Orlando Bee Swarm

Orlando Bee Swarm
Orlando Bee Swarm

We get called out for many different types of bee problems in Orlando.  Some of them involve a honeybee swarm like this Orlando bee swarm shown.  Occasionally honeybees will swarm an area, collecting on a tree, wall, or other object.  Most of the time this is due to the natural reproduction cycle of the bees.  The swarm has either already found its permanent nesting site or is in preparation to move to it.

Bees Looking For A New Home

When bees swarm like in the picture it doesn’t always mean they are there to stay.  When a bee colony prepares to leave and find a new nesting area they will gather very close, usually within a dozen feet or so of the original hive.  Scout bees are sent out to find suitable nesting sites.  Once the site is agreed upon the rest of the hive flies to the site and begins building the new hive. It can take a few days for the hive to move from this temporary spot to a new, permanent nesting spot.

A New Buzz To The Family

The bee swarm pictured is more than likely the permanent place the hive had chosen to move to.  An Orlando customer called us out to exterminate the swarm of bees shown in the picture on the back of the house.  They had noticed a handful of bees over the last few days going in and out a small hole under the electrical box.  Then, all of a sudden, a huge swarm of bees, numbering into the thousands, appeared at the same spot.   This is indicative of the honeybee reproduction cycle and suggests this was their new nesting site.

 

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Bee Hive Removal

A Bee Extraction Followup

Orlando Bee Hive Under Trailer
Orlando Bee Hive Under Trailer

I went out a couple days ago to clean out the bee hive from the previous post Swarm of Angry Bees in Orlando.  It’s always important to remove a bee hive and spray the area down after the bee extermination is done.  Leaving the hive will result in the honey beginning to pour downward, out of the hive as the bees are no longer taking care of it.  The honey will start to smell very bad and attract other pests like ants.  It also may attract other bees that will start another hive.

Bee Removal Guy Gets A Break

This particular bee hive was underneath a work trailer in Orlando.  Unlike a lot of bee hive removals I run into in Orlando, no walls, masonry, fascia or other major obstruction needed to be cut through to get to it.  A little bit of insulation and the vapor barrier was all that needed removed.  As can be seen in the pictures this was a decent size hive but certainly not huge.  It was probably about two and a half feet long by sixteen inches, enough that it would have created quite the mess.

 

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Angry Bee Swarm

Occasionally, people ask how we can do what we do without being worried about getting bit, scratched, stung, infected, or some other worry.  Well, like any other hazardous job, we are educated and prepared in order to prevent such things.  A construction site in Orlando provided an opportunity to show a small part of this training.

It’s BUZZZZ To The Rescue

A work trailer had a large hive of bees living underneath it and we were called to deal with it.  I put my bee suit on, carefully checking for any holes around the zipper connections and overlapping areas, such as where the gloves pull over the long sleeves or the leg pants slide over the boots.  Knowing my bee keeper suit is completely sealed I don’t have to worry about bee stings, except the occasional bee that just won’t quit and actually penetrates through the fabric, which does happen.

While not an Africanized bee hive, this colony of bees was pretty aggressive after I started fogging them.  Ten minutes earlier I was squatting directly underneath the hive, unprotected, with no bees trying to sting me.  As the video below shows, they weren’t so happy once I disturbed them.  I will be back in a couple days to clean this hive out and take some pictures.

See The Bee Trapper All Decked Out To Work

Bee Removal in Sarasota

Bee swarm under window sill Sarasota Florida
Bee swarm under window sill Sarasota Florida

Bee Trapper Saves Home Owner From Potential Danger

Nuisance Wildlife Removal received a call from a home owner in south Sarasota that was very concerned about a huge hive of bees that showed up outside, under her window.  She was not even aware that she had a problem.  Her neighbor next door noticed the swarm and notified her.

A Quick Response Was Needed

Both the neighbor and the homeowner were extremely concerned because the neighbor has a four year old little boy and the homeowner is highly allergic to bees.

Bee Hive Gone For Good

We responded and took care of the hive.  It had just begun to build and the bees had found a small crack just under the window.  We returned 72 hours later to see if clean-up of any hive / honey were necessary. Neither was present so we then sealed off the crack to prevent future entry from pests.

Bee Hive Infests Orlando Home

Bee Allergies Compound The Problem

A swarm of bees near the entrance to a home is annoying at a minimum and in certain cases, as it was today, dangerous.

A home owner in Orlando called us out to exterminate a volleyball size swarm of bees this morning just under the edge of the mobile home.  No big deal normally.  I go in with my beekeeper suit, spray the bees and surrounding area, and come back the next day to make sure there are no bees left.  This time, the owner happened to be highly allergic to bee stings and the bees were only about eight feet from the entrance to the home.  Once the bees are sprayed they become highly agitated, swarming around stinging at everything in the immediate area.  Not a good thing for someone allergic to bees. The homeowner decided to stay with family until the next day to avoid being locked up in his house all day.

Keeping New Bees Away

The next issue that needed to be dealt with was cleaning out the hive after all the bees are dead to prevent another swarm of bees from recolonizing the hive.  A lot of times an explanation and a couple of suggestions is enough for the owner to be able to clean out the hive themselves and save a little bit of money.  However, if you’re allergic to bees, a dead bee is still a possible danger as the stinger is still intact and the muscles that deliver the venom are still functional for a short period of time postmortem.  Also, any pressure on the bee or stinger from something like a hand brushing it away could potentially cause the venom to be injected.  So, I’ll be back tomorrow to clean out the hive if there is no more activity.

 

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Bees In Tree Brings Stings

Bee Hive Treatment Followup

Today I went out to check on a bee hive that we had sprayed yesterday in order to clean out the hive and seal the hole.  An Orlando customer and her two kids had been stung several times by bees over the last few days.  The customer noticed the bees flying in and out of a hole fifteen to twenty feet off the ground in a tree.  I donned my bee keeper suit and sprayed the bees and hive yesterday.

Bees Are Gone And The Customer Is Happy

Today, the only thing left is the empty bee hive.  I will clean out as much of the hive as possible and seal the hole in the tree to prevent another swarm of bees from starting another colony in the same hole.