Feeling Brave? Here's How You Can Remove A Beehive

If you've noticed a large beehive attached to your home or even near it, your first instinct is probably to call a local pest control company. But if you don't feel like paying for an exterminator or professional beekeeper, you can safely remove the beehive yourself. If you are not intimidated by bees and want to attempt to move a hive on your own, here's how you can do it.

Get Prepared

Of course, you should always remove a beehive with extreme caution. The best way to do this is to protect yourself from stings by wearing heavy duty protective gear. At most hardware stores, you can buy protective suits with a face mask or net that are usually used for construction, but will also work in this scenario. You should make sure that all of your skin is fully covered and not exposed before removing the beehive and wear thick protective gloves. Tuck your socks into your pants to cover up the ankle area. 

Make A Plan

Take a look at where the beehive is located and make sure that you will be able to remove it completely from wherever it is attached. Create a quick escape plan so you can get away from the hive if things go awry. You will want to make sure that you can easily and quickly detach the hive from whatever it is attached to before you begin the process, so examine its location and how it is placed to ensure you'll be able to get it off fast.

Smoke Them Out

In order to remove a beehive, you need to subdue the bees using a special smoker. You can find this smoker and bee smoke pellets at many home and garden stores. Now that beekeeping has become a popular hobby, these have become easier to find. Try to smoke the bees on a warm day with plenty of sun, since this is when most of them will be away from the hive looking for flowers to pollinate. Put on your protective gear and light the fuel pellets inside of the smoker. Wave it around the hive, remaining calm and calculated so as not to agitate the bees. This smoke will put them to "sleep" so you can begin the removal.

Getting Rid Of The Hive

Once the bees are calmed down, you can dislodge the hive using a tool to scrape if off the surface. This tool can be anything from a paint scraper to a metal spatula. Anything that can pry the hive off should work just fine. Have a heavy duty box nearby where you can place the hive. The box should have a sealed lid so no bees can escape. You may want to poke tiny holes in the box so the bees can breathe, but these holes must be small enough that the bees can't get out. Once you've removed the hive and all remaining residue, you can relocate it to a remote, safe area or call a local beekeeper to come and get the hive free of charge. 

If you decide bee removal isn't something you want to do yourself, contact a company like ASAP Bee Removal to get the job done for you.

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