In this article we are going to discuss some of the ways you can avoid having bees in places you don't want them.

To start, bees are all around us. Bees have been domesticated or kept since the time of the Egyptians or even further back. Honey was around long before sugar and corn syrup, and the bees were there making it the whole time.

Apis mellifera was introduced to the New World sometime in the 1600s. It was widely used to make honey and sweeten some of those early colonial dishes. But I digress — why my house??

Here Are Some Tricks to Avoid Bees

Bees Have Returned

Often times we hear customers saying things like "the bees have returned" or "we had them in the other side of the house last year, now they are on this side."

Well, there is typically only a few reasons why we see this. First and foremost it is due to improper removal. Simply exterminating the bees leaves the comb which, after the poison has worn away, attracts bees. This is why many "removal" companies are happy to exterminate. They know they will most likely be back in a year or two.

That being said, the only way to ensure they don't come back to the location is to remove the comb and fill in the space. Correct bee removal is essential to guarantee all removal work.

There are a few reasons bees might be found in the same house but in a different location. It could be just a random act of luck, but I would say this is almost never the case. Bees found on the other side of a property — like in the eave on the other side of the house — can be caused by swarming. Whether the original colony split and loved your house so much, or when the exterminator hit them with poison they up and moved away from it. I would say the latter is 60% of repeat removal cases.

The bees simply move away from the poisoned area and carry on. Sometimes infestation becomes so great they do split. This is when we see two hives — one substantially bigger than the other. A swarm or sub-swarm finds its way into your house again.

Local Bees

Local bees are always a culprit. Many cities actually don't have laws prohibiting beekeepers from running hives in their backyard. These often swarm due to poor technique or inexperienced beekeepers, and they end up in the neighbor's roof. Swarms from the hives of these bees are also pretty common.

Old Trees

Old trees or wooded areas are always culprits. Here in north Texas, silver maples are a favorite for large branch-filled hives. Oak, elm, and pecan have a few pocket hives found each year. Hackberry and mulberry trees die from the ground up, which gives the bees a great place to move into.

Squirrels

Lastly is my favorite — squirrels. Someone once told me when I was removing a hive from a roofline that he knew the squirrels and bees were working together. It isn't that often a bee joke gets a seasoned beekeeper to laugh like that, but there is some truth to it.

The squirrels and tree rats of north Texas chew holes in our attics and roofs creating a perfect entrance for bees. Bees move in and squirrels make a new home somewhere else. Patching, using metal flashing, or chicken/gridded wire is the only way to keep them out. Bees aren't the ones destroying your property — it's those cute furry tree squirrels your neighbor feeds causing all the damage.

Owl Boxes

The infamous duck/bat/owl box and birdhouses. Over the last 5 years I have been kept extremely busy with these boxes. Our apiary gets 3–5 a week usually filled with bees.

It is great intention — does wonders for catching bees (usually big space, up high, small entrance, away from people and noises). We have even perfected a method of removing the bees from the box undisturbed.

I do want to give special thanks to all those in Lakewood, Highland Park, and Lake Highlands for making so many bee catchers... I mean owl boxes.

Bee Proofing & Prevention

We also offer bee proofing and preventative services. Bee proofing your home or business will prevent future bee squatters, and you and your neighborhood bees can live in harmony. We seal up holes, check woodpiles, brush, and other places bees might use to build a hive in your home as a preventative measure to avoid the bee removal process in the future. Scout bees don't like it when we seal up cracks and crevices. Our preventative services also serve as a deterrent to yellow jacket wasps and hornets. Ask our technicians about this service.

Our locally owned and operated company has a commitment to our customers: "Treat everything like it was your house" and "Always do the right thing."

Think of us next time you search for "bee removal near me" — if you have questions, email or call. We are always here for our customers.