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How to Get Rid of Bees - By John Adkins

"How do I get rid of bees" is a question many ask when honey bees show up in the wrong places, and sometimes even when bees are in the right places. As a bee removal specialist, I'm asked how to get rid of bees thousands of times each year!

This how to article targets the most common unwanted places beehives move into and solutions for how to get rid of them. It also briefly explains why the bees choose that spot, expels myths of why you got bees, and explains how to keep from getting bees it in the future.

First I must annoy you with my two cents. When is the last time you were grateful for honeybees? Bees provide a startling one-third (1/3) of our entire food source through polination as well as one-third (1/3) of the colors in our world! Also, you should know that both Africanized and European bees sting ONLY when threatened or defending their home.

Contents:

Are bees dangerous?
Can I find a beekeeper who wants my bees?
How to get rid of bees on a humming bird feeder
How to get rid of honeybees in a pond, waterfall or pool
Bees buzzing on my tree
How to get rid of a swarm of bees on my tree
Getting rid of bees in tree trunks
How to get rid of bees in my bird house or owl box
Can you save Africanized or hybrid bees?
How to get rid of bees in my chimney
How to get rid of bees in walls, attics, under eves, fence, jacuzzi, or other structure
How to stop honey from melting down my wall
Dark mildew stains on my stucco
How to find the right price (structural bee removal)
The after math, removing the honey and bees in the wall
Call the Bee Hotline
Discuss this Article / Leave Your Feedback! new!


Are bees dangerous?

While Africanized bees have been largely overhyped by media, these bees and European bees can be dangerous. Recently we've been involved with a greater amount of Africanized bee activity than normal. During this time, we performed bee removal on a shed where a lamb was attacked and killed by bees. Later that day, we performed a bee removal on a gas station lamp post. The pole was bumped by a car backing up and the bees swarmed out and into the woman's car window, stinging her and others near by repeatedly. A week later we preformed bee removal from a tree where a man was attacked by Africanized bees and stung 20 times before making it from his yard to his house.

Last week I performed a bee removal from an owl box where a horse was attacked by Africanized bees and stung hundreds of times. Yesterday we performed bee removal for a man whose son and dog were attacked while playing basketball in the front yard. His son was fine, but the dog received 2000 stings and the man was told by the vet he had a 50/50 chance to live (which was a little too optimistic).

The normal kill ratio for a human being is 10 stings per pound; so about 1,800 stings would typically kill someone weighing 180 lbs. A typical bee hive has on average 10,000 to 40,000 bees. So to answer the question, YES bee removal can be dangerous!

How to find a beekeeper who wants my bees.

If you're trying to get rid of bees and you live in the middle and upper areas of the United States, it's not as difficult to find a beekeeper that will remove bees for free, as long as the beekeeper is close by and the bees are easily accessible. If you're trying to get rid of bees in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, or Florida (counties with Africanized Bees) chances are no one will collect your bees for free. This map of Africanized bees in the US will give you a visual of the year by year spread of africanized honeybees. In addition, if you're trying to get rid of bees in the structure of your walls, attic, roof, or chimney, it may also be difficult to find someone who will collect them for free because of the difficulties involved.

How to get rid of bees on humming bird feeders

It is common for humming bird feeders to be taken over by bees in dry states or in hot times of the year. If this is a problem for you, remove or empty the humming bird feeder for a week. This will break the bee's flight pattern and force them to find a new water supply. When hanging the feeder back up, the humming birds may take some time to rediscover it. A humming bird feeder, excessive flowers, or blossoming trees, do not in any way invite or cause beehives to move onto your property. If this happens it's completely unrelated. Any type of honeybees on a humming bird feeder will be non aggressive. One long-term option to getting rid of the bees is to simply let the hot months pass.

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How to get rid of honeybees in my pond, waterfall or pool

In warm dry seasons of the year you may notice heavy honeybee activity around your pool, waterfall, pond, or other water source. To get rid of honey bees in this case, you have a few choices. Honey bees need water to make honey, bees prefer natural peaceful locations, but in hot months were some of these resources have dried up bees will seek out other havens. One option for getting rid of the bee activity is to drain or empty the water source, forcing the bees to find a new source of water and breaking their flight pattern. After a week or two, refill or turn the water back on. If it is a small body of water and there are no fish or animals living in it, you can add vinegar to the water to get rid of the bees, this will cause a disagreeable taste and force the honeybees to find a new water source. Lastly, if these do not work or are not viable options, we can get rid of the bees for you. We do this by tracking the beehive and performing preferably live bee removal, so far to date we've never failed.

Bees on tree making a loud buzz!

Bees covering an entire tree uniformly accompanied by loud buzzing may happen in autumn with some late-blooming trees, as most of the flowers have come and gone. Although this is great for bees, it can be a nuisance, concern, and/or intimidating to home owners. If the bees are all over the blossoms of the tree uniformly, this is not a cause for concern. All bees in this situation are non-aggressive and are simply there to collect pollen and nectar honey. This is also a temporary phase that shouldn't last too long. Soon the blossoms will fall and the bees will have collected their pollen. There is not a lot you can do to get rid of the bees except to wait it out at this point. Although loud and intimidating, this is not their domain and they have no interest in defending it. If you are still uncomfortable, a solution for getting rid of bees in the future is to trim back the tree so there are not as many blossoms. This can also be done in early morning or late evening.

How to get rid of a swarm of bees on my tree

When a beehive gets too large, the hive splits. Half of the colony (4,000-6,000 bees) moves out, traveling as a swarm. While searching for their new home bees often rest on a bush or tree temporarily. A bee swarm in this phase is usually about the size of a football or basket ball and beard shaped. If the swarm of bees is new, they will also appear to be friendly (all bees are-non aggressive during this phase, whether Africanized or not). This is because they have no home to defend yet and there is no honey or young to protect. Usually the best way to get rid of these bees is to leave them alone. 90% of the time they will move along in 4 days or less. If you bother or disrupt them it may frustrate their plans and cause them to stay longer or even to stay permanently.
If you are trying to get rid of an established hive on a tree or bush and you live in a non-africanized area call a beekeeper. If close by, the beekeeper will often come get them free of charge. If you live in a county where africanized bees exist, you can pay to have them removed alive. Exterminators get rid of the bees but normally charge more than a person or company that removes the bees alive. If you try to get rid of the bees yourself, make sure no people or pets are close by, plan your escape route, and expect to be stung! If the bee hive is established, do not attempt to remove it yourself. (Was this Helpful?)

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Getting rid of bees in tree trunks or hollows

Bees in tree trunks or hollows are often a recurring problem. Getting rid of the bees yourself often presents a tremendous challenge. Normally the cost of buying a bee suit and other equipment, in addition to the time you take to learn what to do and how to do it, far exceeds the cost of paying a beekeeper or a bee specialist. Often these trees have been inhabited by bees off and on for many years. The typical remedy is to kill these bees, as extraction is more costly and time consuming. Either way the honey scent will linger indefinitely attracting new bee colonies in search of a suitable home. To keep this from happening and get rid of the bees permanently, the tree hollow must be filled with some type of filler. One way is to fill the trunk partially with some crumpled newspaper, next fill it the rest of the way with expanding foam. Some old trees may have more than one opening, even if it's small or the bees have sealed it off with wax. Make sure to foam this area as well. Lastly, it is quite common for a curious rodent or critter to smell the remaining honey in the tree and chew through the foam, re-creating a hole for bees to move back in! To keep this from happening, prior to capping off the tree hollowing with expanding foam, pre-cut a galvanized non rusting screen to fit over the holes or openings and place it on top of the foam. Although you can save some money and do this part yourself, we provide this service for recurring problems with extended warranties.

How to get rid of bees in a bird house or owl box

Getting rid of bees in a bird house or owl box may pose a slightly more difficult problem in states that have Africanized bees. Sometimes I get calls from home owners in these areas saying "how do I get rid of bees in my bird house?" or "I have bees in my owl box, can you get rid of them?" The dilemma in these areas is that the bees may in fact be Africanized, causing less people to want to collect them. It's of course wise to have proper licenses and insurance, in case you do run into africanized bees, especially in public areas.

Can you save Africanized or hybrid bees?

Yes, if the hive is located where there is enough open land, africanized beehives can be collected (if conditions are safe) and the hive re-queened (replacing the Africanized queen with a European queen bee). Within 4 (four) months that africanized hive will be a European beehive.

In the city it is usually too dangerous to remove Africanized bees alive. In addition, once collected they would need to be transported to a remote area for the purpose of the re-queening and de-feralization, all of which is often a greater financial expense than benefit. (Was this Helpful?)

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How to get rid of bees in a Chimney

Bees will send out scouting parties of 10 to 100 bees in search of a new home. Chimneys appear to be just that. It is typical in this stage to find some bees in the house up against the window in a room near the chimney alive, dead, or lethargic. Often while inspecting the chimney, the bee may wander too far down the flu and gets lost inside the house. At this point it will fly to the brightest spot (the window) looking for a way out. To get rid of these bees you need a preventative treatment around the chimney top. Most pest sprays will work, as the bees return to the hive and report the bad conditions, thus choosing a different chimney or location to start a home.

I got a call on Mother's Day from a couple who, upon noticing bees coming from the chimney, were instructed by a friend to get rid of the bees by lighting a fire. (Though this can work at times, it normally only works if the hive hasn't already moved in.) In their case the bees had already moved into the top of the chimney. Upon lighting the fire, half the swarm fell down the chimney and then flew into the family room. The couple ended up with a house full of bees and little black soot spots all over the walls and curtains!

If the hive in the chimney is established, the last thing you want to do to get rid of the bees is light a fire. Upon doing so, the bees will simply gather at the top of the chimney for as long as the fire lasts. In addition the heat from the fire will melt the honey down the sides of the chimney causing a more permanent honey smell, attracting more bees each year. Lastly, the beehive is not always in the flu itself but in-between the flu and the chimney wall. In this case lighting a fire is pointless, though if hot enough, it may also melt the honey.

How to get rid of bees in my wall, roof, attic, eves, fence, Jacuzzi, etc.

Bees buzzing around the roof line, garage, wall void, fence, jacuzzi or a similar structure may likely be an indication of a beehive. If it's a very noticeable location and you think it may be brand new, there are some things you may do to get rid of the bees and deter them from moving in. If the bees appear to be floating around the structure as if inspecting it, they may just be a scouting party determining if this area would make a suitable home. If they are floating about the structure as mentioned above but are also going in and out of an opening and there doesn't seem to be heavy traffic, watch the bees entering. If the bees entering the opening have yellow sacs on the back of their legs, then there is going to be a hive inside, typically with thousands of bees.

If there is no yellow pollen sacs on the backs of their legs, there may still be a hive; however they most likely just arrived within a day or two. In the case where the bees are floating around and if any small amount are entering a hole in the area, but have no yellow pollen sacs on their legs, to get rid of the honey bees you may choose to obtain a can of wasp or hornet spray; apply a single coat over the area in question. If after 15 minutes the activity persists or worsens, there is most likely a hive inside and you should contact a beekeeper or bee removal company to get rid of the bees. If however the activity has ceased, than they would appear to have been scout bees and what could have been a quite costly dilemma has been avoided. However, be careful to note that bees sleep in the evening and early morning. If you are re-inspecting during these times, and find no activity it could very well be that they are just inactive during this time period and you may have not gotten rid of the bees. Inspections are best made between 10am to 4pm. Give us a call if you want help, that's what we do! Immediate attention is much less frustrating, time consuming, and costly.

If the bees have moved into the structure, getting rid of the bees in walls or roofs can be among the most difficult to remedy and the most expensive. Typically there is 20 to 80 lbs of honeycomb in these beehives. Some time ago I received a call from a lady explaining that her pest control provider got rid of her bee problem, but now there is honey running down the walls of her new house. Now, when addressing a customer's bee problem, there are a series of questions I ask to find out what they know and what I need to explain. One of the questions I asked was 'have you ever had bees before?' To this she responded "Yes, he exterminated a hive of bees before in a different spot a year ago." This is often a common response. She was not informed to remove the honeycomb. Most homeowners leave it in the wall or attic because a exterminator or their pest control service provider doesn't provide the option to remove the hive and honeycomb. Leaving the beehive and honey in the structure is asking for big problems in the future. It's kind of like a mechanic changing your oil and then saying "here's your car back... oh by the way you're going to need a new oil filter, I threw your old one out." Obviously we wouldn't just drive off without an oil filter because we know better. But if you didn't know much about changing oil of a car you might say - ok, thanks for your help, and drive off.

Well, an average beehive that is 3 months old has 20 to 40 pounds of honeycomb. During the day, bees keep the hive cool using their wings to circulate air through the hive. If it's a hot day and the bees have been killed or extracted that honey will start melting in just hours. If you don't get a bee removal specialist or beekeeper in there soon, that honey will give way to gravity and likely create a permanent smell that attracts not only bees, but rodents, moths and other insects each year.

Ironically by getting rid of your bees and not removing the honey the pest control company has created even more problems without you even knowing it! So much for the "trust your home to the bee experts" ads I've been seeing online from the leading nationwide pest control company. The exterminator usually tells the customer that the powdery chemical that kills the bees will dry up the melting honey, solving the problem. Regrettably, it should be obvious that some powdery pest product designed to keep bugs away is not going to dry up 40 lbs of honeycomb on a warm day, or any day. But when the 'expert' is telling you this it sure sounds better than shelling out more money on opening, removing, and repairing a wall or roof. (Was this Helpful?)

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How to stop honey from melting down my wall

If you have melted honey running down your the wall of your house or business, you either have an active bee hive and it's a very hot day, or a bee hive has been exterminated and now the honey is melting. In either case, you need to get rid of that honey and bees. If you do not get rid of the honey, you will end up with long term problems. A bee hive or exhausted bee hive tends to attract returning bees every year, as well as rodents.

Some time ago I spoke with a home owner that had purchased and installed a new AC unit as the old one performed poorly. Once installed and running, however, the AC still performed very poor. Upon inspecting the attic they realized that rats had eaten holes through the air ducts (perhaps the rats wanted some AC in their living quarters!) The rats were initially attracted by a beehive that was exterminated and left in the attic. When you get rid of bees (preferably alive) be sure to get rid of the honey also. (Was this Helpful?)

Dark mildew stains on my stucco

This is caused by an established beehive that has been exterminated, typically by a pest control company, and left in the structure. Some pest control companies have been sued by home owners for withholding information regarding the structural damage from not removing the beehive. For this reason and other humanitarian reasons many pest control companies do not get rid of bees of perform any bee removal. Still some pest control companies, after exterminating honeybees, have the customer sign a waiver to release them from the liability of the exhausted beehive in the home or structure and informing them of the need of getting rid of the leftover honey and dead bees.

How to find the right price for a structural bee removal

How to find the right price on structural bee removal from walls chimneys and attics can be a buzz kill in itself. It takes a little research along with perhaps a few free quotes. Getting stung by a bee is bad enough, let alone being overcharged for a bee removal service. This can be especially so if Africanized bees are new to your county or state. In this new area you can find yourself in a pickle. No beekeepers want to collect your bees anymore, and you have trouble finding anyone that will remove the beehive and honeycomb.

This summer I fielded a call from a little old lady who told me she forgot what time her appointment was. I checked our route and couldn't find her name. I asked where her bees were, and she replied they were on a tree. I then asked her what company she called and what price she was quoted. Her reply: "Well" she said, "he told me it is $500.00" Five hundred dollars to get rid of a bee swarm on a tree? Yup, it was no surprise to me when she told me the name of the company; they've been doing that for a long time, with an added push of africanized bee fear. Illegal? I don't think so, dishonest and unkind? Certainly. Here's a pest company in Arizona I came across today getting rid of the bees by exterminating them at a dishonest price for an elderly lady, also leaving her no options for getting rid of the honey and dead bees in the wall. (Was this Helpful?)

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Removing the honey and honeycomb

Removing the honey and bees yourself (if the hive has been killed) is possible but almost always a bad idea. It's a very messy job and after you finish repairs it is very likely that bees will still be attracted to that structure. When bees smell an old hive in the structure they think anywhere on that structure is now a good place to build a home. You can expect to get stung. After an effective eradication (if the bees are being killed) bees will continue to return to the hive from the fields, in addition there are hundreds of new bees hatching daily. After a week, the bees from the original hive should be gone; however bees from other colonies smell the melting honey and may come to free-load. If you are trying to save a buck or if you know a handyman or carpenter that can help, have the bee man remove the honeycomb and leave your instructions on bee proofing it to the person doing the repairs.

Call the Hotline

If you have additional questions call our bee removal hotline. If the honeycomb is not removed, it will typically attract bees back each year. If it has been sealed off and the bees can't get in to the same spot, they will simply search around that structure until they find an additional opening. At times home owners buy homes that beehives have been killed in over and over without proper removal of the honeycomb. I remember once visiting a lady who had about 12 or more established beehives living in the structure of her home, she just gave up on removing them due to the prior honey left in the wall after exterminations were done. Normally a house or building should get bees every 20 or so years, but if the hive is not removed from the structure, bees tend to come back every year. There are solutions at this point but they can be costly.

About the Author

In his younger years John Adkins grew up around his father's beekeeping hobby. Later in college he started Adkins bee removal to help earn money for a college education. Although he never finished his education, 90% of John's employees are high school or college students. Adkins is currently the only State of California licensed branch II Company that provides live structural bee removal. Although facing difficult challenges in the beginning, they now provide bee removal services in the entire state of California and parts of Texas, with plans for growth into the lower states where bees are being killed due to the fear of Africanized honeybees. John can be contacted through the company website.

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sandy bees block in basement wall  |  logcabinsandy@hotmail.com	September 3rd, 2008
They are not coming in the block any longer on the outside but they are getting in the basement some how .They are barely alive but,can we be confident we have things under control?
Melody Bees Mesa, az  |  mcruz16@cox.net	September 1st, 2008
Hi, I'm wondering how much your bee removal service is. I have an old building that has a bee hive with active bees. I found someone that would came out here and took one bee hive down with almost all the bees but unforutantly there was still 10 to 15 bees left and now they built another bee hive
Angela Ralph bees in the eves bonita springs  |  lelu62@comcast.net	August 31st, 2008
we have bees in the eves of our house could you please give us an estimate of the cost
Anna Bee's in my kitchen/microwave vent San Diego, CA  |  anna22delgado@gmail.com	August 24th, 2008
For about a week we have been finding bees in our kitchen, either dead or flying around near the windows. Yesterday I noticed that they were coming through the horizontal vents from our microwave that is located above our stove. In addition, I heard a loud thump after I turned off the vent that had been running to let out the heat from cooking. Since then we have sealed the vents and the open spaces between the wall and the micorwave with masking tape. I'm now waiting to hear back from a company that might be able to help us. Please help!!
joe cascio bees in a wall weth ct  |  jrcascio@cox.net	August 24th, 2008
ok info helpful... in order to get rid of this problem am i forced to take the wall down???
Phillis Helums bees in my shed Lancaster, tx  |  phillishelums@sbcglobal.net	August 23rd, 2008
I have bees in my shed. I am afraid to go out there. I am planning to get the shed torn down but not until maybe a few months down the line. I need an estimate, how much will this cost me to get them removed.
Don Sommer bees in ground next to foundation  |  cdsommer@centurytel.net	August 22nd, 2008
We have several bees entering the ground next to the downspout and foundation of the house. They are next to our front door and a problem. Will hornet spray kill them?
Cindy Large bee or yellow jacket Leola, Pa. 17540  |  peekaboo97@comcast.net	August 20th, 2008
I have very large bee or yellowjacket that makes large mounds of dirt (like an ant hill) throughout my yard and stone flowerbeds. Is this a Solitary bee and what can I do to get rid of them. I never had them before until last summer when the yard was very dry. I notice them around July and they get worse thru the rest of the summer. Do they sting? They don't seem to get aggitated when you walk around them.
Helena Doulgeris Bees under my house in foundation South Africa  |  helenadoulgeris@gmail.com	August 19th, 2008
Honey bees moved in under my house. To have them removed, we would have to dig up the foundation, which would be very expensive. This is brick house. The vent where they commute from serves no purpose. Would it help to cement up this vent? What will happen re the hive and maybe dead bees. My husband is extremely allergic to bee sting. Is there not maybe a natural repellent to make them want to move without us having to kill them?
Lisa Bees (I love bees!) Florida and Oakland, CA	August 17th, 2008
Hi, I enjoyed your website a great deal. When I was in Tampa recently, I was fortunate to see a colony of bees and all their combs removed from a big hive in a home's wall. That was presented as optional with the caution that it would soon stink. The bee man showed me a ton of beetles and ants that were in the wall marauding the honey. Fortunately the bees were unable to get through into the attic and expand their hive. I don't know when they arrived there, or how they managed to find the tiny point of access hidden on a wall behind a fence where no one goes. I learned a lot, and despite concerns about Africanized bees in FL, they were rescued. The wall was repaired. In face, I got to suit up and participate with the removal.)Here in Nothern CA many people are so sentient about nature and bees that they leave wild hives alone. I've seen wild hives in buildings and in holes in trees near buildings that are purposely left untouched. Highly valued, in fact. I was told that bees are a protected species here, and cannot be molested or removed? Well, just wanted to share these little stories.
juliemacs64@hotmail.com bees in basement insulation ,foundation. cardigan,p.e.i.  |  juliemacs64@hotmail.com	August 16th, 2008
hello i have a problem with bees in the insulation in the top of my basement foundation,what do i do to get rid of them? please help,julie.
ivette bees in my house all over the house  |  ivette.ortiz@rcn.com	August 14th, 2008
I have bees entering my house. We don't know where or how they are getting in. We had the exterminator come in and spray the windows in and outside. He sprayed the vents in the house aswell. Some how they keep coming in. What can I do to find and stop the bees from entering my home? My children are so affraid of them. HELP!!!!!!!!
Vickie Roberts Bees in my Walls Somerset, Ky.  |  vlr.1257@yahoo.com	August 14th, 2008
Glad to know that the powder sub. won't solve the problem. I have honey bees in my daughters bedroom wall. not sure if or how long they been there. I got to feeling around the window pane and pushed a whole in the wall. When this happened alot of bees came out! Called pest control and they explained what needed to be done- but never mentioned anything about a honey comb. Thanks so much, Now I need to find a bee keeper.

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