How Not to Get Rid of Bees

I got a call from a vendor whom I had sent out on a bee extermination call. He wanted to let me know that this was not your average call. The homeowner had apparently been dealing with these bees for several weeks, if not more.

When the vendor asked the homeowner where the problem was, he was told that the bees had gotten in between the door frame and the siding, but the homeowner had caulked it up. So Ed, the vendor, started pulling away the caulk. Sure enough, bees started coming out. Ed explained to me that when bees start to burrow in, you can't caulk them in, because they will eat their way out another place, such as through the drywall to your home, through the studs, or through another hole in the frame of the door, like they did here.

As Ed was pulling away the caulk, he noticed a piece of paper towel. The homeowner told him that he had originally tried to stop the bees from getting in by putting the paper towel in the hole, but that didn't work, that's why he caulked it. Ok, so the homeowner was trying to handle the problem himself instead of calling us. Nice try.

Ed continued to pull the caulk away and found more paper towels, then he pulled out a piece of newspaper. Ed was getting increasingly frustrated at this point, which is why he called me. He was even more frustrated, unfortunately, when I started laughing uncontrollably as he explained what happened next.

Ed continued spraying the area for the bees and continued to pull out the caulk along with a sock, more paper towels, another sock, and finally, a hunk of 2 x 4. Unfortunately, I added fuel to the fire by laughing so hard. All I could think of was the clown that keeps pulling the handkerchiefs out of his pocket. Anyway, Ed got all the bees, repaired the damage, and the homeowner learned a very valuable lesson about trying to do things on his own. Some people are just more Tim Taylor than Bob Villa. Ed still cringes every time he gets a work order from me.

My Neighbor Says I Can't Smoke in My Own Home!

I got a call from a distressed homeowner. She just moved into her condo and was unsure about the rules. She said her neighbor was upset at her for smoking. She said the man really just doesn't like her and is going to report her to us. Therefore, she wanted to find out what the rules are. I explained the rules about no smoking in common areas. She said she wasn't; she was smoking in her condo. The neighbor complained that when she smoked in her condo, he could smell the smoke in his. (this is highly unlikely due to the way the condos are built). She went on to say that this guy really just didn't like her and was mean and unfriendly from the day she moved in.

I explained to her that I had not gotten any calls of complaint about her and also shared that many people are afraid of change and it takes them a while to get used to new people or events. She felt better about that, but insisted that he was going to call the Village and file a complaint about her and wanted to know what to do if that happened. I explained that he was unlikely to do that, but if he did, she shouldn't worry. If he called the Village asking them to tell her that she couldn't smoke in her home, they would just laugh at him and tell him that he couldn't dance naked in front of his mirror. This made her laugh and relieved some of her stress. According to her, I made her day. I never heard anything more from either homeowner.