It is not easy to identify a bee. This requires a lot of practice and careful observation. As mentioned earlier, the number of bee species is vast. Secondly, it is easy to confuse bees with wasps and other winged creatures. All these are very similar to look at and have similar behavior. Bees belong to the superfamily of Apoidea and their appearance can be characterized by six legs, two compound eyes, a set of antennas, two pairs of wings, three simple eyes on the head, a stomach and a nectar pouch. A few bees have stingers attached to their abdomen.

The color of bees is usually in shades of black or brown with a little bit of red.

Bees enter houses in search for a place to nest. These pests like dark and protected spaces, so any wall voids or chimneys are just great for them. If living space is exposed to the outside, chances of bee infestations are high. Bee species that make a living inside wall voids fly inside the house through electrical outlets, wall cracks, and baseboards.

Stings

Bees are environment-friendly in various ways but it is still potentially dangerous to let a beehive establish near your home. This is because bees can sting. Generally, bees sting to defend themselves or protect their nest. Most stings are slightly painful but in certain cases, allergic reactions can develop. The poison inserted in the bloodstream can cause redness, itching, and swelling.

When a bee stings, it leaves the stinger in the flesh of the human being. This stinger is attached to the bee’s abdomen and is responsible for the functioning of its digestive system. The detachment of the stinger after a sting leads to the immediate death of the bee.

The next response is the release of an alarm pheromone that informs other bees in the colony. These bees attack and collect around the hive to protect it from any further defense.

Accumulation of Honey

Hives inside wall voids can have honey. When this honey ferments, it can:

• attract more pests
• cause damage to support structures
• dirty surrounding areas.

Bee removal refers to procedures used to remove bees from a particular location. Australia has several professional services for this purpose. The honey bee is one of the most beneficial insect species and therefore, killing their nests for elimination is not a good idea. They have potential economic value. Professional bee removal service providers transfer the hives to a new location where these bees can be cared for and used for extracting honey and beeswax.

Bee removal involves both beekeeping and pest control. They are removed from the areas around your home giving you a safe and secure environment yet not killed for the benefits they have to offer for mother nature. A local beekeeper can remove bees and keep them protected. However, you must discuss these aspects with the beekeeper. Some local beekeepers are not trained with removal services.

Bees can be removed by various treatment procedures. These include hive removal and carpenter bee traps. When you set a trap, you are tricking the bees to enter through a small hole in a piece of wood leading it to an empty plastic bottle. While this treatment option helps to eliminate existing bees, it does not get rid of the source of the bee problem. You cannot deal with the infestation using this method.

Agriculturists, pest management professionals, entomologists, or beekeepers are not in favor of this treatment as bees are beneficial pollinators and it is preferred that they get relocated, instead of being killed.

Another interesting and popular way to get rid of hive vacuuming or covering it with a plastic tarp. This way the sun heats the hive to temperatures that don’t let the bees survive. It is not recommended that you try these methods as they are dangerous and you will only have a lot of angry bees chasing you.

Even though an essential part of the agricultural system, bees cannot be left buzzing around your family. It is not easy to get rid of bees as this decision is dependent on several factors.

First and foremost, you need to identify which type of bee you are dealing with. Most often, bees thriving around a home are bumble, honey or carpenter bees. The carpenter and bumblebee look very similar and are often mistaken for each other but do remember that the removal procedure of the carpenter bee and the bumblebee is not the same.

• Bumble Bee

This bee species is distinguished based on a caste system. The queen bee, as the name suggests, is the leader and runs the hive. She lays eggs for the colony. The next are drones. These are male bees involved in mating with the queen. They exist from late spring to early summer. The smallest bees in the hive are female worker bees. The worker bees are present in large numbers in the hive and work to keep it running smoothly.

The size of the bumblebees is one-half of an inch to 1 inch long. They have three yellow stripes on their bodies and a little black behind their wings. They have a covering of fuzzy hairs that let them pick up pollen and carry it back to their hives.

The common places where bumblebees are found include woods, parks or fields. They collect pollen to make honey and survive on it during the winter months when they don’t have access to other food. Generally, humans are unable to consume the honey prepared by bumblebees. The hives of bumblebees are established at ground level. The size of bumblebee hives is much smaller than honey bee hives

• Honey Bees

Beekeepers cultivate hives near homes for producing honey. These hives habitat honey bees, or Apis mellifera. They are yellow and black but their size is way smaller as compared to bumble and carpenter bees. The length of adult honey bees is between one-half to five-eighths of an inch. Similar to bumblebees, honey bees are social insects and organized by the caste system with queen bees, drones, and workers. Drones (male bees) are bigger than worker bees, yet smaller than the queen. The queen bee is responsible for leading the system.

Honey bee hives are established or built-in logs, fence posts, hollowed-out trees, or inside beekeeping hive boxes. Honey bees rarely build a hive inside the home but there are chances for the same to exist in walls, crawl spaces or attics that are not bee proof or sealed.

The worker bees sting and are harmful to those around. The worker bees only sting when they are provoked or when they see something as a threat to their hives. Their sting has barbs which attach itself to the flesh of whatever has been stung by them. The stinger remains inside the victim when the bee flies away, as a result of which the bee dies.

• Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees, also known as wood bees, belonging to the genus Xylocopa family are black and yellow. Their length is one-half of an inch to 1 inch. Carpenter bees are not fuzzy and the front of their abdomen is shiny black. On top of their thorax is a black dot.

Carpenter bees are not social like their fellow bee species. They prefer to survive in solitary. You can see them in fields, woods, parks, and homes with gardens.

Carpenter bees don’t create hives. They build galleries by burrowing into wood surfaces. In these galleries, they raise young bees but they never eat the wood they have burrowed through.

Carpenter bees only cause damage when they grow in numbers. They drop pollen near the entry hole which can leave stains on the surface of the wood. A majority of carpenter bees that you see around homes, in gardens or wooden structures are males. They might fly around you but cannot sting. The female bees sting but only when they feel threatened or the hive is attacked.

The most suitable solution for bee removal is to hire a pest management professional or a beekeeper. They come with the required protective gear, tools, and training to understand which method works for the type of bee surviving around your home.

Bees and bee pests and diseases

The honey bee industry in Australia comprises of around 13,000 registered beekeepers. About 10% of these are recognized as commercial apiarists, each having over 50 hives.

The European honey bee contributes to the Australian economy with an industry valuation of $100 million per annum. The production of honey is estimated to range between 20-25,000 tonnes every year.

Additionally, honey bees have a role to play in the production of horticultural and seed crops. This is done by providing vital pollination services to enhance crop growth and quality. The industry of pollination services is valued to contribute between $620 and $1,730 million to Australian agricultural production per annum.

Varroa mite – Australia still safe from the dangers

One of the few countries in the world to remain free from varroa mite is Australia. However, it remains to be a major threat. This is because if varroa mite did thrive in Australia, it would badly affect the healthy population of honey bees. It would hamper the pollination services provided by these honey bees and could reduce the production by 90 to 100 percent. The movement of hives can get restricted to prevent the spread of varroa affecting the number of hives in every region. The impact would be much more on apiarists, who would have to spend more on managing their hives, and on crop producers who grow almonds, cherries, and apples with a dependence on the pollination from bees.

Bees can begin to bother and there are many ways with which you can keep them at bay. If you want to enjoy in your backyard and home surroundings without getting stung, here’s what you can do:

Step 1: Find the Hive

Search for the bees home. This could be in flowers, plants, roof corners, awnings, and other such places.

Step 2: Understand the type

It is important to identify the type. You could be misunderstanding bee species with wasps. The removal methods for wasps are different.

Step 3: Get in touch with a beekeeper

Bees must not be harmed unnecessarily as they are an important part of the ecosystem. So, make sure you seek the right advice before you go ahead with harming or killing them. Call a local beekeeper or an expert bee removal company who can safely and efficiently remove hives.

If you wish to try and remove bees on your own, you can use natural treatments like:

Spray Vinegar Mix

Get a spray bottle and prepare a solution with half water and half vinegar. Spray this mixture at night when the bees are not buzzing. Make sure you wear full protective clothing as you step out to do this. You must cover every part of your body along with your face and neck. Also, spray the mixture in places where you feel that bee infestations may have existed. Check for any bee activity the following day and if you feel activity still exists, spray some more. Remember to sweep out dead bees and discard them so that no other pests are attracted.

Mothballs

Take an old nylon cloth or a thin sock. Add or tie some mothballs and hang this near the bee nest.

Zapper

Alternatively, you can hang a bug zapper close to the beehive. These are available at grocery, drug, and home improvement stores. Bees get stuck to the material of the capper and eventually die.

How to perform bee removal at home, in the ground, and the car?

Bees can infest your home, garden or even the car. An example of bee infestation in the car is found in the small gaps present between car doors. If you notice bee infestations in any of these areas, the best method to remove them is by making the environment harsh for them to live in.

Bee Removal for Home

Remember not to attack or harm the bees and beehive. Bees sting when they sense danger. So, if you don’t want to get stung, avoid going near the beehive. Fill all gaps and openings near doors, windows, chimneys so that insects and rodents cannot find entry points. If bees are unable to enter the premises, they will automatically start searching for a place to relocate. They will not bother you in any manner. However, to ensure that there is no future infestation, use chemical solutions to eliminate the pheromone smell left behind by the bees. Pest control authorities or beekeepers can help you with this process. They know how to get rid of infestations and how to avoid their future establishment as well.

Bee Removal for Garden or Lawn

Ground nesting takes place through entry patches found in bare soil. Just water the soil and you will be able to get rid of bees. Bees thrive and survive in drylands. If the land is not dry, they will not make a hive. Wet ground is an inadequate place to reside.

Bee Removal for Cars

To remove bee infestation from your car, add chemical smell that bees repel. Next, fill all the gaps around car doors so that these flying insects cannot find any place to breed and establish a hive. Bees generally don’t build a hive inside the car and swarms are temporary. Swarms relocate themselves in a few days. So, it is advised that you avoid using power as this might make them feel threatened and they might sting you in defense.

How do our bee removal services work?

In Melbourne, you often see bees swarming and on the move. This is true, especially in the warmer months. We provide bee removal services that are safe and efficient. Our bee removal methods are odorless, non-hazardous, and don’t need you to vacate your home or property during or after the treatment.

In most built-up urban areas of Melbourne, bees cannot be taken away physically, as a result of which, a bee removal solution that destroys their hives completely needs to be employed. This treatment is professional and requires residents to stay away from the treatment area only till the time bees have gone. This is usually for one hour.

We offer:

• Quick and reliable service
• 100% customer satisfaction
• Specialization in chimneys, vents, and walls
• Bee control advice to prevent further infestations
• Friendly and local expert staff
• Appointment times as per your convenience
• Non-hazardous bee removal treatments
• Treatment that does not harm beneficial or native bees in the area

Overall, bees can be hazardous for both pets and people. If you want to keep your family members and your home safe, you must get in touch with an expert who helps you with bee removal in an efficient way.

Bees are beneficial for nature but you don’t want them around your home. Deciding to remove them can be a complicated decision but is somewhat a necessity for the protection of you and your family. As pollinators, bees reproduce many of the foods you eat but as household pests, bee stings are extremely painful and also fatal in certain cases. If you’ve recently spotted a bee colony near your premises and it is giving you stress, it is time for you to take measures for their eradication. The services of a beekeeper are cost-effective to remove and relocate the colony in comparison to you trying some of the natural ways.

Average Costs

• Some of the determinants for bee removal costs are the size and location of the beehive, the bee species, and the accessibility of the hive.
• If it is an easy-to-reach beehive, your local beekeeper can do it for an extremely nominal price. But with the case of more complex jobs, a higher fee needs to be paid. Beekeepers may or may not provide services for repairs. For this, you can hire a separate contractor.
• The cost of a basic bee removal task ranges between AUD 100 and AUD 220; more complex jobs cost between AUD 290 and AUD 1200 or as much as AUD 1450 to 2900.
• The most expensive kind of bee removal is in-structure, in which case the beehive is inside a wall.

You can easily find a local beekeeper near you who is professional, trained, experienced, and cost-effective in removing beehives and other bee structures around your house.

What to consider before removing bees?

When you decide to hire a pro for the removal of beehives near your premises, there are certain things that you need to consider. These include:

• • Relocation Vs. Extermination

It is not illegal to kill the bees on your property and is one of the easiest ways to get rid of them. However, it may not always be a wise decision. This is because you must first know the bee species surrounding your home, after which you need to consult your state’s agricultural department to be sure that what you are doing is safe and accepted. For instance, a few states recommend removal instead of the extermination of wild bee colonies that are in areas close to humans.

• • Hives Vs. Swarms

A hive is a home developed by bees for nesting. Here, they rear broods and store food. A swarm is a mass of bees searching for a new home. The latter may appear to be flying everywhere but are less dangerous as compared to the former. Swarms are temporary and you don’t need to focus on their removal. Swarms keep changing their locations and should soon move to a new home without causing you much worry.

• • Bee proofing to prevent future infestations

Bees only need an opening of size ⅛”. The common areas where you will see bees fitting in include birdhouses, rain gutters, trees, A/C units, under the lining of a roof, behind brickwork, and sheds. If you bee proof these areas by sealing the tiny openings that serve as potential entry points, you can prevent the growth and development of a bee colony. You can bee proof these areas on your own but a professional will be able to manage better. This is because professionals will thoroughly check every corner and every area and seal the same to prevent future bee infestations.

After a bee hive has been removed, you need to take precautionary steps to ensure that bees don’t come back to the area. Moreover, other pests shouldn’t get attracted to hive materials residue and organic matter must not cause damage to the existing structure. Apart from sealing the openings, you must remove dead bees, wax, eggs, and honey. You must also clean and deodorize the area. A skilled, trained, and professional beekeeper and bee control company can take care of all the activities for you from start to end.

Removing a hive sometimes may require the removal of building materials such as stucco, paint, drywall, insulation, framing, etc. You must know that you will need to pay an additional fee for such type of repair and reconstruction.

Some Dos and Don’ts

The first rule to remember is that you must not look at the hive. According to scientific evidence, when bees are establishing a hive, they are only looking for a place to live in and have no intentions of causing any harm. A bee only stings when it sees the human being as a threat to their beehive.

Bee removal can be a little tricky. Here are some vital things to keep in mind:

• Avoid the use of pesticides
• Do not throw stones or sticks towards the beehive, it only aggravates the bees
• Contact a local beekeeper or pest control authorities to perform safe removal of the beehive
• Observe patterns to see that relocation has been done correctly and the bees are not harmed
• Keep all the house doors closed during bee removal and relocation so that none can fly into the house. Fill all openings and gaps to block the entry of other pests as well.
• Once removal is complete, deodorize and neutralize the area well to eliminate residue and prevent future infestation.