subject: What Is All This Buzz About? What To Do If Bees Invade Your Home [print this page] Nothing can be scarier then realizing you have bees making nests in and around your home. Whether you are dealing with traditional bees or wasps, this can be very unnerving for a homeowner. This problem can even be compounded if you have an allergy to bees (about 2% of people may result in anaphylactic shock due to bee stings).
If you are dealing with specific types of bees, like carpenter bees, an infestation can be a whole host of problems. Carpenter bees are named for their ability to bore into wood and make their nests there. While this damage is usually not structural, they can be a problem for homeowners.
Wasps do not cause as much property damage, but they are decidedly more aggressive than traditional honeybees. The wasp is able to sting multiple times, as opposed to honeybees whose stingers detach and kill them because it is connected to their digestive system. For a person dealing with an allergy, this can be particularly alarming because these insects will be around longer.
The first step to ridding your home of bees is to try to identify all the places where they have made their homes. Many times the bees can be in walls or an attic and it can be hard to identify exactly where the problem is coming from. Try to catch the bees when they are the most active in the middle of the day and observe where their high traffic areas are. Another place that many people find out they have beehives is in their chimneys.
Purchase insecticides made for bees and treat the nests that you can find. Make sure to treat the nests with insecticide in the evening when bees are less active and the danger of being stung is much lower. If you have carpenter bees, plug any holes where they have dug into the wood around your house. If you have untreated wood around your house, put a coat of paint or sealant on this wood because carpenter bees are far less likely to bore into treated wood.
An option that many people may not consider is finding a local beekeeper to get rid of them for you. If the issue is honeybees, the nests can most likely be moved and utilized by someone who farms bees. Do a quick search online for a local beekeeper and give them a call to ask if this would interest them. Not only would you be ridding your house of a pest but also you would also being helping the local community.
If you have a serious bee problem, it is a good idea to purchase or rent a bee smoker before dealing with this issue yourself. Smokers are what beekeepers use to make the bees more docile and it will greatly reduce the chance that you are stung during the process.
While bees can be a serious headache for a homeowner, there are many ways to deal with this issue. If you feel as though your bee problem is too much to handle, make sure to call a pest control professional. Most exterminators can easily deal with bee problems, as well as any other pest that may be giving you trouble.
