What should we do until the removal is complete?
Respect the bees and give them their space. Keep all people, children and pets at a safe distance from the hive location.
How can I prevent this from happening again?
Your location may be considered "prime bee real estate" and for future peace of mind we can place a "swarm catcher" box near the site. Should a new colony choose to settle on your property they will most likely settle in the swarm catcher. In that case just give us a call and we will empty the swarm catcher and return it to your property resulting in a quick stress free removal for you and the bees. This service is provided for a $50 yearly fee through our company. In addition to the removal, we will check the box every 4 months.
Why is there no insurance for bee removal?
There is not any insurance that is currently available for bee removal due to the risks of liability that may be involved. Beekeepers have to find a way to access the hive and carefully remove the bees, comb, honey which can be more work and time then a quick extermination by a pest control company. Because we don't know what kind of honey bee we are dealing with we can't control them from stinging us or someone nearby should they be "mean bees". The European honey bees are very sweet and gentle but will sting if provoked after quite a bit of warning buzzes. Although the European honey bee stings, they are not nearly as bad and aggressive as the African honey bee aka "killer bee". Unfortunately there is no way for us to tell what bee breed we are dealing with by the naked eye, only through behavior can we guess what we are dealing with. If we do come across a mean hive a sample is sent to a state lab and we wait for instructions on how to proceed with that particular colony.
Then why does pest control have insurance?
Pest control are insured because they can go in and quickly kill the bees reducing the chance of injury. They also do not need to remove parts of the structure to kill the bees. Often pest control will release a poisonous powder that rises wherever it is puffed which is usually at the entrance of the hive. Since they do not have to remove parts of the structure like beekeepers do; the comb and honey remains in the structure. Leaving the dead colony behind will promote roaches and mice to move in, which means you will have to address those pests at a later date. Since pest control does have insurance and have undergone special training to maintain permits for pest control and their use of chemicals, their rates easily start at $400.00
What happens to the bees once they are removed from a property?
All rescued bees are transported to one of our bee sanctuaries located in Bradenton, Palmetto and Sarasota. The bees are monitored, cared for, fed and treated to increase and build to a strong and healthy hive. Upon returning to full strength and maturity, some rescued hives enter a "Host a Hive" Program. Through this program, bees are placed in local organic farms and gardens. By hosting a hive, we place hives in your garden or farm and we take care of the hives while providing the host honey produced by these hives.
Why "trap out" and not just cut them out of the tree or home?
Although cutting out a hive maybe considered "faster". When a hive is located within a tree or on the side of a structure, we recommend to "trap out" rather than "cut out". A thorough "cut out" rescue may require a lot of tree trunk or structure to be removed, potentially risking the health and stability of the tree and increased home repair cost.
What is a "trap out"?
The trap works by allowing the bees to freely exit from wherever they've chosen to nest, but prevents them from getting back in. This works best if it's done as soon as possible from the time the bees settle in. A wire cone is placed over the entrance so they may exit to forage. However when the bees return, they will not be able to re-enter the original hive. As the days progress, a mass of bees will accumulate at the base of the cone. We will place a new hive box nearby, and as nighttime approaches, bees will go inside the new hive, making it their new home.
If their original hive is only a few days old, the transfer process should be complete within 3 or 4 days. However if the hive has been established for 2 or more weeks, the bees may have already built comb and the queen has probably started laying eggs. In that case, the transference process can take as long as 4 to 8 weeks for all of the baby bees to hatch, emerge and join the new hive. It is our hope that the queen will also join the new hive.
We will come and periodically inspect the new hive. Once it is determined that most of the bees have relocated to the new hive, we remove the bees from your property and seal the old hive opening with metal mesh screen to protect your tree from further bee occupation.
Respect the bees and give them their space. Keep all people, children and pets at a safe distance from the hive location.
How can I prevent this from happening again?
Your location may be considered "prime bee real estate" and for future peace of mind we can place a "swarm catcher" box near the site. Should a new colony choose to settle on your property they will most likely settle in the swarm catcher. In that case just give us a call and we will empty the swarm catcher and return it to your property resulting in a quick stress free removal for you and the bees. This service is provided for a $50 yearly fee through our company. In addition to the removal, we will check the box every 4 months.
Why is there no insurance for bee removal?
There is not any insurance that is currently available for bee removal due to the risks of liability that may be involved. Beekeepers have to find a way to access the hive and carefully remove the bees, comb, honey which can be more work and time then a quick extermination by a pest control company. Because we don't know what kind of honey bee we are dealing with we can't control them from stinging us or someone nearby should they be "mean bees". The European honey bees are very sweet and gentle but will sting if provoked after quite a bit of warning buzzes. Although the European honey bee stings, they are not nearly as bad and aggressive as the African honey bee aka "killer bee". Unfortunately there is no way for us to tell what bee breed we are dealing with by the naked eye, only through behavior can we guess what we are dealing with. If we do come across a mean hive a sample is sent to a state lab and we wait for instructions on how to proceed with that particular colony.
Then why does pest control have insurance?
Pest control are insured because they can go in and quickly kill the bees reducing the chance of injury. They also do not need to remove parts of the structure to kill the bees. Often pest control will release a poisonous powder that rises wherever it is puffed which is usually at the entrance of the hive. Since they do not have to remove parts of the structure like beekeepers do; the comb and honey remains in the structure. Leaving the dead colony behind will promote roaches and mice to move in, which means you will have to address those pests at a later date. Since pest control does have insurance and have undergone special training to maintain permits for pest control and their use of chemicals, their rates easily start at $400.00
What happens to the bees once they are removed from a property?
All rescued bees are transported to one of our bee sanctuaries located in Bradenton, Palmetto and Sarasota. The bees are monitored, cared for, fed and treated to increase and build to a strong and healthy hive. Upon returning to full strength and maturity, some rescued hives enter a "Host a Hive" Program. Through this program, bees are placed in local organic farms and gardens. By hosting a hive, we place hives in your garden or farm and we take care of the hives while providing the host honey produced by these hives.
Why "trap out" and not just cut them out of the tree or home?
Although cutting out a hive maybe considered "faster". When a hive is located within a tree or on the side of a structure, we recommend to "trap out" rather than "cut out". A thorough "cut out" rescue may require a lot of tree trunk or structure to be removed, potentially risking the health and stability of the tree and increased home repair cost.
What is a "trap out"?
The trap works by allowing the bees to freely exit from wherever they've chosen to nest, but prevents them from getting back in. This works best if it's done as soon as possible from the time the bees settle in. A wire cone is placed over the entrance so they may exit to forage. However when the bees return, they will not be able to re-enter the original hive. As the days progress, a mass of bees will accumulate at the base of the cone. We will place a new hive box nearby, and as nighttime approaches, bees will go inside the new hive, making it their new home.
If their original hive is only a few days old, the transfer process should be complete within 3 or 4 days. However if the hive has been established for 2 or more weeks, the bees may have already built comb and the queen has probably started laying eggs. In that case, the transference process can take as long as 4 to 8 weeks for all of the baby bees to hatch, emerge and join the new hive. It is our hope that the queen will also join the new hive.
We will come and periodically inspect the new hive. Once it is determined that most of the bees have relocated to the new hive, we remove the bees from your property and seal the old hive opening with metal mesh screen to protect your tree from further bee occupation.