Honeybees are among the most common types of bee species that can be found in North America, and one of their colonies can house up to 80,000 bees. It’s estimated that the health and survival of 35% of global food crops are dependent on bees and other types of animal pollinators, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Yes, bees are important to our ecosystem. However, if you happen to come across a bee colony in a tree on your property, the perimeter of your home or even inside your house, it’s more than understandable to seek professional help to relocate them.
In conversation with USA TODAY, Elisha Bixler, a bee removal specialist and owner of How’s Your Day Honey, breaks down the reasons why honeybees are attracted to your home in the first place, and offers some insight into the steps you should take to responsibly relocate bees.
“Honeybees are cavity dwellers,” Bixler says. Bees are attracted to dark, cool cavities, “and a lot of people's homes make up the perfect conditions for what they need,” she says.
Bees aren’t necessarily attracted to a particular material that exists in your home, and Bixler has seen bees build their colonies in everything from barbecue grills to shed floors. “It doesn't matter if it's steel studs, or you have wood studs or a block home, they will come in,” she says.
Honeybees will typically never leave on their own, so if they set up “a colony in your home, they are there to stay, and sometimes they’ll stay for a decade.” If the bees get sick, or something is pestering them, it’s a possibility they leave. Generally speaking, this is unlikely.
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There is no one product that you can “apply to the exterior of your home to deter bees,” Bixler says. “The best advice I give (to) everybody is to seal up your home (as) best you can,” she recommends. Walk the perimeter of your house to identify if there are any holes where bees could potentially enter. If you see anything that is as wide as a pinky finger or a pencil, bees can get in.
If you find bees in your backyard, whether it’s in a tree or anywhere else on your property, “be careful, because there are a lot of colonies that can be very aggressive,” she says. “Never approach a wild beehive,” because you won’t be able to tell right off the bat the temperament of the colony. In this situation, you’ll need to call in professional support to remove and relocate the bees.
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Similar to if you see a large bee colony somewhere in your backyard, to remove bees from your house, it is important to always call a professional, Bixler says. “Most cities now offer honeybee relocation without eradication,” she says. “We're very lucky now, ((because) 10 years ago that was hard to find.”
“If you take a can of wasp spray to a beehive, you're potentially killing all native species of bees in the area too,” she says. If you spray an entire colony of bees with pesticides and the honeybees have died, there is a risk that native bees will come in and sip contaminated nectar, causing them to also die, she explains.
Because of this, Bixler stresses the responsible removal and relocation of bee colonies. “I just can't imagine taking a can of wasp spray to a beautiful honeybee colony. It's just heartbreaking to me,” she says.