Honey bees are an incredibly important part of our ecosystem. As pollinators, they are responsible for pollinating many of the fruits vegetables, and nuts that we eat every day. Without honey bees our food supply would be in jeopardy. However, sometimes honey bee hives located too close to homes or in unwanted areas need to be removed. This raises the question – is it okay to kill honey bees?
The Importance of Honey Bees
Honey bees pollinate about one-third of the food we eat. Some of the crops that rely on honey bee pollination include:
- Apples
- Avocados
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Almonds
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Grapefruits
- Lemons
- Squash
Without honey bees many of these crops would have very low yields or fail completely. Honey bees are responsible for $15 billion in added crop value each year in the United States alone.
In addition to pollinating our food, honey bees also produce honey, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly All of these natural products are useful to humans.
When Honey Bees Become a Problem
Though honey bees are extremely important, they can sometimes cause issues when they build hives in unwanted areas. Common problem areas include:
- In the walls or attic of a home
- In playground equipment or park structures
- In barns or sheds
- In the ground of a yard or garden
- In trees close to human activity
When honey bee hives are located too close to human activity, they can pose some risks:
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Stings – Honey bees will defend their hive if they feel it is threatened. Stings can be painful and cause allergic reactions.
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Structural damage – Honey and wax from the hive can damage walls, attics, and other structures.
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Swarms – When the hive gets too large, part of the colony may leave to start a new hive elsewhere. Swarms can be alarming to see.
Though it’s best to avoid killing bees, sometimes honey bee hive removal is necessary for safety and property protection.
Can You Kill Honey Bees?
The short answer is yes, honey bees can be killed either by a homeowner or professional pest control operator. However, there are some important caveats to consider.
Safety Concerns
Destroying a hive risks provoking an aggressive reaction from the bees as they try to defend their colony. Appropriate protective equipment like bee suits should be used during hive removal.
It can also be challenging to fully kill an entire hive without missing some hidden pockets of bees within walls or structures. Any surviving bees may try to rebuild the hive later.
Environmental Impact
Since honey bees are so vital for pollination and already under threat from disease, habitat loss, and pesticides, it’s best to avoid killing them whenever possible. Consider trying to relocate the hive first before resorting to killing.
Local Regulations
Some states prohibit killing honey bees or require licenses for their removal and extermination. Research your local laws before taking any action.
Alternatives to Killing
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Relocation – Beekeepers may be willing to safely move the hive to a new location. This should only be done by an expert.
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Prevention – Sealing cracks and entry points can help deter bees from building hives in structures.
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Deterrents – Some natural repellents like mint oil may encourage bees to move on.
How to Kill a Honey Bee Hive
If honey bee hive removal is absolutely necessary, either a homeowner or professional can kill them with insecticides. This should be a last resort if no alternatives exist.
Here are some tips for safely and effectively killing honey bees inside structures:
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Wear proper protective gear like a bee suit to avoid stings.
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Choose an EPA-approved insecticide labeled for bees – dusts or aerosol sprays often work best.
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Identify the boundaries of the hive within walls/structures by listening for buzzing.
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Treat the hive in the evening when bees are inside and less active.
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Drill small holes and inject insecticide directly into the hive. Seal holes after.
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Use vacuums at entrances to suck up emerging bees.
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Remove dead bees, honey, and comb completely to prevent reinfestation.
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Seal all hive entry points.
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Monitor for any surviving bees that may try to rebuild. Retreat if needed.
Honey bees are incredibly beneficial insects that should be protected whenever possible. Their declining populations make killing them strongly discouraged. But if a hive poses an immediate danger, insecticide treatment may be the only viable option after all other alternatives have been ruled out. This should only be done by trained professionals as a last resort for honey bee removal. With proper precautions and understanding of honey bee conservation, hives can be managed without decimating local bee populations.
How many honey bees in a nest
A couple of months ago I read about some honey bees in the roof of a local hospital. For some reason or other it seemed to hit the national press. What amazed me wasn’t that we hadn’t been asked to do the removal (the company that has the pest control contract brought in people from a long way away). It was thought to be a huge nest with between 50 and 60,000 bees inside. By my way of thinking that is nothing in reality. At the height of the season, a honey bee nest can produce around 2,000 new bees every day. It takes about three weeks for each new bee to hatch, so there will be about 42,000 bees in the colony that aren’t flying. Additionally there may be between 20 and 80,000 adult bees. What I really didn’t get was why they had to use so many bee hives. We thought that everything would have fit easily into a standard British National hive, but it took six people several days to clean out this bee nest.
Post killing of a honey bee nest
Having killed a honey bee colony we would suggest that you still remove it. The clothes moths and carpet beetles will love the dead honey bees because they can use them to lay their eggs. Eventually, they will run out of food and will be looking for other things to eat, like your wool suits, alpaca sweaters, silk dresses, wool carpets, and so on. We always find wax moth larvae in honey bee nests that aren’t owned by a beekeeper. Once the bees are dead, the wax moth can’t be stopped. The larvae eat through the wax, releasing honey that often drips through ceilings and other places.
It’s amazing how many homes we have to go to remove honey bee nests that have been poisoned because of the dripping honey or the discovery that a clothes moth problem is caused by a dead bees nest. There are times when people think that the poison would also kill these other pests, but it doesn’t seem to work that way.
How To Kill Bees Living Inside Your Wall.
FAQ
What happens if you kill honey bees?
Is it illegal to kill bees in the US?
Which bees should I not kill?