Removing a bee nest is not a rough job that you would take yourself when you’re unequipped but it also doesn’t mean that you must call a pest control company. You don’t have to destroy the bee nest, it can be removed safely and as a matter of fact, some beekeepers do not even charge for this. We all know that bees are natural pollinators and have a major contribution in the production of honey.
Although they contribute a lot to the ecosystem, the sight of a swarm of bees can cause panic, mostly due to the fear that they’d sting. You should know that the bees do not intend to attack you but to look for a home and if its your place, they may cause a few problems like:
- Stings that are painful and uncomfortable
- People having allergic reactions can prove to be life-threatening
- Children can be scared of them
This article would explain ways in which you can remove the bee nests from your home and the easiest ways and some tips of what you shouldn’t do when removing bee nests.
Techniques to remove bee nests:
There are various ways in which you can remove bee nests from your home but while carrying out the process, you need to be cautious as they require you to be alert and careful. Also, of all of the given techniques we would recommend you to use the humane ways to remove bees as they contribute to the ecosystem and we benefit from them due to their production of honey.
Use of spray to remove bees:
The spray used for removing bees acts by attacking their nervous system. It initially causes paralysis followed by death, in order to get rid of the bees, once and for all, make sure you follow the given steps correctly:
- Step 1: check what type of bees you have such as wasps, hornets etc and purchase the effective spray accordingly.
- Step 2: there is good possibility that the bees can attack you while you’re removing the nest so make sure that you’re wearing protective clothing that would prevent the painful stings.
- Step 3: night time is when most of the bees are inside the nest and it is the best time you can spray so you get rid of most of them at once.
- Step 4: to make sure that there aren’t more bees inhabiting, you should continuously check the nests for them.
The spray that you’re using is not only dangerous to the bees but it is to humans as well and so, you need to make sure that it doesn’t come in contact with your skin, you can spray in high ventilated areas or outdoors.
Use of powder to remove bee nests:
One of the most simple, safest and best way to get rid of bee nests is the use of powder dust. More or less it works just like the spray used to remove bees by initially attacking the nervous followed and paralysis and finally death. Make sure you follow the steps given below when using powder dust:
- Step 1: Check what type of bees you have and purchase the effective powder accordingly.
- Step 2: you may get attacked hence you should wear protective clothing in order to avoids all the stings.
- Step 3: direct the tip of the bottle into the hive opening and squeeze letting all the powder in.
- Step 4: to prevent any bees from entering your house, dust the powder around all the entryways of the house such as windows, doors and cracks.
- Step 5: since most of the bees are in the hive during the night time, it is the ideal time to dust the powder.
Make sure you keep this powder away from the reach of children and it doesn’t come in contact with your skin.
Use of vinegar to remove bee nests:
Now this technique works differently from the one mentioned above and we don’t really know how exactly the vinegar kills the bees, however the best guess that we have is that it might be due to the suffocation as the vinegar smells foul for the bees. You can use vinegar to get rid of bees in two different ways and they’re explained below:
Drowning the bees in vinegar:
- step 1: add a few drops of vinegar to several cups of water.
- Step 2: Put the cups around the hive and wait for some time.
- Step 3: check if there are any dead bees in the water continuously.
Spraying the nest:
- Step 1: mix equal quantities of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
- Step 2: make sure you wear gloves or any protective clothing to prevent bee stings while you spray around in the bee nest.
- Step 3: if you see no results till about a week, you can repeat the process again.
- Step 4: Vacuum or remove the dead insects.
Make a bee trap:
If you have bees nesting around your home or ground bees, it might just be easier to catch them with a bee trap as it does not include your direct contact with them. You can either buy a bee trap or make a DIY bee trap at home. Following are the steps to make a bee trap yourself:
- Step 1: take a 2-liter bottle (it can be a soda bottle).
- Step 2: cut the top 5-7 inches of the bottle.
- Step 3: make a funnel out of the cutoff piece by flipping it over the bottle.
- Step 4: use any adhesive such as glue or tape to stick the two pieces together.
- Step 5: fill the DIY hive with something sweet so as to attract the bees into the trap, you can use the following sweet solutions,
- Water and maple syrup
- Artificial nectar
- Water and sugar
Bee repelling plants:
The name seems interesting you’re probably wondering if such plants actually exist, the answer is yes! Bee-repelling plants do exist, and it is a more humane way of getting rid of and avoiding bees rather than killing them. Since flowers attract bees, you should avoid planting flowering plants in your home but a list of the more prominent bee-repelling plants are as follows:
- Eucalyptus
- Cloves
- Cucumber plants
- Peppermint
- Pennyroyal
- Citronella
Use of ultrasonic pest repellants:
An ultrasonic pest repellant would not only expel bees but many other insects as well and will hence keep your house free of stinging insects and other pests. These repellants are easy to use as you can simply plug them into the wall and you won’t have to worry about the rest.
Dos and don’ts:
- Try to use more human methods in order to get rid of the bees rather than just killing them and if you do use spray or powder dust, make sure you’ve taken all the precautionary measures such as wearing protective clothes as you may provoke the bees and could attack you.
- Attempting to throw stones or sticks or poking the hive can aggravate the bees and they could become aggressive resulting in them attacking you so avoid such incidences and go for the safer options.
- Go for recommended methods to get rid of the bee nests rather than going for other methods of bee control without any information like cutting down the nest without any proper knowledge.
- It is better to contact some beekeeper who can also do the job for you for free and instead of killing the bees you can simply let them have the nests, it does benefit both ways as you won’t have to see the hive anymore and you won’t have to kill the bees either.
The Bottomline:
Bees have a major contribution in our ecosystem and not just that. We benefit from bees as well. They not only produce honey but also help in pollination and are responsible for many flowering. However seeing a bee hive in your home or workplace can be scary due to their known, painful stings.
You might want to get rid of these and so we’ve briefly described some ways in which you can get rid of bees and prevent them from settling down in your place as well.
However whatever technique you adapt, if you’re to have direct contact with them, make sure you wear protective clothing to protect yourself from their stings which can be quite painful. Also, we’d recommend that you go for safer and more humane options where it is beneficial both ways for you and the bees.
