Removing a bee hive is not a DIY project

The recent death of a “beekeeper” in Kendall earlier this month sheds light on a growing public health concern. The population of feral (wild) bees in Florida is quickly becoming “Africanized.”

Although authorities said that the death was due to a heart attack and not the bees, the fact that he was removing a hive when he had a heart attack, and that DNA tests proved the bees to be over 50% genetically Africanized can lead one to conclude that this is a job that is better left to the professionals.

Introduction

Just like one would call a plumber when a pipe breaks and the house begins to flood, or an electrician when sparks are flying out of your circuit breaker, or 911 when both are happening at the same time… One should call a pest control professional, when one sees bees flying in and out of a hole on the outside of a building; especially one that specializes in removing bees.

As African honey bees (AHB) continue to move throughout the state of Florida, there is an increasing need for property owners to locate and contract reliable, knowledgeable, and properly trained pest control operators. African bees differ significantly in behavior from their cousins, the European honey bees (the gentle bees managed by beekeepers), and African bees can exhibit defensive behavior that can potentially compromise public safety. Trained professionals who remove honey bee colonies with proper equipment and appropriate procedures are essential to providing safe areas for work and play. They can also assure everyone that the bees are properly eliminated limiting the hazard to neighbors, bystanders, or animals of getting attacked and stung.

Currently, the state of Florida recommends that all wild honey bee colonies found in proximity to people (in walls, birdhouses, trees, etc.) be eradicated by a certified pest control operator. Statistics out of the Southwestern United States (where Africanized Honey Bees have a head start) show that 50% of wild honey bee stinging attacks occur in instances where the victim was aware of the colony’s existence but did nothing about it. Therefore, if the nest had been initially removed, the stinging attack would not have occurred.

Many residents do not wish to eradicate honey bee colonies on their properties because the bees may not have been disturbed or caused any harm in the past; however, just because a colony is calm now does not mean that it will always be. Honey bee colonies become more defensive once their nest is established as they have something to protect (honey, brood, pollen, etc.). Nest establishment can take a few months. Also, there is evidence that the average queen lives about 6 months to one year. When a new queen is born to replace the old queen, she leaves the colony to mate in the air with 15-20 different male bees (drones). Therefore, she is mating with any drones from nearby colonies (not with bees from her hive). If African bees are in the area, there is a possibility that the new queen will mate with African drones. The resulting offspring may display African characteristics. Therefore, a feral colony that was calm (or even European) 6 months ago may be defensive (or even African) today, and should be eradicated.

Florida residents aware of recent news reports about honey bees will recognize the threat that Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD is causing to the beekeeping and pollination industry. The concern over the disappearance of honey bees caused by CCD is both warranted and important to the industry, and many residents are reluctant to have colonies eradicated as a result of this concern. However, the African bee issue and the disappearance of managed honey bees are unrelated as far as most experts are concerned. This means that eradicating one wild honey bee nest in Florida does nothing to hurt honey bee populations overall. In fact, there can be as many as 100-200 bee colonies per square mile in areas where African bees occur. So, even removing 1 colony does very little to the overall population of wild bees. It’s simply a public safety issue. State officials are NOT searching for wild colonies in an effort to destroy them all. But, they do recommend that honey bees found nesting in proximity to people be eradicated by trained Pest Control Operators (PCO). If a Florida resident has a colony or swarm of honey bees on his or her property, it is imperative that he or she contact a trained PCO as soon as possible.

Because eradication is now state regulation, it is not recommended that beekeepers be called for nest removal and relocation. We all love the bees, their honey and the pollination services as much as anyone, but we always need to put safety first!

Proofing Against Bees

Residents often deal with many sorts of insect issues—ants invading the kitchen, mosquitoes hovering around a backyard gathering, wasps constructing a nest in the doorway, etc. However, there is a difference between these somewhat routine occurrences and an interaction with AHBs. Generally, any problems insects cause to people can be fixed with a little common sense and some bug spray. But, when an AHB nest is disturbed, several hundred bees can come out to defend the nest; therefore, the resulting amount of stings is greatly increased from that of European bees, and children, the elderly, and pets especially are not able to sustain many stings. Therefore, it is important that any potential AHB nesting sites be eliminated by bee-proofing the property.

Bee-proofing is the practice of methodically removing or restricting access to potential AHB nesting sites. This practice is beneficial for many reasons. Naturally, if an area is bee-proof, the potential for feral (or wild) colonies to move into that area is greatly lowered; therefore, the risk of stinging incidents is also lowered. In addition, colonies that establish themselves inside a wall or around a structure must be eradicated immediately by a PCO. This process can be expensive and often requires structural repair (which also costs time and money). Bee-proofing a property not only makes the area safer, but it also saves time and money. It is an ongoing process that requires an initial set-up procedure to address a majority of the sites on a property; also, it requires follow-up inspections to maintain the bee-proofed area.

Who to Call

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) maintains a list of pest control operators who have been properly trained by either FDACS or University of Florida staff to safely remove honey bees. This list is available at the following website. http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/plantinsp/apiary/PCO_removal_list.xls
This link opens an Excel Spreadsheet with a tab for each County in the State. Click on your county and choose from the list. Pest Control Operators that have undergone this training possess the necessary skills to remove and eradicate honey bee swarms and established colonies. Since the State of Florida periodically updates this site, it is recommended that consumers always use the link instead of saving the file.

Customers in need of a PCO should consider entering into a contract that states the specific terms of the removal. A contract should detail the colony removal procedure—method of applying pesticides, disposal of dead bees, and complete removal of comb. Often, a customer will hire a PCO to remove a honey bee colony from the walls of a house, but the PCO will not remove the comb or inform the customer of the importance of comb-removal. Several days after the bee removal, maggots (small hive beetle larvae) from the remaining comb begin to enter the home, or stored honey drips out through the ceiling or seeps into the drywall and causes a stain. Without a contract that states specific removal terms, the customer has no recourse if these events occur.
When PCOs are trained to deal with stinging insects and removal of honey bees, they are provided with removal procedures that include details such as what types of pesticides to use and when, the best times to remove a colony, what personal protective equipment to wear, etc.

All Florida residents should be aware of the presence of African bees in Florida. This awareness should encourage healthy respect and caution of all stinging insects and a realization of the importance of honey bees nationwide. In addition to being aware of the African bee’s presence, it may be helpful for a customer to know some basic biological and behavioral characteristics of this honey bee. Many resources exist to educate Floridians specifically about the presence of African bees. The following website is the best resource I could find and the source for most of the information and statistics in this editorial. www.afbee.com
The author of this editorial is the owner of Bird and Bee Removal. The only company that is dually licensed as a PCO and a General Contractor. This gives them the unique ability be both your proofing and removal consultant with the added value of properly opening and closing the areas where be hive is located and removed. For more information about Bird and Bee Removal, or to contact us…

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