Bee Hive Removal: A How To Guide

Do you have a bee hive nearby your home that you want to get rid of? While honeybees are essential in maintaining the overall ecological balance, their presence near your home can cause concern, particularly if someone in your family is allergic to bee stings. The safest way to remove a beehive is to call in a professional to take care of it for you, especially if the bees have made their home in the walls of your house or under awnings, or if the beehive is particularly large. If you have a small beehive located on your property and you are not allergic to bee stings, there are some simple steps that you can take to dispose of them.

The first thing you will need to decide is whether you want to relocate the beehive or destroy it. Both are risky, however saving the bees and relocating their hive is helpful to the overall environment and balance of nature, especially with the natural population of honey bees in decline. If you do not have anywhere nearby to relocate the beehive to, your only recourse is to destroy the hive and the bees. Here are some simple instructions on bee hive removal.

• Protective Clothing
• Cans of Insecticide with long nuzzles
• Insect Poison
• A fire pit or drum large enough for the hive to fit inside, matches and kindling
• A scraper or shears to dislodge the hive

Locate the hive and determine how it is attached. You will have to move quickly once you begin the process, therefore it is important to have a clear idea before starting how you are going to dislodge the beehive and what tools you will need to have on hand to do so.

Prepare everything you will need in advance for the bee hive removal. Buy a couple of cans of insecticide. Raid works well, although you can also buy special bee insecticides from many gardening supply shops. Make sure the can has a very long nozzle that can be easily inserted into the hive. Buy insect poison that you can sit inside the hive after your first spraying. You will also need to prepare a large empty drum or pit to burn the hive in. Set aside a scraper or shears so you can dislodge the hive.

Dress protectively. It is important that all bare skin is covered, including your hands, face and neck. Wear several layers of long sleeved shirts, polo neck shirts are great. Wear long pants that are tucked into boots, or socks. You will also need gloves and a hat with a screen that hangs down to your shoulders. If you do not have that type of hat and you cannot make one, wear a hat, mask and goggles.

Plan to approach the beehive in the early evening, while there is still some sunlight. Bees work during the day and return to their hive at night. You will want to try to catch as many bees in the hive as you can.

Stand back and spray the beehive with the insecticide. Try to stand as far away from the hive as possible while still reaching it with the spray. Once you have thoroughly sprayed the area, insert the insect poison into the hive and vacate the area as quickly as you can. Wait for thirty minutes to an hour before proceeding with the next step.

Spray the hive one more time, again leave the area and watch closely for any activity around the hive.

After thirty minutes, go and start your fire in the fire pit.

Once you are sure there is no activity around the hive, take your scraper and separate the hive. Do this gently in case there are still some bees alive inside the hive. Slowly carry the hive over to the fire and gently deposit the hive in the flames.

Clean away anything vestiges of the hive. It is very important that there is no honey or parts of the beehive remaining, otherwise new bees will start to build a new hive. Dead bees also attract other bees, so sweep up any that are laying around on the ground and dispose of them.