"Bees or something flying in and out of small holes in the mortar in the fireplace. Neighbors just want me to blast them with Raid Wasp Killer, but I would prefer a different approach.

I would love for this to somehow be a win/win situation for us and the bees. Can you help?"  - Mr. M


Hello Mr. M,

Bees behind brick or concrete can be very difficult and expensive to remove.  However, you are in luck.  Michigan winters are very hard on all species of bees.  Whether you have honey bees or some other kind of insect, it's very likely to die off over the winter.  Honey bees have a 50/50 chance of making it.  All the other flying/stinging insects will die soon after the cold weather arrives to stay.  The most reasonable thing to do, in my opinion, is to just wait for nature to run its course.  I think your problem will solve itself.

I hope that's an answer you like hearing, and good luck!

Billy Craig

"Have a large bee hive in a tree in my front lawn which needs removal. Just discovered it. The weight is causing it to fall closer to vehicles in driveway. Need help with removal."  - Mr. C


Hello Mr. C,
I'm responding about the beehive in the tree.  I was wondering where you live and how high off of the ground is the hive?  Also, is the hive made out of paper or are there bees crawling all over the outside of it?  My suspicion is that the nest is a hornet's nest, in which case, they'll all be dead very soon (perhaps this weekend, if it gets as cold as predicted). Then your problem is solved.  Once it drops below freezing for a few days, you can be sure that the hornets are dead, and then you can knock the nest off the limb without any worries.  If they're honey bees, which seems unlikely, then you may have to wait longer for them to die.  In that case, depending on your location, I may be able to come out and get them.

Hope that helps,
Billy Craig

"I am interested in having a swarm of bees removed from a tree trunk in my yard. The bees are housed in a hole in my tree (about 1 foot diameter) that is only about 4 foot up from the ground. Is this something you would be able to assist with, and if so, how much do you charge?  Thank you."  - Dan


Thank you, sir , for contacting me.  You're a little ways out of my territory, as far as driving distance goes.  The best I can do is give some advice. 

I don't know how bothersome these bees are to you.  There's a high probability that they will die over the winter, which isn't too far away now.  The easiest thing to do is nothing.

However, if you really want them gone now, you may be able to find a willing beekeeper in your area at beesource.com.  If you search under "Swarm Removal", they have a list of beekeepers in Michigan that remove bees and where they are located.

Finally, if the insects are not honey bees, but rather  some other sort of stinging, flying insect (wasp, hornet, yellowjacket), I would recommend killing them yourself.  This involves taking a can of Raid Wasp/Hornet Killer (or its equivalent), going out to the tree shortly after dusk on a cool evening, and spraying the can in the tree very liberally.  Leave quickly, and you may avoid getting stung.

I hope this helps in some way.

Billy Craig

"Hi, I found your name online and was wondering if you service... I have a hive on the back of my house that I discovered (unfortunately I didn't know it was there until being stung repeatedly). Please let me know if you can help and any details you need. Thanks."

-Will


Yes, thank you.  The pictures are very helpful.  I can see that those aren't honeybees.  They appear to be some kind of wasp.  I would come out at night with a can of Raid or some kind of wasp/hornet spray and just soak the nest with it.  Then you can knock it down the next day with a broom or rake, anything with a long handle.  That should take care of the problem.

-Billy, The Bees' Knees Bee Removal Services


"Thanks for the feedback. I can take care of the rest. Actually that was my initial plan but I wasn't sure if they were honeybees and didn't want to destroy the nest if that were the case.
Thanks again. For your time."

-Will

"Hi,
I have a daycare out of my home... and we have a bee problem in the front yard that's getting pretty bad. There seems to be multiple holes in the ground that they are coming from but I can't even get close enough to really assess the situation. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this? Last night I poured boiling water down what I thought were the two main holes, but this morning they're still there."

-Grant


Hi Grant,
It sounds like yellow-jackets to me.  They usually live in the ground.  Boiling water would only kill the few insects that contacted it. 
A can of Raid Hornet and Wasp Killer sprayed in the hole just after dark may do the trick.  I think they may also have some smoke bomb-type things that you could drop in the hole after dark.  The main thing is to do it after dark when all the bugs are at home and not flying around.  Plus, these colder nights make them less active, so you're less likely to be stung in the process.  They will still come after you though, so be quick and careful.
Multiple entrances may mean multiple nests, so you may have to get each one individually.
Good luck with it.  Let me know if you need more help.

-Billy, The Bees' Knees Bee Removal Services