Bee removal is usually relocation

What is bee removal?

Most bee removal is a live removal and relocation job rather than an extermination. The first thing to establish is whether you have a swarm - a temporary cluster resting in the open, often for a day or two - or an established colony that has moved into a cavity and started building comb. A swarm can often be collected quickly and cheaply. A colony inside a wall or a roof void is a construction job, because the comb and honey have to be physically removed and the structure closed back up.

Signs you need bee removal

• A dense cluster of bees hanging on a branch, a fence post or a wall - the classic swarm, usually short-lived
• Steady traffic in and out of one point on the building, in the same direction, all day in good weather
• A soft humming audible through a wall or ceiling on a quiet evening
• A warm patch on an interior wall in summer, sometimes with staining, where honey stores are behind it
• Honey or dark liquid seeping through a wall, a ceiling or around a light fitting
• Bees appearing steadily inside one room, often at the window, with no obvious outdoor route
• Activity that returns each spring to the same point on the building - a sign the cavity still holds old comb
• Bees around a chimney, a soffit vent, a gable end or under a deck

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How bee removal actually works

1. 1

   Swarm or colony - the question that decides everything

   A swarm is bees on the move, clustered in the open around a queen while scouts look for a home. It typically leaves within a day or two. An established colony has committed to a cavity and is building comb, and it will not leave on its own.

   Watch forPaying for removal of a swarm that would have gone by itself. Many beekeepers collect accessible swarms cheaply or free because they want the bees. Ask before booking anything expensive.

2. 2

   Confirm the insect

   Honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, wasps and hornets all get called bees. Bumble bee nests are small and short-lived. Carpenter bees are solitary and bore into timber, which is a wood repair problem. Only honey bee colonies produce the comb-in-a-wall situation.

   Watch forTreating first and identifying later. Once a colony inside a structure has been killed, live relocation is off the table and you still have the comb to deal with.

3. 3

   Locating the colony inside the cavity

   The visible entrance is not necessarily where the comb is. Removers use knocking, listening and sometimes thermal imaging to work out how far the colony extends inside the void before deciding where to open up.

   Watch forOpening a wall at the entrance without locating the extent first - it can mean opening more of the wall than necessary, or missing part of the comb.

4. 4

   Cut-out: opening up and removing the colony

   Siding, drywall or soffit is opened, the comb is cut out, brood comb is transferred into a hive box, and the bees are collected with the queen so the colony survives. This is the standard method for an established colony in a structure.

   Watch forComb left behind. Remaining honey stores can ferment, melt in summer heat, stain through ceilings and walls, and attract ants, roaches and other insects. Removing the comb is the point of the job.

5. 5

   Trap-out, where opening up is not possible

   Where a wall genuinely cannot be opened, a one-way device lets foragers leave and not return, gradually starving the colony out over weeks. It is slower, less certain, and it leaves the comb in place.

   Watch forTrap-out proposed as the easy option. It is a compromise, not an equivalent - and the comb staying in the cavity is the reason it is second best.

6. 6

   Cleaning the cavity and sealing it

   The void is cleaned of residual comb and honey, and the entrance is sealed properly. Honey bee scent lingers and a cavity that has held a colony is attractive to the next swarm looking for a home.

   Watch forSealing an unclean cavity. It is the single most common reason bees return to the same soffit the following spring.

7. 7

   Making good the structure

   Siding, drywall, insulation and trim have to go back. Some removers do the repair, some hand it back to you, and it is often the largest item on the bill.

   Watch forAssuming repair is included. Establish in advance who closes the wall up and to what standard, because "removal" and "removal and repair" are different quotes.

What does bee removal cost?

Collecting an accessible swarm is inexpensive and sometimes free through a local beekeeper. Removing an established colony from a wall or roof void is a far larger job, priced by access, the extent of the comb, and whether repair of the opened structure is included. See the Cost Guide.

See the full bee removal cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →