Honeybee Removal Slider

Honeybee Removal

Southeast Bee Removal determines if we are able to help with your specific bee problem. We specialize in removing honey bee swarms, established honey bee colonies, hornet nests, and yellow jackets nests. However we do not remove or treat for solitary bees such as carpenter bees, ground bees, wasps, or cicada killers. Contact a pest control company for these other pests. Also if it is determined that you only have scout bees checking out your home, we may advise you to wait a few days before having us come out. You can go to “Removal Tips” for more information on scout bees or to ID your bee.

About 95% of the time we will be able to give you an estimate over the phone. We will ask a few questions such as how high up are the bees, how long have they been there, etc. If we are still unsure of what is going on we will ask you to send over a few pictures. Based on this information we can give you an accurate bee removal estimate. Upon arriving at the job site, you will not be charged for more than the price quoted.

SEE OUR BEE REMOVAL PRICING.

honey bee colony located by chimney

Sometimes this is pretty straightforward; other times not so much. Do the bees go up, down, to the side, or forward into the floor? Wherever the honey bees are at, they do need a fairly large cavity in order to build a nest. They will not build a nest in insulated walls because there is no space for them there. Probably 50% of the removals we do are in the floor joists. The reason for this is because there are often construction gaps where the first, second, or third floor meet and the floor joists are wide open with plenty of space for the bees to build a nest.

Bookcases, bathrooms, abnormal construction, additions, double walls, brick chimneys, and other factors such as a bee colony being sprayed with pesticides and low in numbers, can make finding a honey bee nest difficult. We have seen walls and ceilings with dozens of holes running up and down from a previous company trying unsuccessfully to find the hive. By experience and a thorough understanding of bee behavior, we are usually able to find the honey bee colony within a matter of minutes

honey bee hive in eaves by chimney

We have done both new construction and remodeling (15+ years experience) and are able to work with drywall, trim, floor joists, vinyl siding, cedar siding, shingles, carpet, and other building materials. We have a good understanding of how a house is built and will not tear up or compromise your home when accessing the bee hive.

Determining the best place to access the honey bee colony is important as usually it can be done more than one way. For example, if the bees are located in the floor joists between the first and second floor, they could possibly be accessed three different ways. One way would be from the outside by taking off siding and a small section of the band board. The second way: by pulling back the carpet of the second floor and removing the sub-floor above the bees. Or the third way, by removing the drywall from the ceiling of the first floor.

We have removed bees all three ways and will pick the way that is best suited for your house. Or if you have a preference as to what place the bees are accessed, we will do our best to accommodate your request. When accessing the bees, we will open up a space only the size needed to remove the hive.

Plastic sheets will also be put down to keep your house clean.

entire honey bee nest removed from eaves

Southeast Bee Removal extracts the entire beehive: honey bees, honeycomb, honey, wax, and any other debris that might be there from an old hive. It is very important to remove all honey and comb from the wall, floor, or wherever else the bees nest is located. As long as it is a healthy living colony of honey bees, usually no damage will result to the home. It is when the bees die out from either natural causes or from extermination that problems can start. With no bees or too few bees to guard the honey, other pests can invade such as hive beetle larvae and wax moth larvae.

These two pests will lay eggs in the honeycomb, eat their way through it, and can multiply by the thousands in a short matter of time. Once the honeycomb is chewed through, it will begin to leak and can cause a terrible disgusting mess. A strong smell of fermenting honey may also be detected. We can tell you from experience, it is best to have the job done right the first time.

repair of eaves after honey bee removal job

Honey bees have an excellent sense of smell and are able to smell where on old hive has been even after it has been thoroughly cleaned out. So unless the area is sealed properly, there is a high probability of a new colony of honey bees moving in the following year or even several years later. That is why Southeast Bee Removal takes great care in the sealing process.

When we do the repairs, we include a guarantee that the bees will not return to the exact location they were removed from. Our special bee-proofing process includes sealing the area where the bees were at from both the inside and outside. We use the original building material to do the repairs. When putting drywall back we do the first coat of mud. We do not do finish work on drywall such as sanding and painting. We also do not repair stone, brick, or cement block.

We do our best to leave the work area as good or better than when we found it. Plastic drop cloths are pulled up and the area is vacuumed. Many times it is hard to tell that we even did any work because everything looks exactly like it did before we started. Be aware, that an occasional stray bee or two may be found inside the house immediately after finishing. Also, since it is impractical for us to work at night when all the bees are inside their nest, there will be foragers that get left behind. These foragers will be sealed out, but will congregate on the outside where their entry point used to be. Every day you should see less and less bees. This is totally normal and to be expected. If needed, we will be happy to come out again at no cost to you if there is still a problem with the bees. However, just know, it is best to wait a week or two for these remaining bees to go away. We rarely have any call backs.