Bees. A necessary component of nature without which life would be quite dismal. But does that mean we are pleased to entertain them within our homes? I think not. So, if the buzz has got you down; read on for the cure!
I like honey. It's sooooo good. But bees can be a problem around our homes at times. I can recall many years ago when I looked through my window to the front yard and was greeted by the sight of literally thousands of bees. It was a black cloud! Naturally, it was a Sunday and I could not get a hold of anyone to address the problem. So me and my family stayed inside that day while the swarm calmed down and found a place to call home for the night. That was a tree branch in my front yard. I came home the next afternoon to find them gone.
This is the usual pattern of bee swarms. I tell those who call me about bees to wait at least 1-2 days before taking action against the swarm. By that time those bees are usually gone and all is well again. But how does all this occur in the first place? To make it simple, a bee colony can become overcrowded and split off, resulting in a swarm which sets off in search of a new home. In some cases, it can be a result of development which prompts a bee colony to relocate.
Let's talk quickly about Africanized Honey Bees (AHB) for a moment. Unless you know what to look for, you are not going to be able to tell the difference between AHB and European Honey Bees (EHB). At the AHB courses I have taken over the years, the wrap-up has consisted of this: Run hard, Run long and Run Far. Of course, I'm oversimplifying a complex subject but the bottom line is AHB are simply more aggressive and attack in greater numbers than EHB. This is what makes them so dangerous.
We need bees. We want them to do what they do in nature. But we don't want them in our homes, or even near them. In every situation where there has been a bee infestation within the structure, if appropriate action is not taken there will be a re-infestation of some magnitude. It's important to not only get the bees out of the structure, but to remove the honeycomb and don't leave any residue behind. Scrape all those surfaces and seal them so that the pheromone cannot act as an attractant for the next swarm of bees going through the neighborhood.
Seal or screen any entry point which might allow bees into your structures. If they can't get in, they can't set up shop.
