It’s spring, and the insects are buzzing about. While bees do us a great service by pollenating flowers and plants to ensure their survival, having a bee’s nest in your yard can be a real pain in the neck.
Here are some tips on how to address a bee problem in your yard:
1. Carefully locate the nest. Look for small swarms; the nest is usually nearby. While a nest is usually in a tree, it can also be built under boards, within walls and underneath overhangs. A bee’s nest is shaped like a football and can be as large as a basketball.
2. Put on thick clothes that cover your entire body, including your ankles and wrists. Wear gloves and something over your face.
3. It’s best to remove the bee’s nest during colder days or at night or in the early morning when the air is cooler and/or damp, making it harder for the bees to fly.
4. Map out your escape route in advance (have windows closed, doors unlocked, neighbors warned). Have a hose nearby and turned on. This will be your defense against the bees if they attack; bees cannot fly easily with wet wings.
5. Using a large pole or other device, spray the nest with insecticide formulated to kill bees. Reapply the insecticide a few hours later to ensure that all the bees have been killed.
6. Remove the nest from the tree by cutting off the limb about one foot from the base of the nest. Bees like to rebuild in the same area so it is important to get rid of the entire nest. If the nest was in a wall or a hole, cover the hole to prevent re-infestation.
