09 NOV 2018
Bees produce sweet honey and pollinate fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables but they also pose a threat. Frankly, bees are relatively harmless so long as you do not threaten the nest, but many homeowners and property owners prefer to be safe rather than sorry. In this article brought to you by Sesmas Tree Service, we will run through some things you can do about bees in your trees. You are always welcome to call Sesmas Tree Service to talk about this problem with one of our professionals. We are happy to answer questions and arrange professional assistance.
A Little About These Little Creatures
Honeybees like to swarm, but this clustering is usually a temporary part of their schedule. They usually gather around a limb of a tree for a few days with the goal of scouting for suitable cavities to nest in. Swarms are also how bees reproduce. If things take longer than expected, they may settle down and start building a comb on a branch. When the scout bees find a cavity, they will start dancing on the surface of the swarm. Thereafter, other bees will visit the cavity and the swarm will move into the cavity to build their nest.
Honeybees rarely pose a threat unless they are threatened by you. They will usually only sting to defend their nest. Otherwise, they will only sting you if you get in their way or run into them. In fact, they even provide benefits. Honeybees will pollinate your fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. So, having honeybees on your property can actually be a blessing if you can manage the risks.
Luring the Bees Out
A common solution to get bees out of a tree is the trap-out. In this method, the beekeeper closes all but one entry or exit point to the nest. The beekeeper makes a cone out of hardware cloth that acts as a one-way exit for the bees; the bees will be able to leave the nest but cannot re-enter. So, what happens to those bees? A bee box is set up near the trap-out. The hope is that the bees that cannot get back into their nest will move into the new box, which has eggs, brood, and a queen in it. After several weeks, the beekeeper will return and take the box away, then seal up the cavity.
Removing the Bees
This method is quicker but also more dangerous and harms the tree. Removing the bees requires opening the tree so that you have enough space to access the nest and cut out the brood comb. The goal here is to get the queen. Once you have taken the queen, the rest of the bees will move on to a new hive. After the bees have left, you can move the nest.
Call the Professionals
Sesmas Tree Service is your local tree removal service provider, but we have plenty of experience dealing with bees. If we are unable to help, then we can certainly set you up with some of our professional partners.
