On sunny days, getting rid of bees becomes crucial because they nest in gardens as well as in houses, especially in the attic. Their proximity to humans can be dangerous. However, it is not advisable to eliminate them. The best way to get rid of bees without killing them is in your home. You can do it yourself or seek professional help.
Most common bee species
The Bumblebee
If one could qualify a useful draft horse insect, this bee would deserve this title for the way it pollinates crops, flowers and orchards. After wintering in the ground, bumblebees take flight in the spring to search for nectar and pollen and find new places to nest.
Although bumblebees are social, their colonies are usually much smaller (50-400 insects) than the massive hives built by honey bees. Whether it’s in abandoned rodent holes, gaps in siding, wood piles, or even compost heaps, bumblebees build a nest in a dry, protected area.
How to identify them?
- Length from 1.30 cm to just over 2.5 cm.
- May appear plump, with a fluffy or hairy body.
- It is often confused with the carpenter bee.
- They are most often found in wooded areas, fields or parks.
- Beehives are usually built on the ground in rodent holes, but they can be found in trees and birdhouses.
- Able to sting multiple times
- Can be moved away and pushed back with the help of grandma’s remedies
Carpenter bee
One of the most common bees in France, this species is not social. Their nests are found in trees or buildings due to their persistent drilling – their method of creating a place to raise their young. Young carpenter bees branch out more in the wood, creating new tunnels and increasing the risk of structural damage.
How to identify them?
- Length from 1.30 cm to just over 2.5 cm.
- They hibernate in their tunnels during the winter and mate in the spring.
- They are usually seen near the eaves of a house.
- Only the female can sting – and rarely does.
- Males are drawn to movement and approach humans when they try to scare away bees.
- Can be combated using solutions sold in DIY supermarkets (spray or liquid).
Honey bee
The expression “busy as a bee” probably comes from this species. They are able to fly for miles but prefer to stay about 300 feet from their hive. Honey bees pollinate more than 100 agricultural crops, making them useful to farmers.
Considering their beneficial role, a large colony near you could still be a matter of concern. This species is likely to become more defensive or aggressive when its hive is threatened and to sting in defense.
How to identify it?
- 1.30 cm long
- Beehives are found in holes in trees and even in crevices in rocks.
- A colony can house thousands of bees.
- The workers, as well as the queen, all have a stinger.
- We can repel them with a commercial solution
- Even without pest control training, there are some common sense steps you can take to determine the type of response to a bee population near you.
How to get rid of bees from your house or garden?
1. Know the type of bee
The species we have talked about have different behaviors and different types of nesting or hives. For example, you won’t see a honey bee attempting to pierce wood, a characteristic associated with carpenter bees. Bees are not aggressive or predatory by nature, so most of them are a nuisance rather than a threat.
2. Repair and declutter
Bees look for suitable sites to build their house near yours. To take care of your property, check for obvious entry points, such as gaps in the siding or holes in the wood. Lush areas of flowers or vegetation and clumps of decaying leaves or brush can also attract them. Take a tour of your home and yard to repair or clean up any areas that could be problematic.
3. Know the signs of infestation
Put open foods in containers and make sure your cabinets and floors are free of crumbs and other food scraps. If you must leave pet food in a bowl, place vinegar water around the bowl to interfere with the smell of the food and to discourage ants from crossing the barrier.
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Keep away to get rid of a bee infestation
The temptation to see a bee is often to kill it to avoid being stung. Although this is a natural instinct, it is not at all useful.
A single bee has no impact on the entire colony. Either way, most bees don’t sting unless they’re disturbed. Punching them or being threatening in some other way is one of the best ways to secure a sting, as it puts the bees on the defensive.
Crushing and killing a bee can also make your problem worse, as it releases pheromones when it dies and alerts other bees in the area. The other bees that arrive will be aggressive and have an even greater tendency to sting than the lone bee you run over.
If a bee lands on you, stay still and wait for it to go. Explain to the children that the correct reaction to a bee is to walk away slowly or wait for it to leave. If you encounter a bee in your car, park calmly, open windows or doors, and wait for it to leave. Although you can guide it, do not run over it.
To deal with a heavy bee infestation, you can use the following methods:
1. Moving the hive
Do not move a beehive unless it is near an entrance to your house or in an area in your garden where your children and pets tend to play. The beehive will need to stay in your garden even if you move it. If you move it too far, bees can get lost in it and have a hard time finding it. This is why this method is only suitable if you have a medium to large-sized garden and an area that family and pets are not used to going to.
The process can also be difficult, so you shouldn’t go into this task without being sure you can complete it. You can always hire professional beekeepers to get rid of bees if you’ve decided it’s the best option for your home.
2. Prepare
Inspect the beehive, determine its size, and decide where you want to move it. Good places can be sturdy tree branches or piles of cinder blocks or lumber. Moving a beehive is a job of at least two people, so you need to make sure you have some help. Set a time to move the hive – preferably at night, as that is when all the bees are inside the hive, but less likely to fly away.
Before approaching the hive, make sure that you and your helper are properly dressed: long pants, long sleeves, gloves, goggles and a mask.
3. Block the entrance to the hive
You need to make sure that no bees can fly away while you are moving the hive. To block the entrance, use a breathable material that the bees can still pass through to get oxygen. It can be a tulle fabric or a mesh. Simply wrap the material around the beehive, slowly and carefully, making sure to cover the entrance well.
4. Move the hive
Gently grab the beehive and slowly move it to its new destination, trying to keep it as horizontal as possible. Once you’ve placed it there, you can remove the material you used to block the entrance. Once the hive is well established, watch it for about a week, but do not disturb it. This will give the bees time to clean up any cells or other material that may have moved. After that, you will be able to determine if the bees have successfully reoriented themselves to their new home.
5. Bee catcher
Bee traps are a good option if you’ve seen a lot of bees around your house but haven’t identified a beehive, or if they’re just attracted to the flowers in your garden but don’t live there. There are many types of bee catcher that you can buy in the market, and there are options with or without destruction. It’s also easy to make your own bee trap, and it only takes a little longer to be able to monitor the trap and periodically get rid of bees.
6. Bee sprays
Bee sprays are both repellents and insecticides. While it is best to use insecticide spray on bees only as a last resort, it may be necessary if you are dealing with a beehive inside your home or in a hard-to-reach place. like inside the walls. We have already done the research for you and have found some of the best sprays to get rid of bees on the market that you can use to kill a beehive.
Another downside to bee sprays is that you have to spray them directly on the bees or the hive, which can be dangerous to do it yourself. Unless you feel comfortable, it’s probably best to contact a pest control professional who can come and spray the hive with the proper equipment and protective clothing.
However, if you want to use a spray on your own, there are some DIY options you can try to save money.
Do-it-yourself bee spray
- 1 liter of water
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar or rapeseed oil
- A few drops of dish soap
- Take the DIY ingredients and add them to a spray bottle. The mixture will prevent the bees from flying and suffocate them.
7. Repellents
You may have noticed a beehive in your garden, but it is far enough away that it is not a problem. Bee repellent spray is a great option for spraying a perimeter around your home that will prevent bees from disturbing you or coming inside. It will also prevent other settlements from trying to settle nearby.
There are several bee repellents on the market, which can be great options for your budget and specific needs. You can also use natural methods to keep bees away by using items you already have inside your home.
Here are some natural repellents to get rid of bees:
- Garlic powder
- Citronella candles
- Cucumber peels
These are all items that bees don’t like because they don’t smell them. Leaving them outside near your house can help keep bees away.
8. Dusting
If you already know that your best option is to kill an intruding colony, powdered insecticide is another method you can use and possibly do on your own. To apply this dust to a beehive, you need to prepare in the same way as for insecticide spray. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing, such as long pants, long sleeves, and a face shield. For this particular method, you will also want to prepare a sealing foam so that you can block the beehive after you apply the dust.
Quickly apply dust to the hive through the hive opening, and use as much as you can.
Take your spray sealant and close the entrance hole. This will ensure that everything inside the hive dies, including larvae and immature bees.
Spray more dust around the seal and on top of the hive to get rid of bees coming out in other places.
