Identify What You Have
The first thing that needs done, is to confirm what you have are in fact honeybees. Honeybees might show up as a swarm, and if you see them hanging on a tree, they are not any threat to you. Just stand back, and make the call to have someone get them. Generally if you find a swarm in your yard, it also means there is a bee hive someplace close by--in a nearby tree or structure. If the swarm just showed up on your building, the chances are that they are moving in, and the sooner you talk to someone about a removal, the better and easier the job will be. Sometimes you will see a lot of bees clustered on the outside of the entrance, this typically means the bees have been there for some time, and the hive is getting crowded.
When you see bees coming and going from a structure, honeybees will be seen with balls of of pollen on their legs, which can range in colors from light-yellow to purple. When a colony has been there for some time, they will also be hatching out brood, and everyday around 2:00 PM you will see a small could of bees outside of the opening, as young bees are learn to fly and land. If you have a honeybee colony, you will see the bees coming back to the hive with little balls of yellow and orange on their back legs...this is pollen they bring in to feed their brood. Though honeybees and yellow jackets look very similar in flight, the honeybee has black legs, where as the yellowjacket the legs are yellow.
Scout Bees are generally a precursor to an actual swarm. Scouts are there to find a place for the colony to move into, and will start out as just a few bees, and the more scouts you see, the more likely the swarm is on its way. If you see scouts, you need to wait till evening and plug the hole so they no longer have access to moving in!
When you see bees coming and going from a structure, honeybees will be seen with balls of of pollen on their legs, which can range in colors from light-yellow to purple. When a colony has been there for some time, they will also be hatching out brood, and everyday around 2:00 PM you will see a small could of bees outside of the opening, as young bees are learn to fly and land. If you have a honeybee colony, you will see the bees coming back to the hive with little balls of yellow and orange on their back legs...this is pollen they bring in to feed their brood. Though honeybees and yellow jackets look very similar in flight, the honeybee has black legs, where as the yellowjacket the legs are yellow.
Scout Bees are generally a precursor to an actual swarm. Scouts are there to find a place for the colony to move into, and will start out as just a few bees, and the more scouts you see, the more likely the swarm is on its way. If you see scouts, you need to wait till evening and plug the hole so they no longer have access to moving in!
This is a Honeybee Swarm.
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Honeybees living in a building
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How Valuable Are Bees?
There's a lot of hype in the media about how the bees are in danger, and without bees we are all going to die! This makes people think that bees are of some great value--which they are--but the bees that are in trouble are those bees that are being used for commercial agriculture. If these commercial beekeepers were to lose their bees, crops that have to have bees brought to them would be lost. When it comes to our local bee population, the bees are doing very well, and and bees here are plentiful. To a beekeeper with many colonies...more colonies just means more equipment and more work. The way that bees grow their colonies is that when bees are doing well, they swarm, or in managed hives the beekeeper might "split" the hive--creating another colony of bees. A successful beekeeper could come out of winter with 30 hives, and by the end of June have 120 hives without much effort. A bee colony to a good beekeeper is a dime a dozen, and the only people that will remove bees just so they can get more bees...are people that can't keep their bees alive! If you are going to have the bees removed to save them, you also need to choose a beekeeper that has the skill to remove them safely and knows how to care for them!
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Could You Just Spray The Bees?
Most people that try to kill off a bee hive fail, and the reason for this is simple. Sprays generally only can penetrate the opening of the hive, and bees build their comb in ways to protect from unwanted things getting too far into the hive. You might kill some of the bees that are on the outside, but those bees are only in the last days of their lives--while inside there will be thousands more bees that are going to take their place; also, there are thousands more bees than that in the form capped brood cells that the sprays can't affect, which will be hatching out daily! Reputable exterminators will turn down spraying honeybees for 3 main reasons. The first is that it's not ethical--as honeybees have value to the ecosystem. The second reason is that a colony can easily have 15 pounds of bees in the colony and once dead...well, it's about equivalent to having a dead cat in your wall space that you can't get to! The third reason is that a colony might die off, but the honey and comb are still there. Feral colonies of bees will then come to remove the honey, and in so doing...can take it back to kill off the colony that they live in! Non-reputable exterminators might spray your bees, but the going cost is about $500--which only kills the bees and leaves everything there. A honey bee removal is about the same price and all the bees, and comb are gone!
Many times after people have tried to kill off a colony and fail, they call the beekeeper, but now the comb and the honey in the hive are too much of a risk for the beekeeper to re-use for the bees they are removing. In cases like this the beekeeper will have to give the colony new comb and resources that they know to be safe, for the bees to even stand a chance of getting back on their feet again.
If you do manage to kill off a colony, you need to realize that without bees in the colony to maintain the comb, the comb will start to deteriorate. A healthy hive could have as much as 80 lbs. of honey in it, and it won't be long before that honey begins to find it's way out. An empty hive will first attract ants cockroaches, which in turn attracts mice. Wax moths will also be attracted to the hive, and once they start to do their damage, the comb will no longer hold the honey and it will begin to seep out to wherever gravity takes it to. If the hive isn't removed, other bees might come in to rob out the honey, and you will then not only have killed the colony that you didn't want, but will also kill off any other colonies that are close by.
Many times after people have tried to kill off a colony and fail, they call the beekeeper, but now the comb and the honey in the hive are too much of a risk for the beekeeper to re-use for the bees they are removing. In cases like this the beekeeper will have to give the colony new comb and resources that they know to be safe, for the bees to even stand a chance of getting back on their feet again.
If you do manage to kill off a colony, you need to realize that without bees in the colony to maintain the comb, the comb will start to deteriorate. A healthy hive could have as much as 80 lbs. of honey in it, and it won't be long before that honey begins to find it's way out. An empty hive will first attract ants cockroaches, which in turn attracts mice. Wax moths will also be attracted to the hive, and once they start to do their damage, the comb will no longer hold the honey and it will begin to seep out to wherever gravity takes it to. If the hive isn't removed, other bees might come in to rob out the honey, and you will then not only have killed the colony that you didn't want, but will also kill off any other colonies that are close by.
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Will The Bees Return
Once a hive space is established, it has a scent to it that bees looking for a new home are easily able to track down. If one colony moves out or is killed off, another colony will probably show back up! In the end, the hive needs to be removed, and the space needs to be taken care of so another colony doesn't come to take up residence. Because the smell lingers from a hive, it's also important to find any other places in the structure that the bees might opt for if the space that was there has been taken care of so they can't move in. An experienced beekeeper will be able to tell you what to look for, and how to prevent future residency.
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How Much Damage Is There From a Removal?
The answer to this would be...not as much as can happen from not doing the removal! Once the bees fill a space, they might start venturing out of the hive, and in so doing...finding ways in to your house. As mentioned above, an unattended hive can cause a lot more uncontrolled damage, and might incur a lot more cost than had you just had the bees removed as a colony the proper way. As a one time lead carpenter on a remodeling crew, I look at every job as if I was going to have to put it back together, and work to make the minimal amount of cuts as I possibly can. That said, I've seen several removals where someone that was inexperienced either started a job and just gave up--walking away from a now fully exposed hive, or they couldn't find the bees on their first attempt, and kept cutting open spaces until the bees were found. The moral here is that eventually there is going to be a cost to removing the bees, and generally the least expensive of those will be to have the bees professionally removed.
How Long Does a Removal Take?
Every removal is different, and it's almost impossible to predict what you are going to find once you get inside. I've had many calls for removals of bees that "just got there", only to open it up to find the hive is at least 5 years old or more! On the low end for time and set up is about 4 hours, but a big job can generally run 8 hours to remove--this being for a single colony. How long the removal takes will also depend on how easy it is to access, and how large the colony is. Any removal on a ladder is going to take more time, because of the need to climb up and down for every next step of the process. Other removals might be in tight spaces, and those too are more difficult to work with, so they will take longer. The removal process doesn't just stop at the location, and much more work has to get done after leaving. Most of the comb being removed will be put in containers. The comb with honey must drip-off before it can be put back with the hive, and the brood must be kept warm--so the brood doesn't die--and must be put in frames just before you release the bees from the Bee-Vac to get the hive started in a new box.
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Can Bees Be Removed From Trees?
The only time a hive really should be removed from a tree, is if the tree has fallen, or the tree is going to need to be cut down. Honeybees are really not aggressive unless provoked, and if there is an issue with a bee tree, there are other ways to prevent problems than by removing the bees. Trees that have fallen in bad weather, it is pertinent that something is done for the bees to make sure the colony will be able to survive. Trees that have fallen in areas where it may be blocking a road, driveway or are on a house, it's best to move the tree first--keeping the opening to where the bees can get to it, but also so the elements can't just come in. For instance, you don't want the opening facing straight up in the air for rain to get in, or where snow may cover it and suffocate the bees over winter. If the tree can't be immediately moved, and the opening is too exposed, it's best to put something above the opening to protect the bees from the elements. In cases where the tree comes down with the hive space intact, it's sometimes best to cut the tree and put it back to an upright position-leaving the bees where they were--and making any fixes needed so they can continue living in the tree space.
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When Can Bees Be Removed?
The best time is in the early spring when the bees have the whole summer to rebuild. Removals can be done throughout the summer and into the fall, but it's best to do the removals at a time when the bees are still raising a lot of brood...so they have the best chance to rebuild. What's most important is to do the removals in a way where the bees have the best possible chance of survival, and often times for that to be the case, the beekeeper will have to have resources from their other colonies to get the bees the footing they need to get back on their feet in time for winter! If a removal needs to be done, and is at a poor time of the year, or is in a spot that can't easily be reached from the outside, it's often best to do the removal from inside the house. In instances like this, it will be discussed with the home owner what is the best method, and why.
What About Swarm Removals |
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For the most part, a honeybee swarm is going to be of no threat to anyone as long as they are just given their space. If you have a swarm, there's a strong chance there is a thriving bee hive close to you. Most of the time swarms leave their current location and land about 75 feet from the hive to group up--before moving on. A swarm might be there for a few hours, and some for as long as a week or more--as they look for a new place to live. If they are close to your house there's also a chance they might find a place in the house to move into, so might want to have them removed as a precaution, and to save yourself from needing a full bee removal. Once bees move into a structure, there's very little chance of getting them to leave the space they've moved into, and those that attempt to get them to leave...end up making the colony move in deeper, and the removal more costly. Swarms for the beekeeper are not a guarantee that they will have bees. In removals the queen is not in a condition where she can fly, but when swarming she is able to fly, and many beekeepers return home with a swarm...only to have them move out on them the next day. This is why smart beekeepers don't remove bees for free!
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What Happens to The Bees When They are Removed?
Most of the bees that I remove will be kept in the boxes they were put in during the removal--until the Spring of the next year. Most of the comb that is removed from the hive will be placed in frames, and returned to the bees, along with all the honey and other resources that can still be used. The bees will be put in bee yards, where I try to maintain no more than 7 hives per yard--to make sure the bees have ample supply of forage--and to not overpopulate an area where I might create too much competition--negatively impacting the feral colonies or other pollinators. This is also done so the bees don't have to be fed sugar solutions--as the bees are below the threshold of what the area can support. The next year, the bees will then be moved in to larger boxes as part of the bee box business I have, which gives bees a much better life than they probably ever could have had any other way!
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Are There Other Ways to Remove the Bees?
Another way to remove the bees is through a process called a Trap-out. This method should only be used if there is no other option in removing the bees and the hive, or if the bees just moved into the space. Even then, once a colony takes up residence, the queen almost never will leave the hive. The best time to do this procedure is right after the bees have had a swarm--as the new queen will eventually have to leave the hive, and will have no choice but to go into the Swarm Box that is placed outside of the entrance. The Trap-Out essentially makes it so the forager bees cannot return to the hive with food, and in most cases with a Trap-Out there will be at least some of the colony and the queen that will end up dying off in the space in the house.
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What Does a Removal Cost?
In the same way that a tree service doesn't remove your trees because they get to keep the trees...a beekeeper doesn't remove the bees because they get to keep the bees! There is a lot of equipment involved to remove a bee colony, and there is also the cost of the boxes, frames, additional resources to get the hive to transition to the new space, apiary set-up and stands, along with transportation to get the bees to their new home--simply put, each hive removal requires about $250 worth of equipment to house them, and there are no guarantees that the bees are going to be a good colony. Where the removal process might be in the 4-5 hour range, there's at least another 3 hours once back at the apiary to put comb into frames, set-up the box, and transfer the bees from the bee-vac to their new location. The point I'm making here is, each removal costs the beekeeper money that people never really seem to think about, and removing bees is a skill very few people posses. To put yourself in the right perspective...ask yourself how much you would charge someone to cut open a bee hive and remove all their comb? Most people can't even put a dollar figure on what that would take for them to want to even try it!
Consultations for removals are $150. People choose this sometimes to confirm that the bees are in fact honeybees, but also to discuss options of what can be done to manage the problem. Additional cost for locations beyond 10 miles from my location.
Bee removals from man-made structures, is $550 for the first 4 hours, and $125 each additional hour when the removal goes over 4 hours--plus travel costs if the removal is more than 10 miles from my location--generally $50.
Tree removals, are $450, but that will be something I can discuss with the property owner before coming out, as some tree removals might be a lot easier than structure removals, and there is a difference in removing bees while the tree is intact, of if it's crashed to the ground and opened up.
Swarm Removals, the price ranges between $75 to $150--depending on where the bees are located--with additional charges if the swarm is more than 10 miles from my location.
Trap-Outs are generally a long process, and where you can't predict how long the process will take. The starting point for a Trap-Out is $550, but could be more if the location is far from my location, due to the Trap-Out generally takes 5 trips to make the process go correctly and to remove the bees when the process is over; also, we only recommend a Trap-Out as a last resort, as most of the time some of the colony doesn't leave and dies in that space--which will smell for a time after.
Swarm prevention, is something that we occasionally provide for homes that have scout bees checking out their home as a potential hive location. When we are called out for consultations, there are times where the bees haven't moved in yet, but probably will. By placing one of our First-Year Swarm Boxes in the right location, the bees have always chosen the box over the space they were first inspecting. Price for this starts at $150.
To contact me for a removal, call 724-471-2281
Consultations for removals are $150. People choose this sometimes to confirm that the bees are in fact honeybees, but also to discuss options of what can be done to manage the problem. Additional cost for locations beyond 10 miles from my location.
Bee removals from man-made structures, is $550 for the first 4 hours, and $125 each additional hour when the removal goes over 4 hours--plus travel costs if the removal is more than 10 miles from my location--generally $50.
Tree removals, are $450, but that will be something I can discuss with the property owner before coming out, as some tree removals might be a lot easier than structure removals, and there is a difference in removing bees while the tree is intact, of if it's crashed to the ground and opened up.
Swarm Removals, the price ranges between $75 to $150--depending on where the bees are located--with additional charges if the swarm is more than 10 miles from my location.
Trap-Outs are generally a long process, and where you can't predict how long the process will take. The starting point for a Trap-Out is $550, but could be more if the location is far from my location, due to the Trap-Out generally takes 5 trips to make the process go correctly and to remove the bees when the process is over; also, we only recommend a Trap-Out as a last resort, as most of the time some of the colony doesn't leave and dies in that space--which will smell for a time after.
Swarm prevention, is something that we occasionally provide for homes that have scout bees checking out their home as a potential hive location. When we are called out for consultations, there are times where the bees haven't moved in yet, but probably will. By placing one of our First-Year Swarm Boxes in the right location, the bees have always chosen the box over the space they were first inspecting. Price for this starts at $150.
To contact me for a removal, call 724-471-2281