Because of their beneficial effects on plant growth, bees typically aren’t seen as pests. If you have some bees around your yard, you generally won’t have any issues, and they’ll leave you alone.
The problem is when bees establish one or more nests on your property. A bees nest exposes you to some serious risks.
Why Do You Need Bee Removal?
Bee Stings and Swarm Attacks
If there’s a bee nest on your property, you’re more likely to get stung or attacked in a swarm. Although individual bees generally aren’t aggressive, they’ll defend against any perceived threat to their nest. The following may provoke aggressive behavior in bees:
- Loud noises, including the sound of leaf blowers and children shouting or laughing.
- Activity near the nest, such as when you’re playing sports or hosting a barbecue.
- Actual contact with the nest, such as bumping against a wooden fence with a nest of carpenter bees or stepping on a nest of bumble bees hidden by tall grass.
With a nest on your property, you have a greater chance of getting stung by more than one bee. When one bee stings you, it can release a pheromone that marks you as a threat, meaning that other bees from the same nest may also go after you. Even if you jump into a swimming pool, the pheromone won’t immediately wash away.
Bee stings are painful and can result in swelling and redness. Furthermore, each sting contains a toxin, so that multiple stings lead to a greater toxic effect on your body; you have a greater chance of experiencing a fever, convulsions, or other symptoms.
Some people are also allergic to bee stings and may experience anaphylaxis from one sting. Signs of anaphylaxis include rashes and hives, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, and the tongue or throat swelling up.
Property Damage
Although bees aren’t as destructive as other insects, such as termites, their nest-building activity may result in damage to your property, especially in the following ways:
- The wax, honey, and waste products from a nest may stain various surfaces.
- The weight of large nests places an extra strain on walls, eaves, fencing, decks, and other structural elements around your property.
- Carpenter bees weaken wood structures, such as porches and sheds, by tunneling into them.
- Bee nests may attract other pests, such as rodents. Increased pest activity causes damage and creates unsanitary and unpleasant conditions.
Bee Removal: What Can You Do?
Identification
If you aren’t sure what kind of bees you have on your property, you can consult with beekeepers or with professional exterminators. Exterminators themselves may offer to contact local beekeepers when you have a nest of beneficial bees. Because of the environmental need for healthy populations of bees, it’s important not to kill them unnecessarily.
Professional Relocation
Local beekeeping organizations may be able to safely remove the nest and take it elsewhere. Some beekeepers work only with honey bees and not other varieties, so you should check when calling them.
Professional Extermination
It’s tempting to try to kill or drive away bees on your own, maybe by applying chemical sprays or using a natural mixture of water and vinegar.
However, there are pitfalls to do-it-yourself extermination jobs, especially the following:
- Without the appropriate protective gear, equipment, and training, there’s a strong chance that you’ll simply aggravate the bees and increase your risk of getting stung multiple times.
- Depending on the extermination method you choose, you may wind up exposing yourself and your family to harmful levels of chemicals.
- The nest may be in a difficult-to-reach location, which increases the likelihood that you’ll sustain an injury if you try removing it yourself.
- You’re more likely to perform an incomplete job. The bees won’t be entirely killed or driven away. Even if they are, you’ll likely leave remnants of the nest structure instead of thoroughly clearing it away. These remnants will attract rodents, ants, and other pests.
For these reasons, it’s best to rely on professional support for a safe, thorough bee removal or extermination.
Prevention
Along with removal, take preventative measures to keep bees from coming back in large numbers and establishing new nests.
- Seal openings in your home and other structures.
- To keep carpenter bees away, apply paint or varnish to wood surfaces. Pressure-treated wood is also less attractive to them.
- Regularly inspect your property to detect newly forming nests.
- Don’t neglect lawn care and tree trimming. Maintaining a tidy yard helps prevent the formation of nests in various locations, including trees and tussocks of overgrown grass. Regular yard care also contributes to keeping other pests away, ranging from wasps to rats.
- Don’t leave sugary drinks or food out on your property for a long time.
Pest Control Albuquerque: Contact Red Shovel
If you live in or around Albuquerque, don’t hesitate to contact us for high-quality pest control. We use environmentally friendly solutions to get rid of pests, including colonies of bees nesting on your property. Our treatment plans get adapted to your specific needs, and we can also help your landscaping thrive. You can reach us at 505-243-2277 or through our site.
