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i have a decently large beehive in a tree. it's about the size of a basketball in a reverse upside down teardrop shape, in a nice shade of gray. not sure what kind of bee wasp or hornet it is.
posted
I don't have any direct experience getting rid of beehives, so take this with a grain of salt, but trying to move the hive yourself or destroy it with a bat seem like relatively bad ideas unless you want to be swarmed by angry bees. I'd assume your best bet if you want to take care of it yourself is to cover yourself up as well as you can and use some kind of spray. Once you're sure everything in it is dead, then destroy the hive however seems easiest to prevent a new colony from moving in.
Posts: 187 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Rodents, roaches, ants -- I'll kill them myself. But when it comes to things that sting, I call a pro.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Are the bees from the hive really bothering you? If it's just the occasional annoying bee, you can buy traps that look like fake honeycombs that you put some sort of sugary lure in. The bees can get in, but they can't get it. That'll pick off the occasional straggler if it's just a random nuisance. But yeah, if they are really swarming, you call an exterminator, or you'll get attacked.
We used to have constant bee issues growing up. There was a persistent band of bees that kept trying to build hives all over the place. They built them into our deck railing, they tried to burrow into the ground and built them. Their most successful attempt was when they built sizable honeycombs into the roof of my brother's trunk lid on his old Thunderbird. They even infrequently found their way through cracks in our foundation into the house, one of which led to my childhood bedroom, and one into the bathroom. Oy, that was an ongoing annoyance.
On the bright side, I have zero fear of bees now. I actually kind of like them.
And you know, as far as I know, if it's not a honeybee hive, most species of hornet and wasp die out over the winter (if you live somewhere cold) and have to rebuild the nest in the spring, so, maybe you could wait them out.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I had good luck with a spray against a hornet nest beneath our deck out back. It was just a little smaller than a volleyball. Not only did it kill the hornets, but it dissolved the nest as well. I was lucky to be able to stand in a doorway to do my spraying (to make a quick escape if necessary). I had 2 cans of spray but only used about 3/4 of one can.
Do this at night when all the little beasties are in the nest.
Of course, waiting them out till winter is a better idea--if they aren't bothering you.
On a related topic, I spent the first week of August at Boy Scout camp in Michigan with my son. I walked into camp one afternoon to hear one of the leaders tell a boy: "If I have to break your arms to get you to stop, I will!" The boy in question was throwing rocks at a basketball sized wasp nest in a tree in the middle of camp. Posts: 692 | Registered: Feb 2000
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1) If they appear to be bees instead of wasps, you may consider looking up beekeepers in the area and asking for their help. In my experience the bee-keeping community is quite friendly, and if there's any chance that they could salvage the hive to add to their swarm they would probably be appreciative (especially since the bee population has been in decline for a while now, especially the last year or two).
Even if they aren't interested, you may be able to borrow a suit to wear for the ensuing combat.
2) If you're willing to go through the trouble and the fire-codes allow, blowing smoke into the hive for a while before spraying it or whatnot will cause the bees/wasps to become quite lethargic and less dangerous (though they still may sting).
Posts: 1038 | Registered: Feb 2006
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Bees don't generally make hives in trees the way you've described; the hive you're seeing is probably a wasp hive.
While some people pooh-pooh the distinction, to me it's important: bees are useful creatures who make delicious honey. Wasps are proof of Satan.
If they're bees, I'll call a beekeeper; they're usually happy to get a swarm. If they're wasps, and the nest is high enough and not in my way, I'll just leave it alone.
If they are in my way, or pose a threat, then I'd call an exterminator.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Scott - Yes! I couldn't agree more on the distinction between bees and hornets. I actually wrote a creative non-fiction essay using bees and hornets as a metaphor for life a couple semesters ago.
DSH - What camp? Just curious, I was a Boy Scout in Michigan growing up.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Camp Rotary, near Clare. It was a very beautiful camp with a well run program, I loved every minute of it!
Posts: 692 | Registered: Feb 2000
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I went there once, but spent most of my time at D-Bar-A. It was always a nice camp, but looks even nicer now. Glad you and your son liked it.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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No don't kill bees ;-; if they are bee's have a pro move them elsewhere, I done seen hundred dying this spring of them dang parasites...very sad and I'm starting to see sweat bees do the same thing now..
Now if they're wasps and your a good shot with the fancy bow and arrow.... got some petroleum jelly, vegetable oil, an old towel or washcloth you don't mind burning... I am sure you're plenty creative to see where this flaming arrow things is going, if not I think there are things sort of like weed killer for bugs that you can attach to a hose and just fire at them... either way someones going to get hurt .-.
Posts: 461 | Registered: Nov 2010
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