How to Approach a Bee Infestation

Co-authored by Rod Yates

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

To solve any problem you first need to understand why it has happened. Bees often occupy places where they are not wanted, but they usually do this for consistent reasons. Knowing why bees behave how they do can help you get rid of them safely and sensibly

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Understanding Bees

1
Simply observe the bees and think first. Careful observation is more likely to make sense of what is happening.
2
Understand why bees swarm. When bees swarm, it's so their colony can spread out into new areas. This means they minimize the risk that a single disaster will wipe out their gene pool at one location, and they increase their chances of survival. Nature benefits because this also increases the number of bees for pollination. There are also other reasons, but this is the main one.

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3
Beware of "feral bees." Bees not under human management, so called “feral bees”, cross breed and benefit from more defensive characteristics rather than increased productivity, therefore they tend to become more dangerous. Their poison is often more severe, and they more easily get angry. When they are difficult to handle, they can’t be checked for disease, and they can carry parasites that spread to healthy hives.
4
Protect the "good" bees from the "bad." It's really important that we protect the managed bees that we rely on for pollination and honey from bees that can easily bring serious problems, such as parasites or disease. It often means that feral bees need to be removed by someone with proper knowledge to do this safely. If he can't safely check them for disease, its better that they are put down. He may need a licence to use chemicals safely, to do this job. The best chemicals for the job are virtually non toxic to humans, anyway.
5
Don't put this job in the hands of an amateur, whether that's you or an untrained "professional"! Safe and careful intervention is essential for bee eradication that both prevents infestation and protects healthy bee populations. Further information follows.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Dealing with Bees on Your Property

1
Pay attention to what the bees are doing. Bees can show you why they do what they do, so you can work out how to change the circumstances that suit them. Changing their environment may discourage them from being there. Consider how they are controlling the air flow in the space they have chosen, maybe if this was increased, the space would be less appealing? Sealing up their entrance certainly won't.
2
Consider why bees might be in your walls - and what to do about it. When bees locate themselves in a wall cavity, it's because they can control the updraft of the air in there. This helps them keep their brood at an even temperature, by speeding it up or slowing it down. In the right wall, they can sometimes really thrive!
- They will usually choose a brick veneer wall on the warm side of a building, because it heats up and cools down differently to how a much denser wall would. The bees calculate this thermal lag, and can take action to benefit their brood. If the sun is concealed by a cloud, they will know that the wall might cool down in a particular time "lag", and they can prepare to increase the temperature around their brood.
- You can make the cavity less appealing by opening the bottom and the top of the wall so more air rushes through and they can’t control the air flow. This is a non-chemical solution.
3
Try to deal with bee problems quickly. If the bees have been established for some time, they will be reluctant to leave their brood. The pollen and honey they have stored to feed the brood, will attract cockroaches and in Australia, an insect called “Small Hive Beetle” (SHB, or sp. Athena Tumida). Quite often, the SHB will cause the honeycomb to break down into a vile, putrid slime, so its wise to eliminate the bees before SHB gets established.
4
Call in a professional to eradicate infestations. This should be done by blowing a professional Permethrin-based powder into the cavity so well that it dusts all surfaces. This chemical is low toxicity and safe for humans. The bees will then find the cavity repellent, and not nest there.
- The job should be done by someone with equipment to blow the powder in at high pressure so it circulates thoroughly. This can be done from a safe distance with a long pipe thin enough to fit into the hole that the bees use as an entrance.
- Eventually, about three months later when the powder has lost some of its power, a small moth (sp.galleria Mellonella, or Wax Moth) will get in and eat up the remaining wax, leaving the cavity empty as it used to be, without significantly damaging the building. Wax moths are everywhere. The powder will also kill the cockroaches.
5
Know where to go for help. As mentioned, safe and sensible bee eradication requires professional help. You might find such a person by consulting your local Council, Wildlife Rescue Service or Department of Agriculture.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding the Pitfalls

1
Do not use liquids, aerosol sprays, or other chemical types which may create new problems. Aerosols will kill some bees, but cause the rest to be confused and spread out in the wall so the problem becomes more extensive.
2
Do not block up the holes that the bees used for access. If new bees come around, they need to be able to determine that the cavity is repellent, so they give up and go away. If they can't get in to where the powder is, they become more determined and will enter the wall further away, and walk along leaving the scent marker as they go. A new colony might set up just outside the range of the powder.
- Also, the wall still needs to be able to ventilate itself so it doesn’t become musty. So many houses are damaged with materials such as foaming resin and silicone that have been used to block bees. This almost always encourages bees to try again.
3
Don't worry about "saving the bees." Many people blindly assert that feral bees should be “saved." This is not a very sensible idea. After all, bees only live about 8 weeks,and all their characteristics are fixed at birth. It takes that long for the colony to be rehabilitated with a new queen to produce more useful brood because the old bees have to die off first. It's far better to accept that to control the spread of disease, some bees have to be eliminated to protect the healthy colonies under good management.
- One of these well managed colonies can easily be divided and made productive in only a week or so to make up for the loss of a bunch of ferals. It’s the same as having problems with cattle that have serious illness; you just don’t go and put them in with the healthy cows.
4
Don't take risks or skimp on bee removal. Our lives depend on food crops pollinated by healthy bees. It is much better to call on an experienced person who knows what he or she is doing with bees. Accept that if there is expertise and or chemicals involved, they will need to be paid fairly, as you would pay any professional.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I get rid of carpenter bees?

David Williams
Beekeeper & Bee Removal Specialist
David Williams is a Professional Beekeeper and Bee Removal Specialist with over 28 years of beekeeping experience. He is the Owner of Bzz Bee Removal, a bee removal company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bzz Bee Removal locates, captures, and transports bees to local beekeepers to prevent colony collapse disorder.

David Williams

Beekeeper & Bee Removal Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Carpenters bees make a lot of holes in wood. If you want to get rid of them yourself, spray soapy water in the holes. Then, seal up the holes so that moisture doesn't get into them and compromise the wood.
Question

How can I bee-proof my outdoor patio?

David Williams
Beekeeper & Bee Removal Specialist
David Williams is a Professional Beekeeper and Bee Removal Specialist with over 28 years of beekeeping experience. He is the Owner of Bzz Bee Removal, a bee removal company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bzz Bee Removal locates, captures, and transports bees to local beekeepers to prevent colony collapse disorder.

David Williams

Beekeeper & Bee Removal Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

You would want to build an exterior enclosure, one that's made of either screen or glass, so you can enjoy the outside without bees or wasps bothering you. I also recommend citronella candles if you're going to be outside. They work as a repellant—the smoke scares off bees.

Warnings

Don't over protect yourself. If working with bees, it is more dangerous to be clumsy due to heavy gloves etc, Best to remain quiet, cool and calm.

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