To prevent bees from settling in your house or yard, keep all holes and cavities in trees or outside walls filled or covered. Cover the hole of green cable poles and composting drums with duct tape or cover the hole on the water meter boxes with a rock and check regularly. Remove any trash or debris that might serve as a shelter for bees, such as buckets or over turned clay pots. Solitary, foraging honeybees are often attracted to swimming pools as a source of water. Bees may be discouraged from using your pet’s water and bird baths as a watering hole by adding two (2) tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water. Individual bees gathering pollen and nectar from flowers should be left alone.
Common Hive Locations…Where a gable roof soffit meets a hip roof, a dormer soffit connects back into the roof or around your chimney into the soffit. Half way up the wall of a two story where the brick meets the wood or Hardie siding about 8 to 10 feet up. In the weep holes under a window. In the cavities under or on the sides of a bay windows.
This Katy house roof had bees entering thru the sauffett where the two roofs meet.
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Useful Products…
Here are some of the best materials to use to seal holes in your home and business, 1/8″ hardware cloth (galvanized mesh) to restrict large holes and weep holes, it can be purchased from Circle S Hardware located near Tomball, phone 281-356-7970. Siliconized mortar by Quikrete can be found at Home Depot in the mortar section this is to be used between the wood and the brick. Use clear paintable caulk to seal cracks in siding. Backing rod is a gray round foam rod which is used in large cracks to help hold the caulk in place while the caulk dries.
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For your convenience here is a printable PDF Bee Proofing Your Home.
This Montrose house the Sheetrock had water damage and the bees where located under the light fixture.
Afterwards...
Bees will be attracted to where the old hive was located for years. Bees will continue to be drawn for 7 to 14 days. The structure, tree or other location will need to be sealed when the honeybees stop accessing the hive cavity to salvage any useable resources which can be taken with them. At this point the wall should be closed and sealed to prevent bees from moving back in or in a cavity close by. Sealing bees in is always a bad idea even after the honeycomb has been removed.
Here is a list of handymen that have been on our preferred vender list due to their ability in doing an excellent job in a timely fashion.
