Bee Removal Process

Step by step guide to bee removal

• Inspect the bee hive Inspect the bee hive:

  Our trained bee removal professionals will observe the area for honeybee activity and use cutting edge technology such as infra-red cameras to observe the hive within the structure (Infra-Red Picture of beehive). Bees will show a “hotter” color as a typical hive is warmer than its surroundings due to the number of bees.

• Bee Removal Plan:

  After the assessment a plan is discussed it is where the price quote and actions to be taken will be discussed with the owner. Once an agreement has been made it is now time to remove the bees! But before we rush into removal you should know a few things. All prices are negotiable. If the area has to be repaired it will cost more. If you just want the bees gone and there is no repair like in a valve box or swarm retrieval it should cost less. We base our model off of hours estimated to do the removal as well as location, size/age of hive, and materials needed.

• Prepare the Bee Removal Area:

  The next step to do a full removal is to open up the area. Sometimes this involves removing a soffit, some sheetrock, or just opening up the structure.

• Save the Bees:

  Once opened we begin vacuuming the bees into their new home. We remove bees using a modified bee vac which sucks the bees into a hive box with food honey and drawn comb. If possible we capture the queen in a specific trap ensuring the hive will adopt their new home and the bee removal is successful. Without the queen there is no more eggs to make more bees.

• Inspect for healthy bees:

  After the bees are removed we carefully start removing the comb from the area. This part can bee a little sticky as often hives are full of honey. An average hive which is about the size of two watermelons has about 2-3 gallons of honey in it. Hives that have been around for years can have hundreds of pounds of honey!!! IF we can validate the bees were not sprayed or poisoned we carefully place a few frames of brood comb in a frame ensuring the new bees will adopt their new hive. It also saves a few of the up and coming bees. We try not to use too much comb since it often can contain parasites disease and can introduce this into our apiary

• Relocate the Hive:

  After removal the area should be clear of comb as pictured remnants or services that do not remove the comb can lead to other insects that will eat the honey and pollen, leave the honey to drip down your walls, or worse of all have bees come back the next season. Here are a few pictures of the aforementioned situations. Removing the comb is a must if you want the bees to not come back. Unfortunately, this is what drives up the prices for a full removal due to the labor and effort.

• Fill the space and remove all honeycomb:

  Once the bees have been removed we fill the area with a physical barrier. This takes away the space for the bees to ever comb back. We fill the soffit, eve, or wall with insulation. If they are under a playset mulch. Any service that does not do this work is inviting bees to come back next year. Bees can smell the remnants of a comb and during swarm season seek out these areas for future colonies.

• Patch and repair the Bee Remval area:

  The last step is to seal up the area and put it back together. Caulk and expanse foam is often used. Some bee removal companies will paint the area others will not. Make sure you understand the work being done or you could be left with a giant hole in your roof! Our company employs licensed pest control or roofers to perform the removal which are highly trained with hundreds if not thousands of honey bee removals under their belt. A good company will often give a warranty for however long you feel is needed. If they have sealed the area and filled the space done the removal at the correct time and evacuated the bees comb and queen any type of warranty will do. Don’t get fooled into buying an “extended” warranty. Bees removed correctly should not come back.

Other things to look out for when removal services is the heavy use of insecticide. If they spray “white powder” to calm the bees or evacuate them it is poison and should not be used and only used wen as many bees as possible have been evacuated.

The best time to remove bees is early in the morning or later in the evening or when it is raining. Bees cannot fly when it is raining, and they sleep at night. This means when performing a live removal the beekeeper is able to get as many bees as possible to ensure the viability of the hive. Also in our 100+ degree summers bees don’t transport well in the heat and results can be mixed on how many bees will be lost. Removal services that perform removals during the day should be a red flag!! Another flag should be if the person you are speaking with for the sale is not the person that is doing the service.

If a removal is done at the wrong time or during a nice sunny day 1/3-1/2 of the bees will be left looking around for their home. If the queen is missed a new hive will be made in a close proximity and you are back to square one.