A world without bees could be a world without us. Their loss could alter the human food system.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the aggregate estimated annual value of bee pollination services amounts to $11-15 billion.
However, bees can be troublesome if they start settling in on your property. They have an unpleasant sting that can annoy you and cause allergies.
Getting rid of bees requires different pest control methods. Read on to find out how to get rid of bees around your home effectively.
5 Effective Ways to Remove Bees
1. Know the different species of bees
If you want to keep the bees away from your home, you need to identify their species first.
There are nearly 20,000 different types of bees globally, but the three most common types are the honey bee, ground bee, and carpenter bee.
Honey bees usually carry honey in their bellies so you can distinguish them through their bloated, barrel-like thorax or abdomen. The more you threaten them, the more aggressive they’ll become.
Unlike honey bees, bumblebees (ground bees) do not produce honey. They have very plump and hairy black and yellow colored bodies.
Their colonies usually build a nest in a dry, protected place such as an abandoned rodent hole, siding gaps, woodpiles, and even on compost heaps.
Carpenter bees don’t produce honey as well. They have less hair with a shiny black abdomen.
They also prefer drilling on trees or buildings and creating new tunnels to build a place to raise younger carpenter bees.
2. Repair and De-Clutter
Inspect your whole home and yard and check for any possible entry points such as gaps in siding, wood holes, large flower or plant areas, and heaps of leaves.
Like other pests, proper sanitation within the household is also important. Make sure to cover all food containers, clear all food scraps and crumbs, and avoid leaving pet food in a bowl for too long.
Repair and de-clutter all the possible entry points that you’ve found to prevent more bees from coming in.
3. Relocate the beehive
If there’s a beehive close to your home, relocating it is only appropriate if you have a medium to a large yard and an area where your family members and pets don’t usually come near.
Otherwise, they will be confused and have trouble finding it if you move it too far.
Cover the hive with a breathable material before moving it gently and slowly to its new location.
You can remove the cover after successfully moving the hive. Observe for a week without disturbance to determine if the insects have successfully adapted to their new home.
4. Use bee sprays
Another effective bee removal way is by using bee sprays. They come as bee repellent and insecticides.
If you’re dealing with beehives inside your house, especially in tiny areas such as the insides of your walls, you can use the spray to kill the bees. This method may be dangerous to both humans and pets, so you have to wear protective gear while doing it.
5. Use natural remedies
If you’re uncomfortable with using harmful chemicals for your bee problem, you can get rid of bees naturally using organic remedies.
- Vinegar Spray. Bees find vinegar unpleasant. You can mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a bottle and spray it over the hive, flowers, windowsill, and other affected areas on your property.
- Garlic Spray. Bees hate the smell of garlic and the vinegar’s acidity, so combining both in a spray is an effective natural way to get rid of them. Soak some fresh garlic cloves in cooking oil for a couple of days before mixing it with vinegar, then spray on affected areas.
- Natural Bee Lure. Bees are attracted to swell smells, so you can take this as an advantage to remove them from your property. You can put some sweet fruit slices inside a zip lock bag and place it at least twenty feet away from their nest.
After three days, you can move the bag further gently, and the bees will gradually relocate away from your household.
Pro Tip: Call A Beekeeper
Bees can get aggressive and cause stings if they feel disturbed. To avoid any unwanted damages, the best thing to do is seek help from a reputable beekeeper to do pest control for you.
A professional pest exterminator knows how to keep bees and other pests away from your properties effectively and safely.
Patriot Pest and Termite Control are qualified licensed and insured preventative pest control professionals with over 25 years of experience.
Give us a call to protect your home from unwanted pests today!
Have you experienced bee infestation in your home? Share with us how you got rid of them in the comments section below!