HONEY BEE REMOVAL TECHNIQUES

Honeybees are typically found above the ground nesting in cavities of trees. However, they can also inhabit other structures such as house attics and walls, gas and water meter boxes, and any other dark, safe object.

There are basically 3 ways to remove bees from structures:

A. EXTERMINATION

Local pest control companies can usually kill bees quickly with a variety of chemicals. It can be rather messy, the chemicals are left inside the wall, and the comb and honey remains which can attract rodents and insects. If the entrance holes are not plugged up well, a future swarm will move in to occupy the empty colony. Depending on the size of the hive, this method can take up to a few hours to complete.

B. CUT-OUT

If the owner gives permission to remove the wall to gain access to the hive, a special bee vac is used to humanely remove the bees. The comb is cut from the hive and placed in a bee box. The bee box is left next to the old location for several days so the bees can settle into their new house and clean out the old structure. The old comb is scrapped off and pinesol oil is rubbed over the old comb to hide the smell of wax. Insulation is put into the wall to prevent future infestation by another swarm of bees.

C. BAIT-OUT

This technique is the most humane way to remove bees. A small nuc hive with one frame of bees and a queen is placed in front of the entrance of the colony in the structure (wall, tree, etc). A wire funnel is placed over the entrance to create a oneway street for the bees. The bees fly out of the wall hive but cannot get back in so they enter the bait hive and are welcomed by the new queen. This process usually takes from 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

Bee Removal Flier.pdf

Bee Hosting

BEE HOSTING

Your Garden Will Love You!

Your Bees will Love You!

When we are asked to come and rescue Bees that have set up shop in your home (wall, attics, etc.), we then have to find a new home for them in a place that is a little more convenient for us, and just as appealing to them.

With our Host a Hive program, you can reap all the benefits that the Bees offer your garden, and we will make sure that they are kept Healthy and Thriving. Its not just the Honey that they will put on your table...You will know that you are helping to keep all food on all of our tables. Without Bees, we would not have any food!

Several Styles of Hives are available to complement your Garden, and we can even offer a custom designed Hive that the Bees will certainly be showing off to all of their Friends :-)

Please contact us to discuss this fun way to get into the wonderful world of Beekeeping.

Swarm Info

BEE SWARM INFORMATION

Swarming of bees is a natural part of the bee's life cycle... Almost half of the worker bees and maybe a few drones, leave the parent hive after having starved the old queen to stop her laying and reduce her weight. The old queen may have to be goaded into flight by harassing workers.

The departing swarm leaves the hive often with thousands of bees in the air, and darkening the sky. The old queen has not flown since her mating flight; she tires easily and will stop to rest on a nearby structure. The bees will cluster around her to protect their ruler. In this stage, the bees are very gentle and should not be bothered. In 90% of the cases, they will move on to a new location in 24 hrs. If you would like to have an SBBA beekeeper relocate the swarm, please contact this number: 805.669.6229, or click on the Call Me button below to be connected for free through Google.

In order to reduce swarming it is important that the beekeeper is aware of it's many causes and can take action when these stimuli are noticed. Beekeepers need to take particular care to reduce the chances of swarms issuing from their hives and to take action to collect swarms that occur in their own neighborhood, whether or not they came from their own hives.

The basic idea of swarm control is very simple indeed... Separate the queen and the brood. There are a multitude of ways of achieving this, and some of these methods are still known by the names of the individuals that invented or popularised the methods:- artificial swarming, Demaree, removing a nucleus and selection of non-swarmy strains.

Call the Bee Rescue Hotline

Resources

RESOURCES

Education

The SBBA is committed to education throughout the community to raise awareness of the plight of the honeybee. Look for us at local events. Our monthly Apiary Meetups are an opportunity to "build our colony" as well as draw from the extensive experience of local beekeepers. We will also be holding Introductory and Advanced Beekeeping Classes throughout the year. Please check our Events page for more information.

We are also in the process of developing classroom and group presentations, please contact us if your organization would be interested in learning more.

We offer Master Beekeeper Certification courses through Washington State Beekeeper's Association. A description of the program can be found here.

Contact Gina Jepson for more info.

Regulations

If you are keeping bees in the City of Goleta, the City of Santa Barbara or Santa Barbara County, we strongly recommend you register your hive(s) with the Santa Barbara County Agriculture Commissioner. There is no charge for registering your hive(s). Please click the button below to download the relevant form. Thank you for your cooperation!

We would like to maintain good-faith compliance with the ordinances and regulations which govern this activity. These regulations can be found in Ch 7, Article V on the Santa Barbara County website.

Please send completed forms to:

Guy Tingos

Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner's Office

263 Calle del Remedio

Santa Barbara, CA 93110

ApiaryRegistrationSBC.pdf