Bees can create hives inside your home; Here’s how to prevent it

Bees have created a hive inside a Fairborn home - you can't see the problem, but you can hear it, according to News Center 7's Gabrielle Enright.

All-Pro Wildlife Control employee Brady Smith suited up in protective gear to remove the hive. "They need space to be able to live, make honey and eat to survive," said Smith. He's getting about one call a day this time of year to remove bee hives or swarms. "When they move into a bush or so forth, it's a swarm at that point, once they move into a structure it's a hive."

First Smith inspected the home, peeled back part of its siding, used a saw to cut a small hole in the house, and seconds later watched bees surround him. "Sometimes we have to go through the interior. In this case, it looks like we can go from the outside," said Smith. In addition to removing the bees and their hive, he needs to remove its wax and honey - the material can melt and do damage to your walls and ceilings.

After removing the bees, Smith takes them to his home, "we keep them and we actually harvest the honey come fall. We let them live their bee lives at our farm," said Smith. A special vacuum is used to get them to the home - it sucks up the bees without harming them and puts them into a cage.

The bee populations are declining, Smith said, but damaging them can hurt our environment. "It's not illegal to kill bees but it's unethical. Bees are great pollinators and all our food relies on bees."

A typical call to remove bees will cost a couple hundred dollars, Smith said, and there's only one thing to do to prevent this from happening - seal up every crack in the house, and seal up everywhere bees could get because bees only need about a quarter of an inch to get into a house.

Got a tip? Call our monitored 24-hour line, 937-259-2237, or send it to newsdesk@cmgohio.com

About the Author