Honeybees are not native to North America; they were introduced by early immigrants. "Wild" honeybee colonies are the descendants of those bees that escaped from apiaries. Wild honeybees may choose your attic or wall void as a nesting site, and this can create a serious nuisance.

There are three types ("castes") of honey bee: workers, queens, and drones (males). Most people see only the workers since these individuals actively gather food for the colony. Queens (reproductive females) may live for up to five years, and in their prime may produce 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day. Honeybee colonies may contain 20,000 to 60,000 individuals.

There is no way to control the annoyance from foraging workers around homes. Use caution around flowering trees and shrubs where bees are active. The nuisance will subside on its own when the flowers have finished blooming.

As honeybee colonies become strong in the late spring or early summer, they sometimes send off swarms with one queen and several thousand workers. When the queen tires of flying, she chooses a resting place and the workers cluster around her. Thus, you may find a swarm on a branch or some similar site on your property. The swarm will remain clustered together until scout bees have located a suitable site for permanent nesting. This usually requires two days or less, after which time the swarm will break cluster and leave.

Since swarms are a temporary phenomenon, it is best to allow the bees to leave on their own. In the meantime, don't allow people to disturb the bees. If the swarm is in an inconvenient place and you can't wait for it to leave on its own, it is best to contact a local beekeeper to remove it.

When nuisance honeybees establish a nest in your house, or in a hollow tree next to your house, there are two control alternatives: Remove the bees live, or eradicate them. You may choose to call for professional help (a Pest Control Operator or beekeeper), or you can do the job yourself.

Keep in mind that you must remove the bees and their nest because the untended honey will begin to decompose and/or seep out of the comb. This can cause odor problems, staining, and/or secondary pest infestations (ants, roaches, wax moths, and dermestid beetles).

Bees can be removed by trapping. This procedure is effective although time-consuming (4 to 6 weeks) and eliminates the need to open up the wall to remove the comb and honey. Place a wire mesh cone (18" long with a 3/8" opening at the apex) over the nest entrance. Wear clean, perspiration-free, protective clothing and use a bee smoker.

All movement should be slow and deliberate. Place a hive containing a queen and a few workers as close as possible to the trap. The bees can leave the building but cannot get back in and will settle in the decoy hive.

After three or four weeks, spray the old nest with a non-residual insecticide such as resmethrin to kill the queen and any remaining workers. Remove the mesh cone and allow the bees to retrieve their honey. Two weeks later, remove the hive and close up the old nest entrance.

Bees can also be controlled by putting an insecticide into the nest. This is most effective when done in the early spring when the stored honey is at its lowest level and the colony is weakest. Locate the nest (tap on the wall and listen for buzzing), drill a hole into the nest area, and treat with carbaryl 5% (dust), or a ready to use diazinon or pyrethroid. For large colonies (two years and older), it is suggested that you remove the comb and honey by disassembling the siding.

If one swarm of bees found the site acceptable, another swarm may find the same area acceptable. In fact, once a site has been used, it seems to be more attractive to other bees. After removing the nest, clean the area with soap and water and apply a fresh coat of paint. Be sure to plug up any entrance holes and other cracks and crevices.

It is also possible to kill bees by exposing the nest to freezing temperatures during the winter.

Courtesy MSU Extension