Do you know how to get rid of a beehive in a tree or on the ground? Here are practical removal options you should consider.
How To Get Rid Of A Bee Nest in A Tree
A beehive is the dwelling place of honey bees. It is the place where they live, eat, produce bees, and reproduce their young ones.
Beehives are built by bees, but there are some beehives created by man to rear bees for the production of honey. However, manmade beehives are known as Apiaries.
A beehive can be described as hexagonal apartments of bees. It can also be called a honeycomb. Whatever you choose to call it, it is what it is- the place where bees live in.
A natural hive is created by a group of honey bee workers, and their primary purpose for creating the hive is for them to store up enough honey against the winter. This will ensure that the entire colony of bees can survive the cold winter without starving.
Beehives are created to store up honey, and the bees eat the honey during the frosty period when it is no longer possible for them to search for flowers.
During the summer, the worker honey bees go out to gather nectars from plants. They carry these nectars in their pouches for pollen, and while they travel to their home, the nectar will mix with a type of enzyme. By the time they get home, they now transfer the nectar from their tongue to another worker’s tongue.
This is how the nectar transforms into honey. The honey bee workers can also transform the sugar in honey into wax. This wax comes from the bee’s pores, and it can make tiny wax flakes on the stomach of the bee. These wax flakes are chewed to the point that they become flexible. The worker bees will now use the wax to construct their honeycomb.
The hives are constructed in such a way that it has just one entrance that the colony can live in for a very long time- from generation to generation. Honey bees don’t build nests year after year.
Natural Bee Nest Removal Methods
Honey bees are harmless and exciting insects to watch, but if they are left alone, you will be amazed to find over a thousand bees swarming in your backyard.
Apart from the fact that their constant buzzing can be disturbing, a swarm of bees can be a nuisance. The fact that they decide what threatens them and when they get threatened exposes you and your entire household to the dreadful stings of mummy bees.
Home Remedies For Bee Hive Removal
Apart from the fact that it is unlawful to kill bees, it is an unfair thing to do when all they do is mind their business.
But you need to get rid of the beehives, which is why adopting any of the natural methods of eradication is ideal.
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Smoking
Smoking is one of the safest methods of getting rid of a beehive in the ground. It will help relocate the colony into the forest or a bee farm.
Materials Needed to Smoke out a Hive
The following are what you will need to smoke out a beehive
- Bee smoker
- Fuel pellet
- Box
- Scraping tool
Method of Smoking
First, you need to know that the best time to smoke out a beehive is on a sunny afternoon. By this time, all the worker bees would be out gathering nectars and pollinating flowers. The aim of this is to ensure that no one is home when you are going to be removing their home
Also, you need to wear your protective gear.
Step 1- make a very tiny hole in the box. Ensure that the hole is large enough to allow air into the box but too small for any bee to escape.
Step 2- Light up the fuel in the smoker and spread it all around the hive. When doing this, you need to be as settled as possible, do not disturb the mother bee, so she is not aroused.
Step 3- After step 2, wait for just a little bit; by then, the bees inside must have been subdued. After that, start scraping out the beehive with your tool.
Step 4- Put the hive in your box. You can take it into the woods, or you can take it to a beehive farm.
After you have successfully relocated the beehive, you need to clean out your yard to get rid of any remnants of the hive. You must do a thorough clean-up to discourage a possible return of the bees. And you can clean up your yard with warm water and soap. Also, fill up any gap created by the bees; you can fill it with caulk.
Smoking out the beehive is an excellent way of getting rid of beehive that most professionals prefer to adopt.
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Hot Water, Soap, and Mint Solution
Mixing soap and mint in hot water is another effective method of getting rid of the beehive off your yard.
Materials need for the Solution
- Water (2 cups)
- Peppermint Castile Soap (2 cups)
- Boiling Water
Method of Preparation
Step 1- Boil some water in the kettle
Step 2- While the water the boiling water is on the way, pour the peppermint castile soap into the 2 cups of water. Mix them
Step 3- Change into your protective gear. Make sure you cover yourself enough that you cannot be stung
Step 4- Get a hose or watering can so that you can be far away from the hive
Step 5- Begin by pouring the combination of water and the peppermint castle soap inside the nest
Step 6- Then pour the hot water into the nest opening
Run back into the house as fast as you can because the hot water will help to spread the mint oil into the interior part of the hive
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Vinegar Beehive Removal Spray
Another excellent option for removing beehives naturally is to use vinegar spray. All you need to do is get white vinegar and water. Mix both of them very well into your spray bottle.
The best time to use this solution is at night when the bees are less active. But then, you will still need to put on your protective overall so that you don’t get stung by bees.
Spray inside the beehive thoroughly. You may also spray your flowers, plants, and bushes just to let the bees know that they are not welcomed on your land. And you can reapply this Solution as many times as possible.
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Trapping
Another means of getting rid of hives is trapping. This works by using bait to attract the bees and then trap them.
Material Needed for Trapping
- Soda bottle
- Scissors
- Sweet soda
Method of Trapping
Step 1- cut the empty soda bottle in half
Step 2- Fill up the bottom of the bottle with soda
Step 3- Place this around the hive at a time when they are most active
Step 4- Leave the place immediately after you set the trap.
This trap will attract the bees, and once they try to get in, they will drown in the Solution.
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Essential Oil Spray
You can get rid of beehives by using essential oils to repel the bees. Once the bees are gone, the hives are as good as gone. Or you can remove it as well.
The essential oils to be used to chase off the bees should be the ones they hate the most. Therefore, you can use what they hate the most to repel them.
Materials Needed For Essential Oil Spray
To make a spray with essential oils, you will need the following;
- Peppermint Oil (1 drop)
- Cinnamon Oil (1 drop)
- Tea Tree Oil (1 drop)
- Unscented Baby Shampoo (1 cup)
Method of Application
All you need to do is mix all of these ingredients properly, and pour them into a spray bottle.
Spray the entire area till all the bees run out of their home. This makes it easy for the hive to be relocated.
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Plant Bee Resistant Plants
When bees become a bother to any member of your family, this means that they are a pest. One of the effective ways to get rid of bees in your garden is to begin to plant some crops, herbs, shrubs, or trees that resist bees.
Conclusion
Beehives are fascinating construction, but no matter how impressed you are, you don’t want them in your backyard. Even though honeybees are not as aggressive as the other types of bees, they can sting when they feel threatened.
Sadly, you might just be stepping on their toes unknowingly, and the reward for this- is getting stung by the bee.
This might be deadly, especially for anyone who is allergic to honeybee sting.
The sight of one or two bees could be welcoming in the garden, but a beehive, is a no-no for any household- beehives belong to bee farms.
However, whichever method of beehive removal you decide to adopt, you need to make sure that you wear your protective clothing to prevent getting stung by the bees. A beekeeping suit is the ideal type of clothes.
Are you looking for who to call for beehive removal and what they charge? Check online, there are several bee exterminators near you.