BEEHIVE REMOVAL FAQS
Does a swarm sting?
While it cannot be guaranteed that bees in a swarm won’t sting, a swarm is generally very docile because they don’t have a hive with honey and baby bees to defend. Just before swarming, bees gorge themselves with honey. When gorged with honey they are content like grandpa after a Thanksgiving Day feast.
Should I have unwanted Honey bees exterminated?
We always recommend live removal and relocation for two reasons. Live removal and relocation is environmentally friendly. While extermination appears at first glance the quickest and easiest solution, extermination still requires removal of comb, honey and the bees. If left in the structure such as a wall, the dead bees will smell bad and the honey will either ferment or attract more bees, ants, wax moths and rodents. This can lead to more costly repairs in the future.
Will a beekeeper take the bees for free?
Occasionally with swarms, but very rarely with established colonies. While the honey bees do have some value, in most removal situations the labor and costs of removal are more than the value of the bees at their unwanted location. Often beekeepers who do charge are still more affordable than what many exterminators charge for killing a bee colony.
How do I select a quality hive removal and relacation service?
Refer to the Removal Guidelines (see below) page for our suggestions.
How can I contact a beekeeper that performs hive removal and relocation.
A good place to start is to contact the beekeepers’ association in your area.
If the hive is located in Dallas or the surrounding counties, a request to have a participating member of the Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association contact you by going to the Removal Request page and fill out the form and submit.
BEEHIVE REMOVAL GUIDELINES
BeeSweet Honey will always recommend bee friendly live removal and relocation by a beekeeper.
A live bee removal and relocation from a structure is no more invasive than a properly performed extermination. A proper extermination of a colony located in a structure requires removal of the wax comb and honey as well as “just getting rid of the bees”. An exterminator who does not remove the comb from the structure has left the job half done, to the detriment of their customer. Leaving comb, honey, dead bees, and other organic material in a structure will cause fermentation, mold, and decay, which will often lead to more costly issues in the future. It attracts other animals and insects as well as having a strong likelihood of attracting a new swarm of bees once the toxins dissipate.
Our food supply is dependent on the continued existence of honey bees for crop pollination; it makes no sense to deliberately kill off the pollinators that feed us. A live relocation is better for American agriculture, better for the environment, and better for your home. So, if you have unwanted honey bees, contact a beekeeper for a live removal and relocation.