Honey Bee Removal  Return to: Bee Page/ Home Page

So you've got bees in your house.  If you call us, we will come out to your site to discuss options, timing and provide an estimate for the removal (if you are far away, however, we will probably do it all in one trip).  Joey is a carpenter so we can not only make access openings as fixable as possible, but we can do the reparations. 

On the day of removal, we will arrive with tools, bee gear and a nuc box for the bees.  We always bring a spare veil if you choose to watch, but just know that you run the risk of being stung.  However, the process is fascinating and worthy of photographing to discuss later with friends and family.  We take pictures too and will share them with you via email if you request it (see some of our photos) . 

We will lay down a tarp under our work space to control debris and honey leakage.   Then we will cut into the wall/remove siding, whatever is necessary to access the bees.

     If there is comb, we will cut it out and place it in frames for bee use inside the nuc box.  The nuc box is a small bee box for easy transfer of the bees.  Sometimes, we will have to leave it on site for a day, or at least into the evening, to get all the bees to move in (and out of your house!).

  Once we have the comb in the nuc box and the bees on them, we can watch the behavior of the bees to see if we have the queen.  Though we sometimes see her, we often have to bank on evidence of a bee line or fanning to indicate that we have her where we want her.  Once she's in the box, the rest will follow! 

All that remains for us to do is scoop up any clumps of bees and remove any bee scent from the house so that future hives don't move into the same spot.  On rare occasions, we use a bee vacuum, but this is definitely not our preferred method as it does seem to damage the bees.

After the sun goes down, all the foragers will come home and into our box.  We then plug the holes and wrap the box in a sheet to move them to our apiary.  For the first few days, we will feed them with sugar water until they find the local nectar sources.  Once they have established themselves, we will move them into one of our regular boxes.

        IF YOU HAVE A HIVE IN A TREE:

If they are established in a tree, there really is no good way to get them out.  Try to coexist with them instead.  We recently had an experience with a man who had a tree hive that got damaged in a storm (the top half of the tree broke off, exposing the hive).  He opted to build a box to mount on the tree and protect the bees.  We encourage this kind of behavior!  If you absolutely MUST remove them, we will discuss options- which generally result in removing the worker bees to add to another hive, sealing in and killing the queen... the most undesirable solution and not always succesful.

Please do call us as we adore these bees and the time we spend with them.  Our rates are extremely reasonable and WE DO NOT KILL BEES!

    Liz: (707) 696-0861     Joey: (707) 477-2930                                            Return to: Bee Page/ Home Page

For Humane Bee Removal outside Sonoma County, please contact:

Return to: Bee Page/ Home Page