Sighting a bee is considered a good omen. These hardworking, productive creatures symbolize good fortune in almost every culture.
But sighting too many bees too often and too close to your home can be a cause of worry.
A bee’s sting can be extremely painful, even fatal if you’re allergic to bee venom. As such, a bee infestation puts you and your family at big risk.
But how do you tell normal bee activity in your area from an infestation? When should you start looking for bee control? Here are your answers…
3 signs of a bee infestation
1. Increased bee sightings
One of the most obvious signs of a bee infestation is increased bee activity. Single-digit sightings during the warmer months aren’t usually a cause of worry. But if the average number of bees you see in and around your home increases suddenly, you should be concerned.
Seeing 10-12 honey bees a day on a regular basis instead of the usual 5-6 typically indicates there’s a bee hive close by.
Notes:
- Bees hibernate during the winters.
- They’re most active during the spring and summer seasons.
- In warmer regions, you may spot them around even well into fall.
- In regions with freezing winters, you’re unlikely to see bee activity during the winters except on the rare sunny days.
2. Increased bee buzz
It’s easy to miss bees as they fly by. The buzzing sound they make, however, is almost impossible to miss. Drastically increased bee buzz is a good indicator of bee infestations.
3. Mystery dark spots
Spotted any mystery dark spots on the walls or ceilings recently? If you have, you could have an active beehive in your living space. When honey bees store honey in the cells of their nests, some of it usually seeps into the surroundings. This is what creates the dark spots.
The seeping honey can irreversibly damage materials such as drywall and wood. In addition, it can attract insects and rodents to your property. So, if you spot any dark spots in your home, immediately inspect them. If it’s an active beehive, you might want to contact a professional bee removal near you.
I can see the signs of bee infestation; now what?
Your first step should be searching your property for the beehive. The increased bee activity you’ve noticed might be due to foraging bees who’ve built a nest on a neighbor’s property.
You don’t need to call in bee catchers to look for a beehive. You would do well, however, to don overalls or coveralls for the task. Here are some useful tips:
- If you’ve noticed any dark spots, search the other side of the surface.
- Paying attention to the bees’ travel routes can lead you to the hive. A bee that’s just fed from a flower will likely lead you straight to the hive. If you can’t spot a feeding spot, follow a bee. Tail it from a safe distance.
- Avoid quick movements. A stumble or fall can cause you to panic the bees, provoking them to attack.
- Once you’ve spotted the beehive, click some clear pictures. If you choose to call in bee catchers, the pictures will give them a good idea of what to expect.
When should you call the professionals?
Before you start looking for a live bee removal or bee relocation service near you, do this:
- Verify whether the bee hive is active
Foraging bees can sometimes be drawn to an old or inactive hive.
The golden rule is to observe the hive for some time from a safe spot. Active bee hives are busy spots.
You’ll witness plenty of bees moving in and out of it. If there’s no visible bee movement even after watching for a while, retry the following day.
Bees are most active during early afternoon and usually stop foraging close to the sunset. Revisit the hive during their active hours.
If you observe regular movement of bees in the hive, it’s safe to assume it is an active one. Don’t get too close to the hive or try to damage it, even if you’re sure it’s inactive.
- Check if you’re dealing with stingless bees
There are at least 4 species of stingless bees in Central America. These bees have small stingers that are typically ineffective as a means of attack. If you live in Central America and have stingless bees on your property, you might just want to leave them be.
If the hive is located in an isolated part of your property with no risk of damage, there’s no real need for bee removal.
If, on the other hand, you’re faced with an active hive built by bee species that do sting, it’s time to start looking for beekeepers near you.
Which type of bee control service should you use?
When it comes to bee control, there are two broad types of professional services you can rely on:
- Local beekeepers
There are many hobbyist and professional beekeepers that offer free bee removal services. Some are just happy to acquire a new colony of honey producing bees. Others are interested in bee preservation and provide an alternative to bee killers.
You can easily find beekeepers that offer free bee removal near you by searching online. Simply include your city/postal code during the online search.
- Bee exterminators
Professional bee killers or exterminators use specially designed chemicals to kill the bees. Most exterminators have different chemical sprays for different bee species.
Some bee exterminators remove the bees and relocate them to a safe spot instead of killing them.
What does a beekeeper or exterminator do?
The process depends on the type of bee control that you require. These are:
- Bee swarm removal
Sometimes, bees whose nest has been destroyed travel together in search of a new nesting place. Bees in a swarm carry honey in their stomachs. As such, they’re very docile and the safest to remove.
Beekeepers remove swarms using a breathable wood or cardboard box. Once near the swarm site, the beekeeper will don protective clothes and place the box on a light-colored sheet. He/she will then start moving the bees to the box.
The beekeeper’s primary focus is locating the queen bee. Once he/she has moved the queen bee into the box, the rest of the bees typically follow on their own. After the queen is safe inside the box, the beekeeper will wait till sunset. This will ensure no wandering bees are left behind.
At this point, the beekeeper will safely close the box and transport it to his/her apiary.
- Bee colony removal
Removing an established bee colony is more complicated than removing a swarm. Bees are highly protective of their colonies and can attack at the slightest provocation.
The first step of removing a bee colony is removing every living person (including pets) from the site. You’ll be advised to stay indoors in a closed room while the professionals remove the colony.
Bee exterminators start by using chemical sprays to kill the bees. Once all visible bees are dead, they proceed to remove the nest and dispose of it.
Beekeepers use different bee removal methods to remove the hive based on the type of bees. These can range from bee traps (for carpenter bees) to vacuuming the hive to remove the bees to a bottle or box.
The most common way is manually removing the hive, along with the queen bee to a breathable box. The beekeeper then waits for the rest of the bees to follow the queen before removing the box containing the nest from your property.
How to pick the right bee removal service?
A lot of bee societies, beekeepers and exterminators offer to remove the bees for free. Their motivations range from conservation and acquiring new bees for their apiaries to collecting honey. And then there are paid bee removal services.
Don’t pick a professional based only on the cost. There are two big reasons why you should be careful which bee removal service to trust:
- The free live bee removal near you may lack the necessary expertise and skills for safely removing the bees. This can lead to getting stung, bees left behind and damage to health and property caused by improper use of pesticides.
- The bee removal service may not actually do what it claims. You may want the bees to be removed without being harmed. If you hire a service that lacks the required expertise, they can end up killing the bees in the act of removing them.
Make sure to check out the bee removal service’s website, social media pages, or beekeeping association given below state-wise. Look for their experience in the field and customers’ reviews. Skilled professionals usually have proper uniforms with the company’s name on them – a simple way to tell if a service is trustworthy.
Don’t forget to inquire if they offer guarantees regarding their services.
Bees can be a big problem, but so can an inept bee removal service. Using the tips included in this article will help you find the right bee exterminator or local beekeeper near you, get rid of your bee problem in a safe, swift and cost-effective way.
Find Local Beekeepers in Your State
- Alabama
Eastern Alabama Honey Bee Removal
Contact: southeastbeeremoval.com/contact
Alabama Beekeepers Association – alabamabeekeepers.com
2. Alaska
SABA Beekeepers – sababeekeepers.com
3. Arizona
Bee Removal Mesa AZ – theazbeehive.com
Beekeepers Association Central Arizona – azbeekeepers.org
4. Arkansas
Arkansas Beekeepers Association – arbeekeepers.org
5. California
California State Beekeepers Association – californiastatebeekeepers.com
Bee Removal Los Angeles – beecassolivebeeremoval.com
6. Colorado
Colorado State Beekeepers Association – coloradobeekeepers.org/resources/structural-beehive-removal
7. Connecticut
Richland Pest and Bee Control – richlandpestbee.com/stinging-insect-control/bees
8. Delaware
Honeybee Swarm Removal in Delaware – delawarebeekeepers.com/services.html
9. District of Columbia
DC Beekeepers Alliance – http://www.dcbeekeepers.org/have-swarm-bees
10. Florida
Bee Rescue Foundation Of Florida – beerescuefoundationofflorida.com
Orlando Bee Removal – orlandobeeremovalexpert.com
11. Georgia
Georgia Bee Removal – gabeeremoval.com
12. Hawaii
Hawaii Bee Hotline – hawaiibeehotline.com
13. Idaho
Idaho Bee Removal – idahobeeremoval.com
Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club – idabees.org
14. Illinois
Illinois State Beekeepers Association – ilsba.com
Chicago Honey Co-op – chicagohoneycoop.com/beekeepers-who-remove-honey-be
15. Iowa
Iowa City Bee Removal – adkinsbeeremoval.com/iowa-city.php
16. Kansas
Kansas City Bee Removal – brsr.org/kansas-city-bee-removal
17. Kentucky
Kentucky State Beekeepers Association – kybees.org
Kentuckiana Beekeepers Association – https://www.kyanabees.com/swarm-hive-removal
18. Louisiana
Louisiana Beekeepers Association – Honeybee Removal
19. Maine
Maine Wildlife Management – mainewildman.com/honey-bee-swarm-removal-maine
20. Maryland
Maryland State Beekeepers Association – https://www.mdbeekeepers.org/swarms/
Bee Infestation Services in Baltimore, Maryland – https://www.allstarpestmanagement.com/pest-control/bees/
21. Massachusetts
Bee Removal Service – https://www.beverlybees.com/bee-removal-service/
Bee Schools and Bee removal – https://www.massbee.org/links/
22. Michigan
Kalamazoo Bee Club – https://kalamazoobeeclub.com/swarm-removal/
Michigan Beekeepers Association – http://www.michiganbees.org/swarm-removal/swarm-removal-map/
23. Minnesota
EcoTech Insect & Pest Control – https://www.greenmnpest.com/pest-control/wasps-bees/
24. Mississippi
Mississippi Beekeepers Association – https://mshoneybee.org/
Memphis Area Beekeepers Association – https://memphisbeekeepers.com/
25. Missouri
Missouri State Beekeepers Association – http://mostatebeekeepers.org/bee-swarms/
KC Bee Removal – https://kcbeeremoval.com/
26. Montana
Adkins Bee Removal – https://www.adkinsbeeremoval.com/montana.php
MW Wildlife and Pest Control Services – https://mwpestprofessionals.com/s/mt/bee-and-wasp-control/bee-removal
27. Nebraska
Omaha Bee Club – https://www.omahabeeclub.com/bee-removals
Gretna Pest Control – https://www.spidexx.com/nebraska/areas-we-serve/gretna-ne/
28. Nevada
Bee & Beehive Removal In Las Vegas – https://tomsbeehives.com/bee-removal-las-vegas.html
Beemaster LV – https://beemasterlv.com
29. New Hampshire
White Mountain Apiary – https://www.whitemountainapiary.com/live-been-removal
30. New Jersey
Horizon Pest Control – https://www.horizonpestcontrol.com/residential/bees/
Bee Control in NJ – https://njpest.com/pest_control_nj.asp?pest_id=18
31. North Carolina
Bee Safe Bee Removal – https://www.beesafebeeremoval.com/bee-removal-charlotte/
Urban Wildlife and Bee Removal – https://www.urbanwildlifeandbeeremoval.com/
32. North Dakota
North Dakota Beekeepers Association – https://www.ndbeekeepers.org/
Bohlman Pest Control – https://www.bohlmanpest.com/bees-and-wasps
33. Ohio
Cleveland Bee Removal – https://www.clevelandbeeremoval.com/
Ohio State Beekeepers Association – https://ohiostatebeekeepers.org/swarm-removal/
34. Oklahoma
Oklahoma Wildlife Solutions LLC – https://www.oklahomawildlifesolutions.com/honeybee-removal-capture-extractions/
Central Oklahoma Beekeepers Association, LLC (COBA) – http://centralokbeekeepers.org/swarm-and-cutout-resources/
35. Oregon
Oregon State Beekeepers Association – https://orsba.org/swarm-call/
Free Bee Swarm Removal, Portland, Oregon – https://www.thehoneybeesociety.org/swarm-rescue