Frequently Asked Questions about Honeybee Removal
What is a “swarm?”
Once a year, typically in the spring, the queen of an existing colony lays eggs that will develop into new queens. Just before they hatch, the old queen will take approximately half the hive of worker bees and leave to establish a new colony.
This is normally a two stage process. They fly to a branch, eaves of a house or building, or any convenient place and then send scouts out to look for a permanent hive location. Once a suitable hollow tree or building wall is found, the queen takes the swarm to the new location and establishes a new hive.
Is there a cost to remove swarms?
No. We do not charge to remove swarms.
Will my homeowner’s insurance pay for bee removal?
The answer is “sometimes”. Please check with your insurance agent to see if they will reimburse the cost of honeybee colony removal.
Can I keep the bees?
Yes. Each quote includes a $125 discount assuming we will take the bees with us. If you prefer to keep them yourself, we encourage you to do so. It will increase your bill by $125 per hive left with you, but beekeeping is a fascinating and rewarding hobby.
How many bees are in my wall?
Depending on the time of year and how long the colony has been there, there could be as few as a couple of thousand bees. Older colonies quickly run into the millions of bees.
Will the bees cause damage to walls?
Unlike termites, or some other insects, bees do not modify their environment. They look for hollow spaces that they can fill with honeycomb, but they do not chew the wood or otherwise modify the space. Some colonies, especially older ones begin to leak honey that can stain walls and attract ants.
How did the bees get into my wall?
Bees can enter through any crack or gap that is at least 3/16” wide and leads to a hollow cavity. Cracks in foundations and gaps where siding meets brick are some favorite access points. They will use larger gaps, but will partially close them up with propolis (or bee glue).
Will they come back?
The colony that we remove will be permanently relocated. They will have a new home in our bee yard many miles away. However, the same features that made your home or building attractive to this swarm are likely to be attractive to another swarm the next year. We will seal up the opening that the colony used when we leave and any other obvious openings in the immediate area. We do recommend that may look over your home carefully or hire a contractor to do so, and seal up any cracks or openings that are big enough to allow a new swarm to move in.
Can I just spray them with insecticide?
Over many years, we have only killed two colonies and both were in a home where a child with life threatening allergies lived and was at risk. Not only does killing the colony reduce the number of bees in the world, the smell of thousands of dead bees and souring honey is horrible. Invariably, the homeowner that kills a colony in situ will pay more to have the stinking mess removed, than they would have to have the colony relocated.
Will they hurt my kids, pets, etc. while being extracted?
With the rare exception of Africanized bees, honeybees are peaceful, industrious creatures. They are very busy gathering nectar, cleaning the hive, and other activities that preoccupy their short lives. They only sting to defend their hive. Remember, they die if they sting you. They only sacrifice themselves if they are convinced that you are a threat to the hive.
If the entrance to the hive is low enough to be a risk to children or pets, we will place barrier tape around the area to keep curious kids out.
As long as they don’t accidently bump the hive, or otherwise make the bees feel threatened, they will be fine.
How do I know if I have “Killer Bees”?
African bees were imported into South America and accidentally released back in the 1950s. The African bees produce much more honey than regular bees, but they are also more aggressive about protecting their hive.
Each sting is no different from normal bees, they are just more likely to sting.
The very first offspring of the African bees and native bees were only 50% African. With each generation, the African genes are diluting more and more as the bees spread northward. Today, in most areas, it is hard to tell the “Killer Bees” from the normal bees. The aggressive African genes are diluting quickly.
If we determine that your bees are particularly aggressive, we may recommend a course of action specific for your situation and the location of the hive, but this is very seldom a problem.
Bees with dilute African genes have been found in some parts of Texas and Oklahoma. They cannot survive desert or cold conditions. It is unlikely that they will spread much further north than Oklahoma.
Here is a map from the Discovery Channel showing where the habitat is suitable for Africanized bees:
Once a year, typically in the spring, the queen of an existing colony lays eggs that will develop into new queens. Just before they hatch, the old queen will take approximately half the hive of worker bees and leave to establish a new colony.
This is normally a two stage process. They fly to a branch, eaves of a house or building, or any convenient place and then send scouts out to look for a permanent hive location. Once a suitable hollow tree or building wall is found, the queen takes the swarm to the new location and establishes a new hive.
Is there a cost to remove swarms?
No. We do not charge to remove swarms.
Will my homeowner’s insurance pay for bee removal?
The answer is “sometimes”. Please check with your insurance agent to see if they will reimburse the cost of honeybee colony removal.
Can I keep the bees?
Yes. Each quote includes a $125 discount assuming we will take the bees with us. If you prefer to keep them yourself, we encourage you to do so. It will increase your bill by $125 per hive left with you, but beekeeping is a fascinating and rewarding hobby.
How many bees are in my wall?
Depending on the time of year and how long the colony has been there, there could be as few as a couple of thousand bees. Older colonies quickly run into the millions of bees.
Will the bees cause damage to walls?
Unlike termites, or some other insects, bees do not modify their environment. They look for hollow spaces that they can fill with honeycomb, but they do not chew the wood or otherwise modify the space. Some colonies, especially older ones begin to leak honey that can stain walls and attract ants.
How did the bees get into my wall?
Bees can enter through any crack or gap that is at least 3/16” wide and leads to a hollow cavity. Cracks in foundations and gaps where siding meets brick are some favorite access points. They will use larger gaps, but will partially close them up with propolis (or bee glue).
Will they come back?
The colony that we remove will be permanently relocated. They will have a new home in our bee yard many miles away. However, the same features that made your home or building attractive to this swarm are likely to be attractive to another swarm the next year. We will seal up the opening that the colony used when we leave and any other obvious openings in the immediate area. We do recommend that may look over your home carefully or hire a contractor to do so, and seal up any cracks or openings that are big enough to allow a new swarm to move in.
Can I just spray them with insecticide?
Over many years, we have only killed two colonies and both were in a home where a child with life threatening allergies lived and was at risk. Not only does killing the colony reduce the number of bees in the world, the smell of thousands of dead bees and souring honey is horrible. Invariably, the homeowner that kills a colony in situ will pay more to have the stinking mess removed, than they would have to have the colony relocated.
Will they hurt my kids, pets, etc. while being extracted?
With the rare exception of Africanized bees, honeybees are peaceful, industrious creatures. They are very busy gathering nectar, cleaning the hive, and other activities that preoccupy their short lives. They only sting to defend their hive. Remember, they die if they sting you. They only sacrifice themselves if they are convinced that you are a threat to the hive.
If the entrance to the hive is low enough to be a risk to children or pets, we will place barrier tape around the area to keep curious kids out.
As long as they don’t accidently bump the hive, or otherwise make the bees feel threatened, they will be fine.
How do I know if I have “Killer Bees”?
African bees were imported into South America and accidentally released back in the 1950s. The African bees produce much more honey than regular bees, but they are also more aggressive about protecting their hive.
Each sting is no different from normal bees, they are just more likely to sting.
The very first offspring of the African bees and native bees were only 50% African. With each generation, the African genes are diluting more and more as the bees spread northward. Today, in most areas, it is hard to tell the “Killer Bees” from the normal bees. The aggressive African genes are diluting quickly.
If we determine that your bees are particularly aggressive, we may recommend a course of action specific for your situation and the location of the hive, but this is very seldom a problem.
Bees with dilute African genes have been found in some parts of Texas and Oklahoma. They cannot survive desert or cold conditions. It is unlikely that they will spread much further north than Oklahoma.
Here is a map from the Discovery Channel showing where the habitat is suitable for Africanized bees:
If we suspect that your bees are significantly Africanized, we may contact your state entomologist to help with the removal. This doesn’t add any cost or difficulty.
Is Predator Impact licensed and insured?
While no state or federal license is required to remove honeybees, Predator Impact only sends highly trained technicians, and we maintain proper liability insurance.
Can the honey be salvaged?
With a Trap Out, the wild bees remove all of the honey from the wall. With a Cut Out, we transfer as much of the honey into the new hives as possible. Any dirty or contaminated honey will be place in our bee yard for our bees to clean up and store in their hives.
In many cases, there are sections of honey comb that can be salvaged and we will be happy to remove some for you to enjoy.
Is Predator Impact licensed and insured?
While no state or federal license is required to remove honeybees, Predator Impact only sends highly trained technicians, and we maintain proper liability insurance.
Can the honey be salvaged?
With a Trap Out, the wild bees remove all of the honey from the wall. With a Cut Out, we transfer as much of the honey into the new hives as possible. Any dirty or contaminated honey will be place in our bee yard for our bees to clean up and store in their hives.
In many cases, there are sections of honey comb that can be salvaged and we will be happy to remove some for you to enjoy.