Why Bees Swarm

Bee swarming usually begins in the spring time. What causes bees to swarm is that usually their hive has achieved a the largest size and there is no room to grow. When this occurs, the original queen will lay eggs in queen cells and within 2 weeks will leave with half of the worker bees. They will store much of the honey and will leave at the same time flying in a “swarm.” When they arrive, they usually are docile even though they look aggressive. Usually they land on a tree, house, or any object for a short period. This is what I call a transitional spot. They send out groups of scouts to look for a place to create a hive. The most common spots that Bees start hives are a) Chimneys, b) Wall voids, c) Ceilings voids, d) Behind brick facades, Exterior Columns, Stucco walls. I have seen them create hives in the strangest places such as behind stove fans, sofas, boxes, wine barrels, between two fences, and even out in the open in a tree.

How long does it take for bees to create wax, honey and larvae in wall?

It only takes 2 days for a typical swarm to create enough wax and brood (larvae) that it would be necessary to open the structure to remove the hive. I have seen companies just exterminate after 2 days of the bees being in the wall and it helps temporarily, but it is just a band-aid. Within a few weeks another swarm of bees smell the wax and re-infest the hive. You can seal it with caulking or sealant, but they will find their way into the structure or even eat away the sealant. That is why often houses will have had a hive for 10+ years and have tried multiple times to stop them and have spent many times the money to kill them.

How We Remove Bee Hives

At Master Pest Control, we know how to solve the problem and usually by saving the bees at the same time. The hive needs to be removed by opening the structure. Usually if it is in the walls or ceiling of the home or office, removal from inside is the best and most inexpensive way to do it. 90% of the calls that we receive require it to be done from inside the home. Going from the outside is usually more costly since we would be going through stucco or wood siding and the repair is much more expensive than drywall repair. We have a 3-step prevention process to guarantee that future bees do not re-infest the same area. Oftentimes we do jobs that others removed the hive but did not do the 3-step prevention process and so we ended up doing the work again. So why not call Sacramento’s Bee Removalist Experts to do the job the right way the first time.

Honey Bees are Endangered

Honey bees are a very important part of our ecology. With the disastrous effects colony collapse disorder (CCD) has had on the bee population, it is even more important how bees that are a nuisance are dealt with. Most bee removalists just kill the bees whether it is necessary or not — since they know they can make more money, because “time is money.” However, we at Master Pest Control place both the customer and the bees first. It is highly disadvantageous for the homeowner to have his bees exterminated if they have been in his wall longer than 2 days. I have seen disasters and had to fix them because a novice bee removalist exterminated the bees and two months later the homeowner called me because of a horrible smell or because honey was dripping down his wall and into the carpet.

Most pest control companies will not spray honey bees and will refer them to a professional bee removalist, however, there are some that would exterminate without giving other options. Our company has been performing bee removal work for over 13 years and we have a great reputation for doing quality work that is guaranteed.

So what do you do when having a bee hive in your wall?

1. Find out how long the bees have been there. There are certain signs to look for if you are not sure. Call us and I’ll have to ask you certain questions to ascertain.
2. If they have been there for 2 days or less, extermination is an option. However, it is always more safe to open up the structure to make sure.
3. If they have been there longer than 2 days, opening the structure is the only good option and removing the bees, wax, and honey is the way to do this. Extermination at this point would damage the structure and only be a “band aid” that would almost for certain guarantee that new bees would re-infest the structure.
4. Make an appointment with us. We will answer our phones promptly and fit you into our schedule right away.