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Beehive Removal Guidelines
The Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association recommends bee-friendly live removal & relocation by a professional bee remover if the colony is located within a structure on your property (i.e. soffit, roof, floor or wall). This is particularly important when accessing the bee colony involves dissassembly of materials
Removal of colonies or swarms elsewhere, for instance in a water meter or irrigation box, a tree branch (not the trunk), etc. can often be handled by a local beekeeper with experience in such activities.
Colonies in tree trunks must be smoked out, called a "forced abscond" or "trapped out." This typically involves hiring a professional remover rather than crowd-sourcing a beekeeper from an internet forum like Facebook, Nextdoor, etc.
Trinity Valley Beekeepers Association may suggest various club members respected in the community but does not endorse any given remover over another.
The Texas Association of Professional Bee Removers is a statewide non-profit trade organization whose members are peer-vetted, insured professional removers that all adhere to a standard of ethics. Visit www.txapbr.org to search by county.
Details on the removal process:
A live bee removal and relocation from a structure is no more invasive than a properly performed extermination. Whereas a proper extermination of a colony located in a structure requires removal of the wax comb and honey as well as “just getting rid of the bees,” TVBA advocates live honey bee removal and relocation. This allows for proper handling not only of the bees, but also of the leftover remains of the comb, resources, etc.
An exterminator who does not remove the comb from the structure has left the job half done, to the detriment of their customer. Leaving comb, honey, dead bees, and other organic material in a structure will cause fermentation, mold, and decay, which will often lead to more costly issues in the future. It attracts other animals and insects as well as having a strong likelihood of attracting a new swarm of bees once the toxins dissipate. Most importantly, pesticides used to kill a colony contaminates the honey which is later robbed by feral colonies and beekeeper colonies and often results in the loss of wild bees and the loss of managed colonies owned in the neighborhood.
A live relocation is better for American agriculture, better for the environment, and better for your home. So, if you have unwanted honey bees, contact a professional bee remover for a quote of services live removal and relocation, or contact us for guidance.
Our food supply is dependent on the continued existence of honey bees for crop pollination; it makes no sense to deliberately kill off the pollinators that feed us.