Rehoming Bees Possible With Live Bee Removal

One thing the bee community is passionate and united about is rehoming bees and saving hives. When an individual finds a beehive that needs to be removed, they rarely think about the longer-term plan for the bees, which is why working with a humane live bee removal company is critical if this ever occurs. When a swarm needs to be encouraged to move out of space, or an established hive needs to be removed, working with a professional bee removal company with relationships with other beekeepers is the best way to ensure bees are treated with care and placed in a new home. Using an exterminator or a spray from the home improvement store is never recommended because they kill bees and have dangerous chemicals for people and pets.

Identifying a Swarm or Hive

The first time a non-beekeeper comes face to face with live bees buzzing around, they will not likely be able to tell if it is a swarm or a hive. Swarms appear suddenly and disappear as quickly, usually within a few hours or a day or two at most. Swarm locations, often on a branch, utility box, airplane wing, or baseball stadium lights, are temporary homes as they look for a permanent location with the queen. So, if it is possible to leave swarms alone, that is recommended.

When contacting a beekeeper upon the bee encounter, understanding a few things about swarms and hives can help prepare the beekeeper and bee removal company for the situation. Initially, watch the bees and see if they enter and exit a structure. The structure may be the siding, roof, or attic. If they appear to be going in and out of a structure at a point, they will likely have an established hive inside it. Although this is not the best news for homeowners, it is a manageable problem when handled by professionals.

When you observe a mass of bees, which appear to be dripping off each other, this is an intricate structure bees use to stay connected as they swarm and find a new home. A mass of bees is likely a swarm that will move independently.

Information for the Live Bee Removal Company

The best way to quickly get a resolution to a beehive concern is to gather information and provide it to the bee technician you speak to on the phone. Most bee removal companies are beekeepers themselves or have working relationships with local beekeepers. Experienced bee technicians and removers have the tools and expertise to move a hive promptly and safely and do the repair work. These professionals are motivated to remove the hive and find new homes for the bees. Live bee removal is possible without putting people at risk and keeps bees alive. Bees do not have to be killed to mitigate a hive in an unwanted location.

• Indicators that help identify bees as a swarm or part of a colony (an established hive)
• Address or location of beehive
• How long bee activity has been evident
• If bee activity is in a structure, like a tree, attic, or wall
• Any other observations of the hive, like dead bees near the entrance or access obstacles
• When possible, try to identify if bees are honeybees

Remember, when you call a live bee removal company, every detail helps! The bee technicians, although experienced ones who have probably seen some crazy things appreciate any information they can have before they arrive on the scene. Some bee removal companies can perform a removal on the same day as the assessment, but the expectation should be that they will need to return the next day to complete the job. When repair work is necessary, make sure to work with a company whose bee technicians can also do repair work, so an additional contractor doesn’t need to be hired to seal up parts of the structure that are removed to get to the entire hive and honeycomb. D-Tek are experts in repair, specializing in roofs, walls, and attics.