Managing Infestations of Honey Bee's
Have you or your neighbors had Honey bee's removed from your property numerous time. If so then there is a way to help minimize it from happening again. Honey Bee removal is costly and is an inconvenience for the home owner, property manager, even people around the area.
Why Do Bees keep coming back to your Property
Mid-March until the beginning of July is considered to be the typical bee-swarming season in the United States. During this season, honey bees begin to collect pollen to feed on and to store for the upcoming winter season.
At this point, the population of the hive is abundant due to the queen bee ensuring a large enough workforce to sustain the colony. Consequently, the beehive can become overcrowded, causing the group to split into two separate colonies. This action puts many homeowners at risk of obtaining unwanted beehives on their properties.
The departing group of bees will be on the hunt for a suitable area to nest — which can sometimes be a home. Structures, buildings, and other objects that provide shelter on a property can become new homes for bee colonies.
Understanding the Swarming Process
When the bee colony splits, a new queen will stay with the existing hive and the older queen will take a portion of the female worker bees and a few male drones as they search for a new home. This newly assembled group is known as a swarm.
The swarm will leave the existing hive and cluster on a tree limb, shrub, or other object while a few select bees, known as scouts, search the surrounding area for an ideal nesting location. While a swarm is on your property, your home is in jeopardy. The group of bees will either temporarily rest and move on, or they’ll find an accommodating spot and declare your property as their permanent nesting location.
After the scout bees have examined the surrounding area, they will report their findings to the swarm. To communicate the distance and direction of the possible new home, the scout bees will do a “dance” known as the waggle dance.
Protecting your Home from Unwanted Beehives
Bees can enter any structure or object that contains a hole that is a quarter of an inch or larger. A common bee-prevention technique is to seal all potential bee entries with durable materials, like metal screen and caulk. However, once a swarm is on your property, you may not have sufficient time to identify and seal all of the potential entry points for the bees.
An effective substitute is to apply treatment to the scout bees lingering around your home. This will prevent the scout bees from informing the swarm of the potential nesting spot. As a result, the swarm moves on to another location. However, the trick is to take action quickly as bees can move in suddenly.
Reducing outdoor clutter can also prevent bees from nesting in your yard. Unused appliances or lawn equipment found in yards can attract honey bees since they provide sufficient shelter for a hive to thrive.
Also, if your home has previously had problems with honey bees, make sure the honeycomb is removed. The pheromone scents left on honeycomb can attract newcomers. Usually the honeycomb will be situated in an inaccessible area (wall voids, eaves, etc.), so removing portions of your roof or siding may be necessary.
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Why did Honey Bees Choose my Home?
While suitable shelter and previous bee problems can be the primary cause for a beehive on your property, it can be difficult to determine the exact attractant. Other reasons can include favorable microclimates or abundant vegetation, since bees prefer to be within close proximity of a food source.
A bee problem can be caused by one of these factors, a combination of them, or none of the above.
A recent analysis of bee removal inquires was conducted to identify which areas were most susceptible to bee problems. Coastal towns that generally have temperate climates (weather related) and cities within close proximity to rural areas and farmlands (vegetation selection) appear to be more prone to having honey bee colonies that need to be removed.
Where bees choose to live is generally out of your control. However, you can assume that if bees have been to your home before, then your home is more prone to a future unwanted honey bee colony, so be sure to take preventative measures to keep bee problems from returning.
How to help prevent future infestations
Once you have had to have more than 2 bee hives removed from your property it may be time to do some preventive measures to help reduce or eliminate future infestations.
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See the following measures to help with the issue:
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1.) Go around property and seal where parts of the structure protrudes out such as porches, beams, and columns. Seal with caulking or spray foam. Bee will eat there way out of a structure but not into a structure.
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2.) Make sure all vents (dryer and bath vents) have screenings over them.
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3.) Have Craven Honey come out once a year to walk Property in early spring to look property over for potential areas bee would seek out to make their nest.
(Fee for this service is $75)
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4.) Have Bee Keeper to install swarm traps (free of charge). When Swarm traps are installed they will help by giving bees somewhere to go instead of your property.
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What is a Swarm trap? It is a miniature hive that has old bee honey comb and bee pheromone that will attract honey bees. The size of the box is ideal for bee swarms. It is installed on a tree or post near a wood line 7 to 8 feet above the ground. The height helps prevent people and kids from coming in contact with and is ideal height for where bees want to build their nest.
Property Management / home owner:
Once swarm Traps are installed (1 Time fee $50.00) what do you have to do? As maintenance travels the property all they have to do is spend 2 minutes. per week watching for continuous activity. If there is activity then call number on the trap notifying bee keeper and he will come and remove from property.
Beekeeper
Once a month the bee keeper will stop by to re-bait the traps in the swarm season which runs from March to Late July.
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IF INTERESTED PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL
CRAVEN HONEY
910-514-0883
OR