We all know how important bees are for the ecosystem. But if you have discovered a bee hive infestation on your property it is only natural for you to want to organize a bee hive removal as quickly as possible.
If you have discovered a bee hive in your garden, or even in your home it is important that you take action quickly. Particularly if you have young children or pets in the home who will not know enough to avoid these aggressive creatures. Bees can be extremely protective of the hives they have set up and are equipped with venomous stingers which they have no problem using when they feel their territory is under attack.
Luckily, you can quickly hire a pest control service in South Africa who will arrive on your property and take care of ridding your home of a hive and swarm of bees as soon as possible.
Below you will discover everything you need to know about bee hive removal and what to look for when assessing who to call for a “bee hive removal near me.”
Some Things to Know About Bees and Bee Hives
For most types of bees, there will be a “queen” who leads the whole hive. The swarm of bees guided by the queen will follow her wherever she goes and will set up a new hive wherever she decides to settle. The size of hives can range from a few hundred bees to as many as tens of thousands.
When a queen has settled on a location, the hive can either be established higher up or at ground level. If you have started to notice a sudden increase in the number of bees entering your home, chances are a new hive has been established nearby.
Carpenter bees drill holes into the wood in buildings and create their hives directly in the structure. They can enter homes through open windows and doors, or cracks in entry points around your home.
The level of aggressiveness in bees will vary. Some bees will not attack if there are left alone, others will attack if you enter their territory and they feel their location is threatened.
How to Know if You Have A Bee Problem On Your Property?
It is perfectly normal to spot bees flying around here and there in your garden and occasionally indoors if you have left doors and windows open in the heat. This is generally nothing to worry about.
But if you have begun to notice an increase in the number of bees that are in your home or yard then you may be facing a problem with a bee hive that needs to be located and dealt with.
Handily, there are some tell-tale signs which can indicate that you have a bee hive on or very near your home. Read below to discover what to look out for and how to identify the location of a beehive on your property.
Signs to Look For In Your Home
If you begin to notice round holes or approximately one inch in a wooden structure or area of your home, this may indicate the presence of carpenter bees. These types of bees will drill into the wood and create a series of tunnels to create a hive. As well as being a safety hazard, if ignored too long these types of hives can cause costly structural damage.
Bess can also establish other types of hives inside your home. Areas in which bee hives have been found include attics, cellars, and even in between hollow walls.
Knock on Hollow Walls to Check for Bee Hives.
If you have noticed an increase in the number of bees in your home, you can start knocking on hollow walls and listen to see if you can hear any buzzing that follows.
Check Attics and Cellar Spaces
You can also check the corners and rafters of cellars and attics to see if you can spot any signs – but always remember to keep a safe distance and avoid disturbing the hive too much.
Track the Bees That Are in Your Home
If you have difficulty locating a hive but are certain there is a problem, then you can try tracking the journey of a bee around your home. If there is a hive on your property it will make its way toward it, if it is a stray who got indoors by mistake it will eventually make its way back outside.
What to Do If you Find A Bee Hive In Your Home?
When you identify the location of the bee hive, you should leave it undisturbed and don’t step too close. Bees may view your movements as an act of aggression and start defending their territory and queen by stinging. It is always safer and more effective to hire a professional pest control company that will deal with the situation using controlled and safe methods.
If you can’t locate a bee hive but there is a noticeable increase in the number of bees on your property, a pest control company can also help you to find hives in hard-to-spot places. Bee hives have been found under flooring, in tight edges, under siding, and in other difficult-to-reach areas.
Do Bees Come Back After Bee Hive Removal?
Once you have hired a bee hive removal service, you will naturally be relieved that the danger has passed for now, but will bees return once the pest control company has left your property? You may even have noticed some bees flying around on the same day of the hive removal and worry there may be another infestation on site!
What are Straggler Bees?
When a bee hive removal takes place, not all of the bees will be present in the hive and will be a short distance away, pollinating plants in your garden. When they return to the point the hive was located, they can settle down into a small collective where the hive was when they left. However, these straggler bees are only capable of surviving for a couple of weeks outside of a hive environment.
If the straggler bees do not move on of their own accord, these can be removed with a return visit from a professional pest control service.
Arranging for the removal of bee hives either early in the morning or the late evening can help to reduce this phenomenon. If pest control services arrive early enough in the day, they may remove the hive before any of the worker bees have even left! And an evening removal of bee hives is likely to include the worker bees to have returned to the nest for the night.
How to Stop Bees From Returning To Your Home?
Once a hive and swarm have been removed and relocated from your property, how do you make sure your property remains bee free in the future? Given the benefits of bees to the ecosystem, most people have no problem with a few bees flying around the garden, but you will naturally want to stop the development of another hive inside your home in the future.
Here are some steps you can take to reduce the chances of a new swarm of bees making their home in your own.
Use Moth Balls to Deter Bees As Well As Moths
Although moth balls have been created primarily to deter moths, the smell they emit also put off bees from entering your home. Hang them in areas that the bees frequent to stop them from returning in the future.
Sprinkle Cinnamon Spice to Put Off Bees
Sprinkling cinnamon around entry points and the areas where bees congregate will make them want to move away from your property.
Spray Essential Oils Around the Home
Although sweet smells will attract bees, the smells of some essential oils will repel them from your home. Spray mint, citronella, peppermint, or eucalyptus oils around your home to deter bees from entering your home.
Place Cucumber Peels On Your Windowsills
Bees are deterred by cucumber, so this can be a very cost-effective way to deter them from entering your home.
Use Vanilla Extract And Other Body Oils When Working in the Garden
As well as spraying essential oils around the home, you can also apply essential oils to your body to function as a human repellent when you are out and about working in your yard!
Contact Pest Control Professionals
If DIY remedies haven’t helped to act as a deterrent from your home, then it is time to turn to the professionals. They will be able to provide you with professional and effective solutions which will help solve the issue in the long term.
What Attracts Bees to Your Home?
If you have a recurring problem with bees creating hives too close or inside your home, you may need to make a few adjustments to avoid the same thing occurring in the future. In order to do this, you need to have a clear idea about what exactly is attracting bees to your property.
Are Your Garbage Bins Being Stored Too Close to Your Home?
As you will be aware, bees are naturally attracted to the pollen in flowers and, because of this, sweet and sugary smells in the rubbish may be attracting them to your home.
Make sure that all garbage bins are securely sealed and that you seal all rubbish bags. This is especially important for bins containing the remnants of sweets and sodas.
Store your garbage bins as far away from your home as possible to make sure that bees don’t have an easy journey from the bins to entry points in your home.
Is Your Exterior Wood Structure Untreated?
As we discussed above, carpenter bees love to make their home in wood and will drill holes to make warrens in wooden locations. They prefer untreated wood surfaces, so you can reduce the chances of an infestation by making sure that your wood is subjected to staining, sealing, or painting treatments.
Are There Cracks and Other Entry Points into Your Home?
Make it harder for bees to enter the home by making sure that holes and cracks which develop in window sills and doorways are dealt with quickly and effectively.
When Should You Hire Professional Bee Hive Removal Services?
To keep you and your family safe, the ideal solution to bee hive removal is to contact a professional service. Attempting the removal of bee hives on your own could result in you being stung and you may also struggle to get rid of a hive and colony effectively.
A professional pest control company will have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to make sure the problem is dealt with as quickly as possible. This is the most sensible and effective option to ensure your family can go back to relaxing in your home once more.
Leaving the problem half dealt with can be particularly unsafe if you have young children or pets who may be tempted to investigate the remnants of a hive and get hurt as a result.
Where Can I Find Professional Bee Removal Near Me?
For professional bee hive removal in South Africa, get in touch with Big Bug Pest Control Services today. Our safe, professional, and expert service will ensure that bees are removed and relocated from your property using effective and human methods.
Our friendly and knowledgeable pest control service will take the time to make sure we truly understand the scale, causes, and solutions for your infestation so that we can provide the most effective bee hive removal service.
For quick and affordable bee hive removal on residential, business, and industrial sites – get in touch with us for a reliable and honest quote you can rely on. We will work with you closely to make sure that you have a lasting solution for your issues and that your bee hive removal is a long-term solution to your infestation.
