MATTHEWS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – North Carolina mosquito season typically falls between April and October.

Still, with a much warmer winter than usual, the bugs are expected to come out much earlier this year.

“My phone has just been buzzing off the hook because people are already seeing mosquitos,” owner of Queen Bee Mosquito Control Keenan McGrath said.

As a business owner in a male-dominated industry, McGrath proudly displays her femininity.

“More than anything in life, I always wanted to be the queen of the Azalea festival and ride on a float with a crown and a sash and wave at everybody,” she said. “I did three pageants in college and lost spectacularly, and I realized that no one is ever going to give me a crown, so I decided I might just have to buy my own float and crown myself.”

The former beauty contestant and PR professional recently made a career change after a push from her brother.

Instead of joining his mosquito control business, she started her own, crowning herself the queen bee.

“I thought, ‘well, a queen bee sounds cute,’ there isn’t a queen mosquito. So, that’s how we got queen bee,” McGrath said. “I buy a new crown every season and sew it onto my little hat myself. So, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be glamourous and accessorized and an exterminator.”

With mosquito season expected to come early in the Carolinas this year, McGrath is preparing for her seasonal business to take off.

The one this she is missing; is her staff.

“I am kind of in full throttle here for hiring,” she said.

McGrath is not looking for any applicants to join her business; she’s making a plea for women to apply.

“Would love any qualified applicants, but a tree bee hive is made up of a queen bee and her worker bees, and all worker bees are female,” she said. “I would just love to be able to have other women helping me build this business together and help me break out of the typical mold.”