Honey bees are extremely important pollinators that are also capable of stinging and damaging homes by building hives in walls or attics. While extermination is undesirable, controlling honey bee pests around the home is sometimes necessary. This requires an integrated pest management (IPM) approach using prevention, targeted hive removal, and bee-safe controls.
Understanding Honey Bee Behavior
Honey bees are not aggressive by nature. They become defensive in order to protect their hives and food stores from perceived threats Their stings are a last resort measure.
Bees forage peacefully for nectar and pollen in flowers. But they may investigate homes seeking cavities to shelter their hives. Common nest sites include hollow walls, chimneys roof overhangs and abandoned rodent burrows.
Several factors drive bees to colonize buildings
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Lack of suitable tree hollows and other natural nesting spots.
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Availability of protected, dry cavities with small entrances.
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Proximity to gardens or other flower sources.
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Weakening or swarming of an existing hive.
Knowing what attracts bees can guide prevention. Deterring nesting is the first step in control.
IPM Prevention Measures
Homeowners can make their properties less appealing places for bees to nest. This limits the need for reactive hive removal later on. Key tactics include:
Sealing holes and cracks – Use caulk, expanding foam, wood putty, metal flashing and other seals to close off cavities where bees may enter. Prioritize areas around rooflines, chimneys, plumbing and wiring penetrations.
Screening vents – Add fine wire mesh over attic, soffit, ridge and crawlspace vents to prevent bee access.
Managing food sources – Avoid having beds of flowering plants, vines, herbs or vegetables right against the home’s foundation. Locate them in yards or gardens further from the house.
Limiting exterior lights – Bees are attracted to light, so minimize outdoor fixtures or use bulbs with lower ultraviolet emissions.
Taking these proactive measures reduces the likelihood of bee colonies moving in. But continued vigilance is needed to address any new nests promptly.
Identifying Honey Bee Colonies
Watch for these signs of active bee hives on the property:
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Groups of bees buzzing around a hole, crack or gap in walls, overhangs or soffits.
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Accumulations of wax, honey or dead bees at openings.
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Presence of “bee barf” stains from waste secretions on outside walls.
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Droning or buzzing sounds coming from voids.
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Occasional bees entering or exiting when foraging.
Act quickly if a hive is detected so it does not become established or expand. Trying DIY removal often fails or provokes aggressive defense.
Professional Bee Hive Removal
Contact a qualified beekeeper to humanely remove and relocate honey bee hives. Avoid exterminators who will kill the valuable pollinators. Look for:
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State-certified beekeepers experienced in hive removals.
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Ethical handling practices like requeening instead of extermination.
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Use of bee-safe pesticides like soapy water, not harsh chemicals.
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Adherence to protocols for safe capture and containment.
A good beekeeper will seal up nest access points after removal so new hives cannot enter. This provides lasting control when paired with preventive IPM measures.
Bee-Friendly Controls
For hives that are inaccessible for removal, or while awaiting beekeeper services, homeowners do have some temporary options to deter bees from frequenting an area:
Essential oils – Applying natural citrus, peppermint, eucalyptus or lemongrass oils around entry points helps repel scout bees. Reapply frequently.
Bee-safe insecticides – Products containing cinnamon oil, citric acid or synthetic pyrethrins can irritate bees away without significant harm. Never spray actively flying bees.
Sealing oil – Dabbing small amounts of sealing oil like linseed oil around cracks makes it harder for bees to traverse.
Insecticidal dusts – Puffs of diatomaceous earth or boric acid powder into nest openings can help control hive populations. Exercise caution with dry dusts which are flammable.
Smoke – Carefully using smoker puffs of cool smoke to irritate bees away from an area may be helpful for short-term deterrence. Avoid excessive, hot smoking.
Entrapment – Luring bees into empty hive boxes with a bit of lemongrass oil or bee pheromone can temporarily divert them from nesting in buildings.
Used properly, these temporary controls cause minimal harm to bees while discouraging hives in and on homes. But removal and exclusion remain the best long-term solutions.
When to Call a Professional
Get professional pest control if:
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A large, established hive with heavy traffic in or out is spotted.
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Bees exhibit overly defensive or aggressive behavior.
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Hives are located high up or otherwise very difficult to access.
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You are allergic to bee stings.
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DIY removal efforts fail or incite attacks.
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Bees return after removing a hive.
Licensed experts have the skills, equipment and protective gear to address risky, challenging or recurrent bee problems.
Coexisting with Honey Bees
Honey bees play an essential role in our lives by pollinating many crops. Where possible, it is best to find ways of peacefully coexisting:
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Appreciate their natural behaviors when foraging away from homes.
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Use IPM prevention to avoid attracting hives.
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When hives must be removed, choose humane beekeepers to do so responsibly.
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Support conservation efforts to provide habitat for nesting honey bees.
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Advocate against indiscriminate bee-killing, instead promoting selective controls.
With thoughtful pest management guided by understanding of these creatures, homeowners can successfully resolve honey bee issues while ensuring the essential pollinators thrive.
What do honey bees look like?
Adult workers range in length from about 1/2 to 5/8 inches. Honey bees are usually an orange-brown to black color, and the back of their abdomen is bigger than the front. The abdomen has wide bands of orange and brown or brown and black. Their bodies are mostly covered with pale hairs, which are most dense on their thorax. Honey bees have 6 legs, as well as a visible barbed stinger. About 5/8 to 3/4 inches long, queen honey bees are a bit bigger than other honey bees. They have a pointed abdomen that goes well past the tips of their wings and has a smooth stinger on it. Male honey bees, or drones, are about 5/8 inches long, and do not have a stinger. Africanized honey bees look just like domestic bees except for being slightly smaller. A specialist is required to identify specimens by genetics or measurements. Where You Can Find Honey Bees.
The European honey bee is found throughout most of the United States. In 1990, the Africanized honey bee came to the United States from Mexico. By the start of 2007, it had settled in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, southern Arkansas, central and southern Florida, southern California, and western Louisiana.
Honey bees are social animals that live in hives as groups called colonies. Mature colonies have between 20,000 and 80,000 bees. A typical colony consists of infertile females known as workers, males known as drones, and a queen.
During the winter, the entire population lays dormant. There is only one egg-laying queen in the hive and she mates only once. She may live up to five years and lay up to 1,500 to 2,000 eggs a day. The queen makes a lot of pheromones, which control things like making new queens and stopping the growth of worker ovaries. The young workers feed and care for the young or brood, build the comb, keep the hive cool, and watch over the entrance. Older workers serve as foragers to gather pollen, nectar, and propolis or bee glue. In the summer, workers only stay alive for 5 to 7 weeks. But those who come out in the fall will stay alive all winter. Drones (males) appear periodically and have short lifespans, usually living for only a few weeks. Common Behaviors of Honey Bees.
Honey bees are active pollinators and produce honey which feeds their young in colder months. They are the only social insect whose colony can survive for many years.
Honey bees usually swarm when the colony gets too big for the hive space or when the queen starts to weaken or die. New queens are produced and the old queen leaves with a large number of workers. The Common European honey bee colony usually swarms only once each 12 months. Africanized honey bees swarm as often as once every six weeks and can produce two swarms each time.
Honey bees are not aggressive, and do not search for something to attack. Instead, they are defensive and will attack when they feel that the colony is threatened.
Swarms first move to a temporary site such as a tree branch. The swarm will usually stay here for 24 to 48 hours until they find a permanent home, after which they will move on. Permanent quarters may consist of a bee hive, hollow tree, hollow wall, attic, etc. , typically some place which is sheltered from the weather.
Once there are swarms of bees, they are very calm and won’t sting because they don’t have any food or babies to protect. Also, honey bees you see outside of the hive probably won’t sting unless you really bother them, like by stepping on them. But if you get too close to the entrance to the hive, the guard bees can get very angry. Don’t go near hives without proper protection. Can Honey Bees Hurt You?.
Worker bees have stingers with barbs on them. When they use them, the stinger, poison sac, and tissue around it are torn off the bee. If you don’t take out the stinger right away, muscle contractions will push it deeper into the skin, giving the toxin more time to work. For added effect, the stinger releases a pheromone that draws in other bees and makes them attack. Therefore, immediate removal of the stinger is honey recommended. The European honey bee will only chase the intruder or victim for about 30 feet, but the Africanized honey bee will go after them for up to a quarter of a mile.
When you get stung by a bee, you should feel pain for a few minutes and then see swelling at the sting site. This goes away in a few hours. Itching and heat may last for a few hours. People allergic to insect stings will have a more severe reaction. Honey Bee Sting Treatment.
First-aid should start with quickly removing the stinger. After getting rid of the stinger, don’t rub the area because that spreads the poison. Also, don’t scratch the area because that could lead to another infection. Clean it with soap and water followed by an antiseptic. A cold compress will reduce pain and swelling as well. n. If someone has been stung more than 15 times, is sick, or has a reaction that is worse than a small welt, they should see a doctor right away because severe allergic reactions, called anaphylaxis, can kill within 15 to 30 minutes. According to the USDA/ARS, the average person can safely handle 10 stings per pound of body weight. This means that while 500 stings could kill a child, an adult can handle more than 1,100 stings.
European honey bees are not nearly as aggressive as honey bees that have been brought to Africa, and they are very protective of their hive and young bees. Their colonies are smaller and they use a much wider range of nesting sites. Nesting sites include mail boxes, overturned flower pots, old tires, mobile home skirts, and more. Honey Bee Control & Management – How to Get Rid of Honey Bees.
Avoid getting too close to a colony, hive, or swarm of honey bees if you live in or are within 100 miles of a place where Africanized honey bees are common. You should wear a full bee suit first. Every day, schools and daycares should keep an eye on things, have an action plan, and teach their staff and students.
If you are attacked, you should run quickly until you get to a safe place like a car or building, then start pulling out any stingers. If you see someone being attacked, tell them to run to safety, but don’t go help them unless you’re ready to be attacked yourself. Be sure to call 911 for rescue help if necessary as well. Call the cooperative extension service or a local beekeeper or apiculture supply shop if you have European honey bee swarmers in your yard. Beekeepers who want to get rid of swarms should also call the cooperative extension service.
It is best to keep honey bees away from homes and keep them from searching for food and building nests there, especially if there are small children or people who are allergic. To discourage bees, you can take away or make it impossible for them to get to any sugar, food, or water that might appeal to them, like soda cans, flowers, water dishes, and so on. Also, flowering plants should be kept away from doorways, decks, sidewalks, mailboxes, and other places where people often go. Also, lawns should be kept free of white clover and flowering seeds.
If you have any more questions, a professional in pest control can answer them about how to treat and manage honey bees. You can one near you with the helpful zip code search below.
What is a honey bee?
Honey bees get their common name from the honey they make using the nectar of flowers. They are social bugs that live all over the world and are very helpful because they pollinate plants. In the U. S. alone, honey bees pollinate more than 100 crops. In the United States, the two most common types of honey bees are the European honey bee, which is pretty calm, and the Africanized honey bee, which is much more aggressive. Keep reading if you’d like to learn more, including information on honey bee management, treatment, and control.
How To Make Bees Go Away Without Killing Them??
FAQ
What do honey bees hate the most?
What is the best insecticide for honey bees?
Can honey bees be exterminated?
How do beekeepers get rid of bees?
Using a bait trap, the beekeepers will coax the bee colony out of the hive and into a box hive. From there, the beekeepers can find a new home for the bees away from your property. They can also remove honeycombs to avoid attracting other pests and to keep the wax and honey from causing structural damage.
How do I get rid of bumble bees?
If you call a pest control company about bumble bees or honey bees, it will often refer you to local beekeepers. Using a bait trap, the beekeepers will coax the bee colony out of the hive and into a box hive. From there, the beekeepers can find a new home for the bees away from your property.
How do pest control companies get rid of bees?
A common method used by pest control companies is either dusting or spraying chemicals into the holes in your wood or the access points. Injecting the treatment will eradicate the bees over time. Keep in mind that this won’t be immediate.
How to control honey bees?
Managing honey bees and preventing them from foraging and nesting around the home is advised, especially if small children or allergic people are present. Discouragement consists of the removal or preventing access to any sugar, food, or water which may be attractive to bees, such as soda cans, flowers, water dishes, etc.
Does pest control kill bees?
The treatment can kill adult bees, but may not harm any eggs that have already been laid if the treatment isn’t residual. The larvae will continue to grow and eventually hatch. Your pest control company will likely have to return to treat and monitor over the course of several seasons.
Should you call a bee pest control company?
If bees become a pest in or around your home or business in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania, it’s important to call an expert bee pest control company, like Viking Pest. These professionals can deal with bees properly and ensure neither bees nor humans are harmed.