Please Note: We Do Not Remove Bees - We Only Offer Preventative Services At This Time
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An Important Note

Please do not call The Wildlife Whisperer, Inc., in regards to bee and swarm removals. We no longer offer bee removal services, however, we can help you with exclusion modifications to seal up your home once they have been removed, or as a preventative measure before you have them.

However, we have worked with bees extensively in the past and wanted to share our experience and knowledge in case it might be helpful.

Bees In Homes

Bees should never be allowed to live in your home. Even if they appear docile in the early stages, this is only because they are focused on building their bees nest, once the hive is completed and they start producing honey and babies, they will become more aggressive. Their hives, which will continue to grow in size with time, can weigh over 80 pounds and present a fire and construction hazard. The dripping honey can damage surrounding areas, and attract other bees, insects and destructive, nuisance wildlife.
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Cape Coral
Fort Myers, Pine Island
& Surrounding Areas
 
 

Understanding Bee Removal

Bees in the home often begin when an established bee colony in the wild divides and scouts are sent out to find a new location for the relocating swarm. Void areas in the house, such as an attic, wall, chimney, vent or the area under a window between the wall and the siding are often tempting areas for swarms to build their new bee hive. In such areas, bee pest control and honey bee removal become more challenging.

Bees often build their hive quite a way inward from the hole in which they have entered making locating and removing a bee hive from a home a little difficult sometimes. A simple do it yourself method for locating your bees is to gently tap on the wall, then use a glass against the wall to listen for a buzz in response - hold the glass with the closed end against the wall and the open end close to your ear.

Another method is to run your hand over the wall to feel for a warm spot, if your air conditioning is on, the temperature where the hive is located is often warmer than the rest of the surrounding wall area.

News video story of bee
removal project in 2010

Honey Bee Removal The Right Way

For bee hive removal service to be effective, it is important to be thorough. Some bees, such as the Queen bee never leave the hive, simply poisoning the entrance area will kill some of the bees but others will remain to repopulate the nest. Before you know it, your pest control bees troubles will be starting all over again. To effectively remove bees you will need to remove the entire colony from your house, and clean up the mess left behind, not only for effective bee removal, but also to prevent the various hazards that can result from the abandoned nest. Bee hive wax combs can melt causing property damage and those located near the inside of a chimney can even become a fire hazard. Dripping honey can seep through walls, cause permanent stains and attract other insects or nuisance wildlife. A dead colony and the comb can attract thousands of ants, and animals such as raccoons, skunks and opossum can be attracted to the sweet smell too. A honey bee hive inside a house can contain as much as eighty pounds of honey. If an insecticide is used, the resulting dead bees can cause an odor and attract scavenging insects and other unwelcome pest control issues as well, not to mention leaving behind honey that is now tainted with poison. An abandoned hive can attract new bee populations.

The difficulty of removing bees from your home, bee nest removal from a house and the hazards of treating an established bee colony inside a home will vary from season to season. Early spring is the best time of year for bee hive removal because that is when honey production and the bees nest population is at their lowest. Regardless of the season, it is always best to leave the dangerous job of removing bees from a home to an experienced professional. Below are photos of a nest found between a home's walls by the Oklahoma City Skunk Whisperer®.

Step by step look
at bee removal process

In the photos below, OKC Skunk Whisperer® Chris Greenlie is shown working with some bees at a country location. Bee hive removal can be done humanely without needless killing or poisoning of the bees. In the second photo, the tip of the knife is pointing to the blue mark, on the queen bee, uniquely identifying the queen from the others.

company beekeeper working with bees
tip of knife pointing to queen bee with special marking
 

Honey Bee Prevention

The second photo in the above series is a good example of how bees will take an opportunity to utilize vulnerable areas around your house to access sheltered areas inside your home.

Like all wildlife, shelter is a key element of survival to the bee, therefore prevention begins with preventing access to such areas. As a matter of fact, bees can find shelter in just about any void area around your home including your attic or chimney, between walls, amongst debris, in nearby animal burrows, drain spouts, old tires, drain pipes, propane tank covers, tree holes, vents, even in your water meter box. Bees are tiny and need very little space to work their way into your home. Start by sealing up holes and caulking cracks everywhere around your home from your chimney down to your foundation. Next, make sure your vent and chimney openings are properly screened, that doors are tightly sealed, debris is cleaned up and all neighboring animal burrows are filled in.

In general, keep your home in good repair and check often for signs of any developing colonies, particularly in the spring and fall when bees are most likely to swarm. If you like The Wildlife Whisperer, Inc., can help you seal up your home so you can keep the bees out.

 
Cape Coral, Fort Myers & Pine Island
Sanibel Island, Captiva, Boca Grande and
surrounding areas in Southwest Florida
Mobile Response #: 239-900-6411
1242 SW Pine Island Rd., Suite 310
Cape Coral, Florida 33991-2126
help@totalwildlifecontrol.com
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