HONEY BEE REMOVAL SYSTEMS

In the past there has been a number of ways of removing honey bees from places where they were not wanted. Another approach many be better for the bees and people.

1. Kill the honey bees with poison. When the honey bees die other honey bees (robber bees) will come in and eventually rob out the remaining honey along with little if any poison (we hope.) The bees may die slowly with much scattering of the insects. The honey that is robbed is taken back to other nest sites. This is not good for the insects or the people that eat that honey. However, it is the cheapest way to go in the short run.

2. A “cut out” is done on the outside or inside of the wall where the honey comb and bees are removed. If the bees were removed by poison, “cause and effect” can or will result in a potential problem for the beekeeper, pest control operator and the company doing the work. Cut outs involve hot, sweaty, time-consuming work, and the ever enduring bee stings. Just because most all of the honey comb and bees have been removed there is a thing called ”CALL BACKS,” where people get very excited about more robber bees than expected—or another SWARM has landed and has instantly become a COLONY living in the space that you have just cleaned out.

3. Of course, specialized honey bee vacuums can be used to suck up the field bees without hurting them. The good news is that no chemicals are used that can hurt non-target insects. However, it does take more time than many people would like, including us.

4. NEUTRALIZATION OF CAVITY varies with the company. “Neutralization” is when chemical treatment, sealing cracks and holes, etc. are done to keep another swarm from entering a space. This process varies from company to company—and so does the time that each company backs up its work. Individual cases can vary greatly as far as expectations are concerned. As most older people know, it is better not to have a cherished outcome in any subject area because expectations often turn into seeds of resentment. However, we will do our best to solve the problem. Backing up our work is critical when dealing with honey bees. Even a small amount of beeswax that has soaked into the wood will give off an odor that will later attract swarms. Hopefully, the process eliminates or cuts down the odor that attracts honey bees.

5. Removing honey bees from a cavity can involve all of the above. Another method from decades ago involves getting a frame of brood with a queen from another colony and placing them in a box next to the entrance of the colony you want to remove. A tunnel of screen wire is run from the original colony to be removed to the new box with the new brood and queen. The process takes about 21 days for the bees to leave, with the old queen remaining behind to be sealed up when finished.

6. The method that Bee Busters, Inc. uses is a modification of the above method (see paragraph 5). To begin with, we may have trouble obtaining a frame of brood and an extra queen, so we rarely use this older method, even though it is a tried and true traditional method of removal honey bees from buildings. We use a bait hive that we have designed and have a patents(s) pending. This same bait hive is also good for catching wild swarms of honey bees—hopefully before they enter someone’s home.

The massive advantage of our newer method is that it is easier on the honey bees and the person doing the bee removal, and it also costs less. We do cutouts when necessary at an additional cost. And if the honey is removed by robber bees (honey bees from a nearby location), or eaten up by the developing nurse bees with their queen, and if the wax moth will eat up the beeswax that can attract future swarms, one would think that the problem is solved. It doesn’t matter what the subject is—everything is a maybe. Yes, there is still a possibility that you still may end up with honey dripping through the wall, along with mice and ants enjoying the feast. In that case a “cut out” may be in order. This is at least a conservative approach to a difficult problem. There are many worse problems that can occur in one’s life. However, we do back up our work for a reasonable amount of time, depending on the situation.

The system developed by Bee Busters, Inc. is dependent on how old the colony is and our ability to put up a gate system where the bees cannot find another entrance in the surrounding area of the building. This sounds simple but it is not necessarily so. However, every job is different and in some situations we encounter a glitch. We do stick with the job until the bee problem is removed. If we can save the bees we remove, so much the better.

In earlier times it was easier to keep bees alive. Only 20% would die. Nowadays, 40% per year are dying. No other industry in agriculture even comes close to that mortality rate.

It is harder because of shrinking bee pasture, the wide selection of chemicals that kill, relatively new pest and disease problems—plus the beekeeper of today has a real or perceived shortage of time. I have always maintained that “having five hives is a full time job.”