting for the exterminator to show up, I talked to one of my neighbors who lives in the same building and she told me that she'd seen bees inside her apartment just a couple of hours before. So I'm assuming that the vent that the bees were entering leads inside of the apartments in the building. The exterminator arrived within the hour and when I spoke with him, he told me that he'd spray some type of "fog" that would kill them. But he told me that it would take three to five days before they'd be gone! Since then, I've talked to a coworker who once had a bee problem and she told me that her problem was eradicated within a few hours! I've also done some research and found out that even if all the bees are killed, there will be problems in the future with other bee swarms being drawn to that same area if the honeycomb (assuming these are honeybees) isn't removed. The exterminator didn't mention anything to me about doing any kind of follow-up to remove any honeycombs. I'm just wondering if the exterminator didn't do a good job because the problem wasn't taken care of within a few hours and because I don't think he's planning any follow-up treatment. Or is my landlord being too cheap to pay for a thorough job? I need to know if I should complain to the property manager -- or what I should do.

Update:

Just to add a bit of information -- the bee problem was reported only a matter of a few hours after it started. Bees had been getting into my neighbor's apartment for just a couple of hours and I had been outside earlier that very same day and there were no bees in the area. Between the time that there were no bees at all and the time that I was outside and noticed them was a time period of about four hours.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

From the information that you provided the bees were still testing out the wall cavities to see if it was a good place for them to build a hive thats why you were finding them in side they test air drift and enter cracks and holes to see we're they lead. Its good that he treated the area before the swarm had moved in other wise you would have had the future problem if the bees had built a nest in the wall they would be a scent of honey that attracts future swarms the the area which means the access vents and hole that lead to that area would need to be blocked  but in this case the pest controller got them before the problem got worse. Don't worry the bees won't be back to that area but some times they start testing a different part of the building he should have treated the roof and wall cavities around the building to stop them testing the building. See what happens if you see them around another area then call him back the treat the whole building to stop them. I'm a bee keeper and pest controller that loves my bees
I placed a link that might help check it out

Anonymous · Answer

Hello :) Question: can you hear the bees in the vent, or have you seen any hanging around? if not then it the stuff the guy used most probably worked. i live on the edge of a gully and had a huge bee problem  under ground, (got stung about 3 times) :/ anyway i used the fumes from an empty petrol can and the next day they were all gone and haven't been back since. so i don't think that more bees will turn up. another question how long were they there before you complained? that will be a factor in whether there is a hive in there. if your still not sure then i would definitely talk to your land lord again and get it check out just to ensure there isn't any.
Good luck, i hope it goes well for you. :):):):):):):)

Lar · Answer

every bee treatment can be difefrent even using the same products... if it is an established nest, been there for weeks, a number of the brood cells will be covered with wax, protected from the insecticides used, if it was able to get to the nest to begin with,  activity can continue for while and if the queen wasn't killed or enough of the workers killed off they can continue on maybe finding a new entry / exit point. With the situation of the established colony there is a chance of lots of honey and wax that would need to be removed, most exterminators do not do that part of the job. If the bees have just moved in, very possible they survivors will bug out after the one treatment and problem solved within a few hours and no honey left behind..very possible your co-worker who had a quick treatment actually had wasps rather than honey bees, most people I talk to group them in all together.

Think Different · Answer

'If the bees were swarming than they shouldn't have any honey comb they are moving from a previous location. Because not all the bees are in the one location (some are out scouting or gathering) their will be strays that had not been affected by the spray. That is probably why you need to wait a few days. With out a queen the remainder will not survive long. When they return the spray will get them or they will die naturally.

Redneck Texan · Answer

I am sure that they all lied to you just for the fun of it.  Why should you trust anyone that comes out to your home and does the job they are asked to do.  Just because the exterminator does this type of work all the time and has a lot of experience doesn't mean anything.

Metalplanttag · Answer

Who is paying the exterminator?  that person needs to follow up about any other work that may need to be done.  You can follow up by asking your building manager.

robin y · Answer

the exterminator knows his job, Have faith and try and be patient

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Bees! Did exterminator lie to me?

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