Bee Removal Explained

 

When using the term Bee Removal we are talking about the extermination of honey bees inside a structure and the extraction of their nest. This is an important distinction from both bee control and simple extermination. When dealing with honeybees one must also deal with their honey. If the honey is left in certain structures after eliminating the bees several problems occur. First, the nest is no longer temperature regulated by the bees themselves. What this means is that the honey they have stored inside their nest will become hot, eventually ferment, and then burst from the cells of honeycomb. When this happens honey will almost always enter the structure into the interior. When honey does this it is nearly impossible to clean and it will destroy sheetrock and other interior materials, and depending on the amount of honey (from a few to nearly a hundred pounds) this can go on for weeks to months. Secondly, parasites will enter your home. Small hive beetles will come and dine on the now unprotected nest and lay eggs that hatch into a larva very similar to fly maggots which will now enter the structure. These can number in the thousands, a literal invasion. Mice, roaches and ants will also begin a feast, ultimately creating a much bigger problem than the bees themselves. Lastly, you will have honey bees back into your structure. It's just the nature of bees and their efficiency to try to find a home where other bees have lived. They will find a suitable cavity to create a colony for themselves and some hive parts to begin creating a nest. Back to square one for you, only to pay an exterminator for the pleasure of reliving this all over again. The solution- always seek out expert professional advice on bee removal from specialized companies who deal with bee, wasp and hornet problems as matter of routine. Never hire a general pest control company who deals with stinging insects as a sideline- they just will not have the knowhow or equipment to deal with something as complex or difficult as a honey bee nest extraction.
Now, when choosing a bee removal company you should ask them several key questions:

• 1. Do you repair my structure after you've removed the bee nest?
• 2. Do you seal up the point of entry so I don't have bees in the future?
• 3. How much are you going to charge?

This will tell you great deal about the company you are speaking with. For instance, Alltek Bee Removal technicians are trained to seal the structure every time they do a bee job. This saves you from paying for a job twice that should have been done right the first time. Also, they replace any part of a structure they have dismantled while removing a bee nest, typically leaving you with nothing more than a bit a finish work. Never hire a company who doesn't do this- they may take a hammer to your wall and leave you with a bill for repairs that cost much more than the bee work itself. And finally, when receiving a quote from us you're given a flat fee with a range, and we never exceed our upper quote. Beware of companies that charge by the hour. Their rate of $125 per hour sounds pretty good until you see the bill for six hours work.
Below you'll find a roster of very typical bee problems in Florida that would almost certainly require bee removal, enjoy:


Soffit under eves:
Bees love this spot. The void under a typical soffit is almost exactly the same dimensions as a standard beekeeping box. And bee boxes weren't designed by accident. What our technicians do is pull back the soffit, remove the nest and replace the soffit, sealing it up to prevent future re-infestation. If any step in this process is skipped, you almost certainly will be seeing new bees arriving very soon.

 Here is the tell tale sign that honeybees have entered your soffit area.
 
 This is what we find when the soffit is pulled away. This nest looks to be very old and has been there for quite some time. This nest was removed by our technician, the soffit put back in place and then sealed properly.


Mobile homes:
When we get a call from a mobile home owner complaining of a bee problem it's almost always bees under the mobile inside the vapor barrier. What happens is that over time the vapor barrier separates from the underside of the mobile home and droops down. Because the underside provides shade and is a bit cooler through the summer it's irresistible to honey bee swarms looking for a new home. Our technicians are trained to carefully pull back the vapor barrier and the insulation found above it and remove the honey bee nest entirely. They then attach the vapor barrier back to the mobile and seal up any possible entry way for future swarms. Once again, a permanent solution to a very common bee problem.

If you look closely you can see bees flying around the block under this mobile home. A sure fire sign that honey bees have moved in.
 
This is what it looks like from the technician's point of view once the vapor barrier and insulation has been pulled back under the mobile home. You can see the last remnants of honeycomb where the technician has scraped it off. He'll clean the rest of the comb off and then gently put the insulation back into place. The vapor barrier goes up next with special attention given to any sags. He then seals up any points of entry that any new swarms might take advantage of, and you're given a job done well.


Wood framed home:
In wood framed homes here in Florida there very often is no, or very little, insulation in the walls. This means that the framing structure behind your siding or interior walls are hollow. This creates a very nice place for honey bees to set up shop. Unfortunately, once they do, and they've had time to create a colony of substantial size, the nest must be removed after extermination. If the nest is left in your walls honey will come into your home destroying the interior and potentially creating a very large bill for damages. To complicate things even further, an unguarded nest invites parasites such as the small hive beetle, roaches, ants and mice. And the worst part about not having the honey comb removed is that bees will return to start the cycle all over again. Don't make this costly error if you own a wood framed home, make sure your bee work is done by a capable and experienced company.

Here is a typical house here in Florida with wood framed construction. You can clearly see the void that was created inside the wall. Honey bee nests must always be removed from this style of home.


Window and door frames in concrete block homes:
Normally in a concrete block home it is impossible to perform a honeybee nest extraction without causing damage to the integrity of the structure. In most instances we would perform bee control instead of bee removal except when bees have decided to make their home around the windows and doors. Some homes have bay windows and large cavities around their doors and windows as a part of the style of the construction. When this happens it is important to find and remove the nest.


Shed:
Bees love sheds. The style of construction of most sheds in Florida is a raised floor with no skirting around the outside perimeter. Much like mobile homes this creates a shady place for bee swarms to build their nests. Our technicians generally remove a section of the floor to expose the nest and then extract it. They then replace the floor leaving instructions on how to backfill the base of the shed to stop new bees from entering.
Also, much like wood framed homes, sheds don't have insulation in their walls. Again, this creates a perfect cavity for honeybees to build a colony. When this happens our technicians follow the same procedure as for wood framed homes.

These bees chose to build their nest in the wall of this shed. They'd been there a long time indicated by the size of this nest.


Water and electric meters honey bees:
The voids inside an electric or water box are quite a bit smaller than what a normal honey bee swarm would prefer. When we get a call of this nature we are extra cautious. If it turns out that the bees are honeybees instead of wasps or yellow jackets then they are almost always Africanized "killer" bees, and demand the utmost respect. Once the bees are eliminated the nest is removed from the meter and sealed accordingly.


Trees:
With trees, unfortunately, there is no easy way to remove a swarm or bee colony once it has entered the trunk without causing enormous damage to the tree. What we do then is spray to exterminate the bees and then seal up the tree to keep out future swarms.
 
   

Don't Get Stung!

Call for your fast free quote today!

 1.877.455.BEES(2337)

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What are people just like you saying about Alltek Bee Removal everyday......

"I highly recommend Alltek for bee removal. Frank was the person sent out to our home and with efficient service, the bees were removed in less than 1 hour. The hive was directly over my garage and the quick response service that I received was awesome. I will recommend them to everyone I know for a bee problem." -Susan, Land O Lakes, FL   "We appreciate the professionalism, and honesty, not to mention a job well done. We would recommend Alltek without hesitation." -Grace Lutheran Church, Saint Petersburg, FL   "Great company. They really are the bee control experts. If you're in Florida and you have a bee problem call these guys." -Larry, Fort Myers, FL "They were excellent. Alltek saved the day! I would highly recommend them!" -Pamela, Zephyrhills, FL "They did a great job. They came right back and took care of our concerns after the job was completed. I'm very happy." -Betty, Tampa, FL "Great job- we'd recommend them to anyone." -Cindy, St. Petersburg, FL "The guy did a great job-they took care of the bees."  -Lois, Zephyrhills, FL "I was happy. They did a great job at a fair price." -Cindy, Tampa, FL   "These guys are awesome. They were right on time, and my bee problems were handled quickly. I'd recommend them anywhere." -Scott, St. Petersburg, FL  "They do excellent work. They'll be the first people I recommend if someone has a bee problem." - Matt, Naples, FL    ...and the list goes on and on. Join the club of the most satisfied bee removal customers in Florida. You'll be glad you did.

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Why choose Alltek Bee Removal LLC?   1.   We provide fast, free and honest estimates. 2.   We have the most experienced, most knowledgeable technicians in the business, which means your bee problem is taken care of the first time everytime. 3.   We offer same day and emergency service  to ensure that your family or your customers are safer, faster. 4.   We do LIVE honey bee removals at every opportunity which means you're helping the environment everytime you call in our experts. 5.   We're fully licensed and insured for your protection. 6.   We use proprietary equipment found nowhere else in the pest control industry to help ensure you have a permanant solution. 7.   We offer packages designed to meet any budget and we'll beat any competitors price which means you save money while still getting the best bee and wasp control service in Florida. 8.   Our technicians specialize in honey bee nest extraction which is a step most pest control professionals skip. 9.   We answer the phone every time a customer calls which means you will talk to a real live knowledeable person about all of your stinging insect concerns. 10. Our ironclad no risk Guarantee on nest extraction in the exact same location means that we take great pride in our work and never leave our customers hanging.

Don't Get Stung! Call for your fast free quote today! 1.877.455.BEES(2337)

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Meet your friends at Alltek Bee Removal LLC ...   Alltek Bee Removal LLC is a family run business. Within our family we have gathered a vast amount of skills including construction, business management, OSHA expertise, even having one graduate in the medical field, but most importantly-beekeeping. Beekeeping is in our roots with most members of our family having practiced the art at one time or another and some of us even taking our talents to a commercial level. By taking these skills and adding them together we've become Florida's number one bee and wasp removal business. How does this help you? Quite simply it brings the best minds with the most experience under one roof to guarantee that your bee problem will always be solved the first time every time.     Our competion talks about university education as a skill they're bringing to the table.      That's fine, we're educated too, but what about real hands on honest to goodness experience with bees and their behaviors? That's something you just can't learn in entomology 101. It has to be learned by an individual through actually going out and having practiced beekeeping. That's where we shine. Our technicians have the experience and know how to assess your bee problem in a matter of seconds. How do they do this? A number of ways, but it all boils down to having been around bees our whole lives. Ask our competitors how much time they've spent in the field with bees. Their answers may suprise you.     Further, one major difference seperates us from our competitors. Bees, wasps, yellow jackets and hornets are all we do. We don't handle any other insects. Bee and wasp removal and control isn't a sideline for us, or just another department in a pest control business-it's our specialty. You can count on the fact that Alltek Bee Removal and our technicians are the true bee experts here in Florida. We are continually evolving and striving to make you, the home or business owner, safer and more satisfied.      Lastly, we urge you to think about your family and the public whenever you're going to make a decision on something as important as who'll take care of your bee problems. A lot of companies come and go. A lot of companies forget about you after the sale. Our pledge to you is that we'll handle any and every bee problem to the best of our ability, and we'll never leave you hanging. We back this up with our ironclad risk free Guarantee on any hive removal in the exact same spot. That's something our competitors wouldn't dare to do.   Call for your fast free quote today! You'll be glad you did!  1.877.455.BEES(2337)

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Q: Are they honeybees or some other kind of bee? A: Honeybees are shades of brown with black stripes on the abdomen. They are similar in size to Yellowjackets and fly in a similar fashion. It’s difficult to tell the difference if you are not used to looking at them. Yellowjackets have a deeper yellow with black contrast on their bodies. Take a look at the following pictures to see the difference. Honeybee on Left is shades of brown while Yellowjacket is bright contrasting yellow-black. Q: Does the Africanized honeybee look different than the ordinary honeybees that live around here? A: Africanized honeybees look no different than the ordinary European honeybees that have been brought to this country by the early settlers. The Africanized honeybee or killer bee resulted as a cross between species of honeybees brought to Brazil from Africa with species of bees from European ancestry. It requires specialized equipment to differentiate between them. Q: Is there a danger to not having bees removed? Can I just leave them there? A: The danger of leaving honeybees in a populated area is that here in Florida with the known presence of the Africanized honeybee there is a strong possibility that the European colony could eventually be taken over by an Africanized swarm. Q: Will the honeybees that have established themselves in my house go away by themselves? A: Under normal circumstances swarms that become established inside a structure will not go away once they build honeycombs and raise young. They may appear to go away at certain times of the year when there are warm temperatures and lots of flowers blooming and leave in mass to find a new home. But what has happened is that the queen has left with enough attendants to find a new home and the bees remaining raise a new queen to continue living in the now roomy space. Q: If there are honeycombs in my building what kind of problems will I have if I don’t have them removed after killing the bees living there? A: The main problem here in Florida is from the presence of a small scavenger beetle that lives with honeybees called the Hive Beetle that feeds on the combs after the bees are gone. It lays eggs that turn into larvae that eat the combs causing any honey in them to run down the walls and enter living quarters if not removed. Q: What do honeycombs look like? A: Honeycombs start out as an almost white wax made by young bees that discolors in time to a dark brown as bees travel on it to raise young and store their food in it. This is an example of young honeycomb around 1 month old. The light white wax at the top is a cap of wax that covers the honey. The dark cells are filled with pollen.   Q: What is to keep honeybees from coming back once they are removed? A: This is one of the most important questions anyone can ask who has a bee problem. It is essential to make sure that the space that the bees lived in is sealed from access by future bees that will visit it as they smell of the residue of the combs. Q: Explain how you treat my bee problem. A: First we visually assess the situation locating where  exactly the bees are living, taking into consideration construction issues. Then we determine the best course of action with the approval of the person in charge. We can do live extractions of bees where feasible or eradicate them if it is too damaging to property or economically too costly. We employ environmentally friendly insecticides that are safe for people, animals and the environment. Safety of persons and property is our first consideration in deciding on any treatment type. If it is necessary to remove combs we do so after getting permission from the person in charge. We make every attempt to repair and replace material removed to allow access to combs. We treat the affected area with longer term insecticides and seal to prevent reinfestation. Q: You removed the bees, why are there still bees flying around? A: It is normal for foraging bees that have left the hive to return and not be able to enter where they lived because the entrance is sealed. As a result they will hover around the entrance area until they get tired and land. It is the nature of Honeybees and Yellowjackets to remain at this place and not move on to a new home. Q: What are you doing about that problem? A: In anticipation of this problem we treat the area where the bees lived with a residual insecticide that will eradicate the bees over the following days. There should be no more bee activity after 2 days or so. If there is then please call us.

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