How to get rid of bees

Van-go

Van-go

Not an old man
Joined
Dec 11, 2014
Location
Greensboro
Opened up my lawn shed and found a surprise. I think these are honey bees but don’t know.

What are they?
How do I get rid of them ?

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Southern_Transplant said:
Why not just open that door, bang on the side of the shed really hard, and let them out?

What's the worst that could happen?

Ok, maybe the beekeeper is a better option...
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FIFY
 
Honeybees are sadly endangered and very key to our ecosystem. Please don’t kill them. mad suggested find a keeper nearby
 
Van-go said:
@77GreenMachine gave my number to a guy who is coming to get them one night this week.
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Most likely be gone by then. They are looking for a place to home up. When the scouts get done they will move off.
Need some sugar water and a box with vent holes and a lid.

Look for the queen.....biggest fat girl.
Gently brush her into the box with open sugar water.
Leave lid with small crack. Most will go to her. The fancy boxes have an opening like the slot on a brood box. Once all are mostly in you cover the entrance. Wait for pickup.

You could improvise a smoker with a tin can and damp newspaper. Get it smoldering and hold it under the swarm. They react passive and sorta drowsy by smoking them.
 
My uncle would just set a brood box down on a high stool.
Reach out with a cupped hand and purswade them down into the box.
He could watch them for a bit and tell if he wanted to bother smoking them.
Same when he robbed hives. Given the season, weather, and demeanor he may or may not put on his suit.
 
Take a box with four flaps. Fold three down to where there is a small opening left. Set the box close to the swarm. They'll go into it. Once they're in, and you may not get them all, close the fourth flap and tape it shut. Done.

I did this a lot back at my old job. There was a local keeper that would have swarms land at the mill and I'd go get them. Believe it or not at that stage (swarm) they're the least aggressive. You can literally stand next to the swarm and check them out without fear of stinging.
 
McCracken said:
Take a box with four flaps. Fold three down to where there is a small opening left. Set the box close to the swarm. They'll go into it. Once they're in, and you may not get them all, close the fourth flap and tape it shut. Done.

I did this a lot back at my old job. There was a local keeper that would have swarms land at the mill and I'd go get them. Believe it or not at that stage (swarm) they're the least aggressive. You can literally stand next to the swarm and check them out without fear of stinging.
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"least aggressive" im sure your wife remembered that when i got the ones from your house before you moved and she was watching and almost got a couple stings to the head.
 
Man honey bees are bad mojo at my house. One sting to the wife and it is the end. Last time it happened the ER gave her 8 rounds of meds and still almost didn’t make it. I tell her all the time if a bee flies close to her she’s getting stabbed with an EPI pen!
 
I noticed I've got bees hanging out on the pool cover. Are these honey bees?
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Fabrik8 said:
Looks like it. They need a source of water, they're just taking a drink.
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So how long are they thirsty? When I'm ready to take the cover off soon are they going to drink the pool water?

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ncsutj said:
So how long are they thirsty? When I'm ready to take the cover off soon are they going to drink the pool water?
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Yes. Only if they have easy access though; my friend who keeps bees says they will only drink from a pool if they have something to hang onto so they won't fall in or get their feet wet. I don't really know if they can hang onto the vinyl liner on an above ground pool, etc. We never had a lot of bees when we had our pool in SW VA, but there were other sources of water around so that may be why.
 
Took the cover off last night since the bees weren't out. Went out there this morning and they are floating in the pool. Guess they couldn't tell the cover wasnt on there anymore. Some are still moving and some a group in clusters.
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