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Bees "swarm" to establish new hives in the spring and fall. Bees are most active then. You may find bees setting up housekeeping where you live literally overnight. Individual bees gathering pollen on flowers or masses of bees clinging together in swarms generally will not bother you. However, bees are more likely to be defensive after they have established a colony and started raising young.  |
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| The domestic bee has lived in harmony with human beings for hundreds of years. It has been bred for gentleness and good honey production. By contrast, the Africanized bee is a "wild" bee that is not comfortable being around people or animals. Any colony of bees will defend its hive, but Africanized bees do so with gusto. These bees are more likely to sense a threat at greater distances, become more upset with less reason, and sting in much greater numbers. |
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| Although Bees are vital to agriculture because of their pollination, they can become a safety hazard if they nest in your home or office wall voids. |
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| The only proper way to remove a hive, once it has been established is to open the wall from the outside (or sometimes inside) and completely remove the hive and queen. In areas where Africanized bees have established territory, most beekeepers won't take wild hives due to possible contamination of their own hives Therefore the hive must be destroyed. |
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| It is important that a professional be used to remove the hive and bees. If someone just sprays into the area to kill the bees and seals up the entry points, many problems will arise. First of all, because the individual combs are so close together, it is difficult to get enough insecticide into the area to kill all of the bees and queen. |
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| But, more important, the left over hive, honey and larvae will attract insects, rodents and can even cause structural damage as the honey melts. Removing the hive can be time consuming and can often be a much larger problem than originally thought. |
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| Safety Precautions |
- Never knowingly approach an occupied bee nest. During daylight hours bees can be seen flying to and from their entrance.
- Do not disturb a swarm of bees. Call a professional bee removal service.
- Never climb a tree, kick a log or stump, or move trash until you first check if bees are flying in and out.
- Keep an escape route in mind. Never crawl into an enclosed place from which you cannot quickly exit.
- Operators of open-cab tractors are especially at risk from hidden in-ground colonies
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| If You Are Attacked |
| Run away or get indoors as fast as possible if you are attacked. Never stand in one spot and swat because this only aggravates bees further and increases the number of stings you may receive. Be aware that bees may follow you for hundreds of yards. Do not stop running to hide yourself under water or in leaves, brush or a crevice because bees are likely to find you and inflict numerous stings. The single most important thing is to get away from the colony! |
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| After an Attack |
| When a bee stings, the stinger and poison sack remain in the skin of the victim, even after the bee flies away, and venom continues to be pumped into the skin. After you have safely escaped the bees, remove stingers from your skin by scraping or brushing them out. Never squeeze the stinger to pull it out, because you will actually inject additional venom into your system. |
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| To find a Professional in your area click on Locations |
