Honeybees are a non-aggressive species of stinging insect, becoming defensive only if they sense a threat to their queen. They are primarily concerned with finding a favorable location to build their nest and produce honey, but if that location happens to be your home, it can present a difficult situation. Below are some tactics for preventing honeybee nesting on your property and what to do should a hive develop on or in your home.
Ways to Prevent Honey Bees from Nesting
Honeybee activity increases in the early spring and summer when hives grow to capacity and begin to form new colonies. Scouting bees seek out deep, dark cavities to build the hive. Unfortunately, that deep, dark cavity may be located on your porch or in the eaves of your home. Here are some suggestions for avoiding honeybee nesting.
Holes where animals have dug their burrows should be filled in with dirt. Empty nests are very attractive to honeybees.
- Seal up any holes or crevices in walls, windows, and the roof using caulk and screening. Give special attention to eaves, the crook where th
e house and chimney meet, and under your siding.
- Honeybees love to nest in abandoned cars and old appliances, so be sure to remove any unnecessary clutter from your yard.
- Bees are attracted to areas equipped with drinking water and also use water to regulate the temperature of the hive. Items that may collect water, like bowls or buckets, should not be left in the yard and leaky hoses and gutters should be repaired.
- Holes where animals have dug their burrows should be filled in with dirt. Empty nests are very attractive to honeybees.
- Honeybees seeking a new home may be attracted to the scent of wax in an already existing nest, so any old, abandoned hives should be removed from your property.
Honey Bee Removal
If honeybees have already made their home on your property, nest removal should be handled exclusively by a professional. Though honeybees aren’t aggressive, they will attack if they feel their queen is in danger, and a great deal of care and technique is required in dealing with the situation. If the hive is located in an easily accessible area, and demolition isn’t required to expose the colony, a beekeeper will be able to remove the nest and relocate it to a safe and appropriate area. However, if the honeybees are inhabiting the inside of your home, it is necessary to contact a specialist. A professional bee control and removal company will extract a honeybee colony from your walls in a humane manner, ensuring no harm comes to you or to the bees.