Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Find the entrance to the hive. Don't attempt to block the entrance to the hive, the bees will attempt to find another exit or entry and may end up in even more sensitive areas of the building. Determine if the hive is located inside a wall or another location that is easily accessible.
Contact a beekeeper or someone experienced at bee removal. Wear proper attire to protect yourself.
Apply smoke with the bee smoker to the area where the hive is located. If it is in the wall, put the opening of the smoker into the bee colony entrance and pump the smoke inside. If the colony is in an accessible location, smoke the combs and bees in the open.
Suck the bees out of the wall cavity with a bee vac. Place the bee vac tube to the opening of the colony. If the colony is in the open, this step can still be used to collect as many bees on the comb or in sight as possible to contain them in one central container for relocation. Skip this step with an open hive, if desired.
Open the wall area around the hive location by cutting away the siding or drywall using the carpentry tools. Use the bee vac to collect any bees that remain inside, and try to locate the queen and get her into the bee vac as soon as possible.
Begin removing the comb and hive as soon as the bees are collected. Remove all the comb and honey that is visible. If the hive is in the open remove all material and clean up any debris.
Fill the wall cavity with expanding insulation foam to prevent other bees from establishing a colony in that location. Dust the area with carbaryl insecticide to prevent further infestation if the hive was in an open area.
Repair the wall area and close any entrances that new bees may discover.
Trapping
Place a wire mesh cone over the entrance to the bee colony if it is inside a wall which is impenetrable and cannot be opened to remove the hive.
Place a new beehive with a queen and just a few workers in close proximity to the bee trap. The bees in the wall can exit the hive but when they return from foraging they cannot re-enter. The bees will find the new hive and begin to establish a new colony there. Wait three to four weeks for the bees to exit the structure and establish a new colony in the hive.
Spray the colony in the wall with a non residual insecticide such as resmethrin to kill any remaining bees and the queen. Remove the trap.
Leave the hive in a close location to allow the bees from the new colony to access the old hive, and go inside to collect the honey and the comb. Since access cannot be gained to the hive in the wall, the bees must be relied upon to remove the material so it doesn't rot in the wall and attract new pests. Wait two weeks for the bees to retrieve the honey.
Relocate the hive to a new location and seal up the entrance to the old hive in the wall.