As the months get progressively colder, everyone wants to spend time inside: including bugs! While you may have dealt with bees nesting on the outside of your home, the colder weather may pose the threat of those little creatures wanting to be inside your home. Bees like to nest in corners, empty spaces between walls, and basements/attics. If you believe a beehive is inside your home in one of these types of spaces, bee removal may seem like a daunting task. Here are some steps you can take to remove them yourself.
Find the Nest
To fix any problem, you have to identify the source: you must locate the nest in order to remove the hive. When you see a few stray bees roaming your house, follow them: they will lead you right to the area they are nesting in. Usually the hive is not out in the open, and will be hidden in an area where you have little visibility (like inside your walls, attic or basement). If you have an idea of where the bees are hiding in your home, you can also tap on the walls to see if you hear anything. When you get to the area where the hive is located, you will be able to hear a faint buzzing sound. Once you understand where the bees are living, you can then use the following removal methods. Be sure to wear proper thick clothing, gloves and protective eye-wear.
Vacuum
It may seem simple, but vacuuming up the bees actually does the job! You will want to wait until evening, since the bees will be out and about during the day. Once the bees are back from a day out of the hive, they will be exhausted and their reflexes will be less sharp. To vacuum the bees, safely agitate the hive. Be ready, with the vacuum up to the opening of the nest. As the bees are disturbed, they will fly out and be sucked into the vacuum. Once you have removed all the bees, close up the opening with putty. Once the opening is sealed, the bees will not return. Be sure to only vacuum the hive if the nest is relatively new: if the hive is old or there seems to be more bees than you can handle, it may be unsafe to use this method.
Seal the Opening
Sealing up the nest area will work if your house is infested with carpenter bees. If the wood in your house has a powdery residue, or if you see small brown spots on the walls, you have carpenter bees. Carpenter bees refuse to try to burrow their way out of a sealed nest, and will die in their hive. That makes sealing their nest with caulk and putty a good way to remove them. Again, wait until evening so that most of the bees are inside the hive when you seal it.
Smoke
If you want a way to remove bees without killing them, smoking them out is the way to go. Bees are allergic to smoke and will exit the hive if exposed to smoke of any kind. You can leave a burning piece of paper outside the nest opening and let the smoke safely fill the area. The bees will become agitated and leave their nest. You can then seal it off once the nest has been abandoned. Make sure you protect yourself if you choose this method, as to avoid contact with the bees as they exit the hive.
Make Your Own Spray
If you want to create your own extermination spray, you can always use a simple soap and water solution. You can put the solution in a spray bottle and cover the entire nest in it. This will exterminate the bees residing in the nest. After you use this method, be sure to thoroughly clean up the area, as to prevent any future bees from coming in to renest.
Call a Professional
If you feel uncomfortable trying any of the above-mentioned methods, call a professional service like The Beeman to help you remove the bees. They have plenty of experts who can remove bees safely from inside your home without causing them harm. You can even call a local beekeeper, who will probably have the expertise to remove the hive safely and who would likely love to add to his/her collection.
Additionally, when considering the above methods, be sure to understand the laws around exterminating bees. Many places have laws against killing bees. Also, remember to protect yourself if you decide to do the bee removal yourself. Wear the right clothing, gloves, protective gear, and make sure you aren’t doing the removal alone!