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Originally Posted On: https://www.homeandhive.com/blog/how-to-remove-a-beehive

 

It can happen any day of the week. You step outside and hear the innocent buzzing of a bee and the next thing you know there is a swarm creating a hive in the backyard. While bees are extremely essential to the ecosystem with their pollen spreading abilities, they can also cause disruption in homes and potential safety issues.

The best thing to do if you are not comfortable in dealing with this problem is to of course contact an expert that is trained in this field to safely remove the bees and relocate them to a farm where they will be taken care of.

Understandably, sometimes this may not an option so here are some steps to take if you do decide to take on this task yourself.

STEP 1: PLAY THE WAITING GAME

 

If you notice a swarm, it is best to wait a day or two. Bee’s generally will take up to three days to decide if an environment is good enough for them to stay in. They will swarm and stay on any solid surface from cars to benches to walls to really anything they can house themselves on. After the third day if the swarm has not dissipated, then it is time to take action.

STEP 2: TAKE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

 

Make sure to keep children and animals away from the hive to avoid injury. Not only that, if anyone around is allergic to bees make sure they stay a safe distance from the hive when beginning the process.

Once those precautions have been taken, the proper attire is needed. Generally, bees do not like dark colors or rough clothing so brighter, smooth-textured clothing is best for this job. A bee-keeper mask and gloves are necessary for the full protection of whoever decides to deal with the bees.

Not only this, make sure not to wear any kind of strong scent like deodorant or perfume as the scent may come across as

STEP 3: LOCATE THE BEES

 

Now that the precautions and attire has been provided in this task, it is time to locate the actual hive. Do not try and take the hive down all at once. This could cause the bees to either become aggressive as mentioned before or even relocate to another place in the same proximity.

The last thing someone taking on this job wants is to have to start the process all over again in a different part of the house or backyard.

Just like the swarms, beehives can be located anywhere from walls and chimneys to trash cans and or even outdoor pots. Any solid surface with space for the bees to create their honeycombs could be a place that they will make their new home.

STEP 4: CALM THE HIVE

 

There are numerous resources that can be used when calming the hive or removing the bees from their home with scents.

Do not use traps or insecticides when trying to calm the bees or trying to rid them from the hive. If a trap is unsuccessful, the bees could relocate as mentioned before or become aggravated which then becomes a bigger issue. When it comes to the insecticides, many of them are banned by the EPA when dealing with bees because of their important ecosystem benefits.

Bee smokers are one of the most common and easiest ways to calm bees is with the use of smoke. The smoke does not harm the bees at all and will just interfere with their sense of smell. In doing so, the bees are unable to smell their “attack” pheromones which are activated if the insects are in danger. It will hinder their ability to react and cause the bees to not attack.

 

STEP 5: RELOCATING THE ACTUAL HIVE

 

This step is one of the easiest yet most crucial parts of the whole process. After the bees and comb are completely removed it is best to contact a beekeeper or bee removal expert to relocate the hive that you have just removed.

Bees will automatically want to come back to their previous home and will often travel several miles to get there. For this reason it is best to relocate them several miles from their original nesting spot so that the bees don’t return and create the same problem all over again.

Generally, this part of the process is not expensive at all as the majority of the work has already been done, depending on the location of the hive of course.

STEP 6: FINAL REPAIRS

 

Whatever structure the bees had chosen to make their hive in, it is best to repair anything done back to normal. As said before, the last thing that anyone wants once the bees are removed is for them to come back or for a new swarm to move in.

Make sure all walls or entities have been put together properly and back to normal, and that any openings ¼ inch or larger are sealed to prevent future bees from entering.

Bees are an extremely important part of our ecosystem, but of course can be scary to deal with depending on the circumstances. Be sure to stay informed about the current trend of bees in your area and keep in mind that it is usually best to contact a professional to help with this problem to ensure that it is done both safely and correctly