So You've Got Bees in Your Wall
Many people contact the NABA each year with honey bees living in the wall of their home. We are pleased that most are concerned with the plight of the honey bee and don't want to destroy them unnecessarily. You are welcome to call any of the beekeepers on our swarm list about this problem but first there are some issues you should understand.
Why not just kill them?
As beekeepers we hate to see a thriving colony of bees killed. They provide a valuable service to you and your neighbors by pollinating plants in a wide area. Depletion of feral colonies through parasitic mite infestation means every colony is that much more valuable. However, as homeowners, we also understand your desire to keep the stinging insect population to a minimum around your family.
Simply killing a honey bee colony in a wall may present some problems. Most exterminators will be reluctant to kill honey bees because they are a protected species under state law. When honey bees establish a colony, whether it is in a hive, a hollow tree, or a wall in your house, they build combs of wax. These combs are quickly filled with honey, pollen, and brood - the baby bees. The bees are constantly regulating the temperature by circulating air through the colony. Once these bees are killed and hot weather arrives the comb will begin to melt. Undesirable side effects include honey dripping through walls or ceilings and decomposing brood that produces a foul odor. The unguarded remnants of the hive may attract vermin as well as wax moths and other insects that may further damage your home.
One note, when the bees are gone, through whatever means, all entrances to the space must be sealed tightly. Any opening 5/16" or greater will allow more bees to enter and you may end up with another swarm next spring.
What's the best way?
The very best way to remove bees from a building is to actually open up the wall and take out all the comb along with the bees. Obviously this is not always an option. Alternate methods include trapping the bees out so that their population inside the hive slowly dwindles as they consume the honey stores inside. It may be preferable to allow another colony to "rob" any remaining honey from the wall at this point in case the colony perished before all the stores were depleted. These trapping methods obviously require a lot of time and attention which is why it is difficult to find beekeepers willing to do it for free.
Aren't the bees valuable?
Beekeepers pay a lot of money for a healthy colony of bees, up to $50 for a three-pound package. However, swarms of unknown origin present many challenges. First, there is no guarantee that they are particularly productive or easy to handle. They also may harbor parasitic mites or brood diseases that might threaten other colonies the beekeeper owns. A colony has not future without a queen and she perishes under almost all of the removal methods.
Who can help?
Again, feel free to call a beekeeper in your area, especially if the wall can be opened up from the inside or out. If your home is convenient to them they may even be interested in trapping the bees. Please don't be offended if they decline the opportunity as either method is a major undertaking.
There are individuals who will remove bees for a fee. Before you agree to pay someone for this service be sure they are addressing all the issues above so new problems don't arise. One member of our association is particularly skilled at this and has developed special equipment just for the task. You may contact Benny Kirby at 615-360-8051.
Another individual offering these services is Greg Miles of Hendersonville, 824-7881.
What about those bees in my tree?
One final note as we occasionally get calls from people concerned about bees living in hollow trees around their house. Admittedly, bees present some risk to humans. They are an attractive nuisance to bored kids with rocks. There are rare individuals with a life-threatening allergy to bees. However, the bees can happily coexist with you and will be a benefit to gardens, fruit trees, and wildflowers in your neighborhood. Most honey bees are not aggressive and will tolerate mowers, kids, dogs, etc. as long as they don't perceive them as a threat to their colony. If you can recognize and respect their flight path as they go to and from the hive it may save you from a near-sighted worker bee.
You'll find further information on this and other beekeeping issues on Dr. John Skinner's web site at the University of Tennessee.
