Honey Bee Removal
When honey bees swarm, you may have seen the classic images of them hanging in a big mass from a tree branch or on the side of a wall. During this time, scout bees are out looking for a new home.
When they find one, they all take off at the same time and move in. Sometimes this is a tree or natural hollow, and sometimes it’s in someone’s house, garage or building. A lot of the time you may not know they are there, but other times they cause problems and need to be removed. That’s where our honey bee removal service comes in.
Our honey bee removal service
We’re often called in when works are due to take place on a property, and the workers don’t want to be bothered by the bees, or to bother them. This makes our job easier, as much of the access equipment will already be in place. Where it isn’t, we can arrange scaffolding or cherry pickers.
We take care to cause as little damage as possible to your home while still removing the bees safely. This may mean taking bricks out, removing tiles, or cutting into wooden siding and ceilings. We carefully remove all the comb, honey and bees, leaving the cavity empty. It is then sometimes filled with insulation so the bees don’t have space to build there again, which also puts off new swarms from moving in.
Once everything has been removed, we put the building back as well as possible. This may mean a temporary covering if works are taking place, or having our builder reinstall the bricks, tiles or wood.
What do we do with removed bees?
How many bees and how much comb we remove depends on the space and how long the bees have been there. The time of year makes a big difference too, as late summer brings more honey in the comb.
As we remove the comb, we place it into beekeepers’ frames, so when the bees arrive at their new home they have some of their old comb to give them a good start. The bees are carefully vacuumed into a special bee box that keeps them safe. At their new location we reunite the two, and the bees continue to thrive.
Can’t we just leave them be?
We’re often asked if we can return the bees once works are complete, or if they can just be left while workers wear bee suits. Unfortunately, we can’t return the same bees to the location. However, if the cavity is left open with no insulation infill, a new colony will swarm into the area.
Some people want the bees left, but this can cause problems. The comb, honey and wax are a serious fire risk; after all, we all know what beeswax candles are made from. In hot weather, honey can start to leak out and penetrate walls and ceilings, causing damage inside the house.
What does honey bee removal cost?
The cost of removing a colony of honey bees from a building varies with each project. We advise all customers to check their home insurance policy, as there is often an allowance for honey bee removal. Typically, our pricing starts at £1,350 + VAT, depending on each job’s individual requirements.
