How To Get Rid Of Honey Bees – The honey bee, Apis mellifera (L.), is our most useful insect. We must do everything we can to protect bee colonies that are pollinators for many of our home and commercially grown fruits and vegetables. The annual contribution of honeybees to food production in the United States is estimated to be 10 billion dollars. Honeybees are important as primary pollinators of almonds, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, lingonberries, cucumbers, forage crops, kiwifruit, squash and watermelons. Annual cash receipts of commercially grown apples, cantaloupes, cucumbers and watermelons in South Carolina are estimated at $25 million.

In South Carolina, there are about 2,500 beekeepers who keep bees for pleasure and for profit. They manage about 30,000 honey bee colonies that produce 1.2 million pounds of surplus honey annually in addition to the pollination service that many take for granted.

How To Get Rid Of Honey Bees

As good citizens, we should do everything we can to save bee colonies that become a problem in structural walls, but there are many cases where this is not possible. If a local beekeeper cannot be found to take the bees, the property owner has every right to treat honeybees as pests, especially when human health is threatened. Some basic knowledge about honey bees and their activities is necessary before attempting to remove honey bee colonies from structures:

How To Get Rid Of Hive Beetles

If a property owner suspects that a honey bee colony has entered the wall of a structure, he/she should attempt to confirm that the insects are indeed honey bees. Other possible insects that can invade the wall of structures are carpenter bees, yellow jackets or European hornets. Honeybees range in color from yellow to black, have black or brown bands across their abdomens, and are much smaller than a carpenter bee. Honey bees are about 2/3 inch long and their bodies are covered with setae or hairs. The foraging honey bees will have pollen baskets on each hind leg which will often be loaded with a ball of yellow or dark green pollen. The honey bee is the only stinging insect that can normally overwinter as a colony inside the wall of a structure in South Carolina.

The carpenter bee can be identified by having bright yellow, orange or white hairs on the thorax and a shiny black abdomen on the dorsal side. Carpenter bees are robust, heavy bees that range from 3/4 to 1 inch in length. These insects bore half inch wide holes that appear to be perfectly round on exterior wood surfaces.

Yellow jackets lack the dense body hairs found on carpenter bees and honey bees. The searching yellow jackets do not have the pollen baskets on their hind legs. The yellow jacket is about 0.5 inches long and the belly is characterized by having alternating yellow and black bands. European hornets are much larger (1.5 inches long) than honeybees and sometimes establish colonies within structural walls.

NOTE: The property owner must first decide whether to seek out a professional to carry out the work. Some beekeepers have a lot of experience with honey bee removal and will remove the bees for a fee, but sometimes a carpenter will be needed to help reconstruct the wall. If you do not know a local beekeeper, you should call your university cooperation office, which may have a list of local beekeepers. Some pest control companies also have employees trained in bee removal.

How To Humanely Remove A Beehive From Your Yard

The honey bee colony should be rescued alive if possible, but sometimes this is not practical. Honey bee swarms that have recently entered the wall of a structure, say a day or so ago, are often exterminated by injecting a pesticide recommended for bee control into the cavity. The bees should not have had time to construct a significant amount of comb, produce a lot of brood, or store a lot of honey unless a very strong nectar flow is underway. Remember that if the bees have stored a lot of honey in the wall and you kill the colony with a pesticide, the honey will be contaminated with the pesticide. Foraging bees from another nearby managed or wild bee colony will be attracted to the honey in the wall and may cause other unnecessary colony deaths. To avoid this problem, caulk or place window screening at all potential entrances to the wall cavity such as knot holes and cracks in siding. This will prevent another swarm from entering the same cavity next swarm season as well. An unpleasant smell can be expected for several weeks in the vicinity of the rotting bees if removal is not carried out.

When the bees have been setting up housekeeping for more than a few days, the job often becomes more difficult. Sometimes a lot of comb (beeswax), brood and honey is stored in the wall of a structure. Simply injecting a pesticide into the wall to kill the bees and leave is risky. The comb will attract wax moths and mice for nesting sites. The honey will attract ants and other insects and can seep through the wall or ceiling when the comb melts in hot weather, causing extensive damage.

A term called “neutralization” is necessary to get the job done right and avoid problems down the road. Neutralization involves the complete physical removal of all bees (dead or alive), comb and honey from the wall after eradication to prevent future infestations. The removal process should be planned when no people or pets are in the immediate vicinity. A good washing down of the cavity with soapy water is recommended to remove all odors from the previous colony. If possible, it is a good idea to leave the empty area open for a couple of weeks to allow drying and the disappearance of colony odors. Filling the void before the wall is closed with spray foam insulation or fiberglass batt will prevent the room from recolonizing.

Depending on the exterior wall construction, the neutralization process may need to be carried out inside the structure, although removal of the exterior wall is preferred in most cases. The dimensions of the wall space occupied by the bee colony can normally be examined late in the evening by careful heat and noise observations. A stethoscope is a handy device to have when inspecting the size of the colony. An outline of the colony can be identified by listening carefully for a drastic reduction in the humming sound created by the bees. A light pressure on the wall surface with a screwdriver or hammer will raise the noise intensity.

What Kills Wasps And Bees Instantly?

A list of suggested equipment needed to rescue a bee colony alive from a structural wall is listed below:

Most of the equipment listed above can be purchased at hardware stores, but the specialized equipment for working around honey bees cannot be found locally in many areas of our state. There are a few local beekeeper dealers in South Carolina that can be found in the yellow pages, or you can ask a beekeeper for references. Two beekeeping supply mail order companies that will send you a free catalog are listed below:

Removal of established bee colonies from structure walls can be made more comfortable by scheduling the job at the time of year when bee populations are low, a minimum of stored honey is present and the bees are less defensive. Early spring before the nectar flows have begun is the best time of year for bee removal in South Carolina. Another preferred time of year is late autumn or on a mild winter day.

Another suggestion for removing bees from a structural wall is to remove parts of the exterior wall and disturb the colony during extremely cold temperatures. Honey bees cannot fly below freezing, and the bees will normally die from exposure. The neutralization process can be completed much faster under cold temperatures. Remember – while bees may not be able to fly in cold weather, they can sometimes crawl and sting.

Will Bees In Trees Go Away On Their Own?

Exterior stucco, brick or cement walls make normal removal impossible, especially if interior wall accessibility is not an option. It is recommended to trap bees out of the wall with “one-way bee escape removal” if a property owner is in no rush to have the colony removed. The process will take about 2-3 months and is sometimes not successful unless careful attention to detail is followed. The comb will remain in the wall and will attract another swarm in the future unless preventive measures are taken.

The cone-shaped one-way bee escape is constructed of window screen with the large end attached over the primary bee entrance. It is important that any other cracks or holes leading to the bee colony are sealed or your efforts will fail. A hive body with a new queen bee inside is placed on the platform with the entrance as close to the main entrance as possible. Returning bees will fly to the bottom of the cone-shaped bee escape and will not be able to re-enter the wall. Eventually, the forager bees will succeed in gaining access to the adjacent hive. Periodic checks to ensure that the bees have not entered the wall are necessary.

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