Looking for what keeps away from your property? Here are some ways to make your home less-inviting to this insect.
Although bees play a crucial role in the pollination process which is necessary for crop production, their presence in certain areas is unwanted. Some property owners might consider extermination as the best option to take but that shouldn’t be considered at all.
Bees are beneficial to humans and shouldn’t be exterminated. Rather, there are ways to keep them away? So, how can this be done?
In lots of ways actually. That is exactly what we intend to focus on. Join us to discuss the various ways you can keep bees at bay without killing or poisoning them.
If you are suffering from an infestation, here is how to exterminate bees completely.
Why Deter Bees In The First Place?
This is a good question that might come up when reading this article. It’s no secret that bees do get aggressive at some point. When they do, people complain of stings. When things get too bad, people are even killed by such stings. Some persons are likely to develop severe allergies from bee stings.
These are reasons enough to keep bees at a distance. Other equally good reasons may be given for keeping bees away. Whatever the case may be, you don’t want to have bees invading your private space.
READ: Herbs That Deter Wasps
Home Remedies to Keep Bees Away
In trying to keep bees away from you, it is best to do it the natural way. This strategy ensures that harmless strategies are adopted. In other words, you won’t be using any method that poisons them or causes harm to the environment.
Thus, in keeping to this recommendation, we proceed by beaming our searchlight on effective ways of getting the job done.
How to Keep Bees Away
You won’t find an off-the-cuff answer to this question. Giving a satisfactory response requires looking at multiple approaches. Among the several natural approaches to be listed shortly, none can be said to be the best.
Each strategy serves a specific purpose. The choice of strategy depends on what works best for your needs and situation.
The following are safe and effective ways by which people can keep bees off their surroundings. These have been proven to work and still do. Try any, or a combination of more of such strategies and see for yourself.
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Tarping
Tarping is one of the widely used ground bee control methods. Here, you only need to place a tarp over an identified hive to make them relocate. To do this, you’ll need to wait for the cover of darkness to avoid stings.
However, an alternative is to wear protective clothing even during the day.
The tarp will need to be spread over the hive and held in place. As such, the help of a friend or family member (preferably persons having no history of allergies resulting from stings) will be needed.
When this is done, ground bees find such an environment less inviting.
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Try Not To Attract Them To Yourself
Apart from being drawn to flowers, bees can get too curious and try to find out why you smell lovely. Funny right? It seems so at the moment but it won’t be funny anymore when they descend on you! Bees get attracted to certain perfumes especially those with sweet floral scents. Avoid these if you can.
So, what types of perfumes and body care products should be used? Lots of great products, especially those with a woody or spicy scent. These should do. The greater parts of your body should be covered. Some peppermint can be used on your body to help drive bees away.
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Try Some Crushed Garlic
Garlic has a pungent smell. This pungent smell is irritant for a lot of insects including bees. The discomfort caused by it keeps them at bay.
So how do you begin? Get some cloves of garlic, peel, and crush or chop them into tiny slices. This should be allowed to soak in a pint of water for a few days.
Next, you’ll need to empty the water into a spray bottle and apply it onto surfaces or areas most frequented by bees. The safest time to perform this task is in the nighttime. Bees will find such surrounding unsuitable to live in.
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Talcum Powder
Baby powder is one of the substances that has proven to be effective on bees. Surprise right? Well, it is! It works by causing discomfort but causes no harm. The longer its effect lasts, the less likely it is that bees will stay around.
Baby powder should be applied to the body when going out. This is a great idea for those living in bee infested neighborhoods. For a strictly natural approach to ridding your surroundings of bees, consider using organic baby powder. Apply or sprinkle as desired around bee infested areas and watch them give way.
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Water Your Lawn
A simple act as watering your lawn can go a long way in giving you relief from bees. However, it is important to note that this is only effective on ground-bees. These types of bees need dry conditions to nest. Watering your lawn creates a harsh environment that results in such bees relocating.
You may want to keep a safe distance when performing this activity, but first, the bee nest must have been spotted. You must also know about how fast water drains on your lawn soil. Areas that drain faster should be watered more as these are likely to harbor ground bee nests.
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Peppermint
Peppermint like garlic has a strong smell. Peppermint and other repellent plants have the same effect of creating an unpleasant condition for bees. You might want to get such a plant around your home.
Better still is the use of peppermint oil.
This oil is mixed or diluted with an equal part of water and emptied into a spray bottle. The contents should be sprayed wherever bees are found. Not only can this be sprayed onto surfaces, but this solution can also be applied onto your body too.
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Vinegar Spray
Vinegar has been (and is still being) used as a home remedy for lots of pet problems. That includes keeping bees away naturally. This can be used in a lot of ways, but the most popular way to apply it is by making a spray. This spray is applied around the nest or hive as well as on plants that attract bees.
The result is a strong smell that irritates bees and drives them off. To make this home remedy for bee problems, mix it with an equal part of water and empty the contents into a spray bottle. This should be sprayed as desired around areas having bee nests or presence.
To apply this successfully, you don’t deal with beehive directly without wearing protective clothing. We recommend taking the safest route which involves spraying targeted areas at night.
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Vanilla Mixture
Want to avoid bee stings? Think vanilla extract! Keeping bees away just got a lot easier. To do this, you’ll need to make a mixture by mixing a tablespoon of this extract with water. Apply the mixture to your skin and watch bees keep their distance.
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Baby Oil
Like vanilla mixture, baby oil has the same effect on bees. Keeping them at bay will only require applying any baby oil of your choice onto your skin. This is sufficient enough to get the job done. It is a natural and safe way that keeps you safe while irritating bees without causing them harm.
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Cucumber Peel Works Too!
Only a handful of people understand the benefits of cucumber peel. You won’t have to litter your surroundings to get the desired effect on bees. Not at all! Cucumber peel is best used in indoor environments. When you open the windows to let fresh air in, bees around your home might also invite themselves in.
Placing cucumber peels around such entry points such as on window frames drives them away. This is a safe and effective way as it only serves to make bees uncomfortable. Such bees won’t hang around for long. This can be used in combination with any of the other methods outlined here.
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Cinnamon
Common items like cinnamon provide relief from bee infestations. Get some cinnamon and apply around bee infested areas. You will have to do this repeatedly for at least a week. The result is an environment free of bees. You can move freely without having to worry about bee problems.
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Call In The Experts
Yes! This is a great way to keep bees out of your property without having to engage them directly. This approach is the best for persons with melissophobia (simply put; this is the fear of bees and bee stings). Such removal services apply professional strategies to get these off your property.
At the end of the day, everyone is happy and the bees are safely relocated without causing them harm. You will be given recommendations on how best to avoid a repeat infestation.
If you’ve read to this point, you should be better informed on the best natural ways to keep bees away. We have mostly focused on natural strategies because these are best suited for such purposes.
Bees are beneficial to plants plus they produce honey which is widely consumed. Exterminating them may be counterproductive and may impact negatively on agriculture.