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Learn and experience with as us we go about our business of removing bees.
Humane and ethical are our “buzz words” when it comes to the business of bee removal in Johannesburg. Bees play an integral part in the planets food production and also in ecological stability. Removal of bees is what we aim for, safe removal and relocation. Only in very rare circumstances will we consider the extermination of a bee colony.
Spring is around the corner and it brings beautiful, sunny days and colour back to our gardens. A signal for bees to shake off the winter and get back to work on collecting their nectar and building a strong colony.
For many colonies this might mean the move to a new hive and this is when you may find unwanted swarms making a home for themselves.
There are bee removal teams eager to help you with your bee removal needs throughout Johannesburg.
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When bees leave their existing hive, this will have been preceded by scout bees having located a more suitable place to build a hive.
The bees will eat all the available honey in the hive before they leave. The queen will also have ceased any laying activity a few days before to ensure that all the bees are able to leave the hive. This is if there is something that is disturbing the bees, such as pests, like ants or predators.
If the bee colony grows too large for a nest that is ideal and not under any kind of threat, a new queen will be reared, and the old queen will leave the nest with half of the colony.
Swarming bees are generally not a threat, they are intent on locating a new nesting place. The will behave aggressively if they are disturbed or threatened. As has been the case in many instances, people have seen the large swarm of bees and rather than retreat make an attempt to disperse the bees, this is when the reaction of the bees leads to them having a reputation for being dangerous.
When a bee stings it secretes a compound called isopentyl acetate. This is a hormone which in sufficient quantities smells like banana oil. It triggers the 'attack/defend' part of the bees brain. The bee leaves a tiny amount of this hormone at the sting site. This is why other bees try to sting you
It seems that a disease which affected bees in the rest of the world, particularly in America, and contributed to the large die off of bees has finally hit South African shores.
American foulbrood has been discovered in the Western Cape and has already had a sever effect on the bee population, decimating the numbers through infecting entire hives.
American Foulf Brood of AFB is caused by spore forming bacteria. It is specific to honey bees and is one of the more damaging brood diseases that can affect bees.
The spores and bacteria spread through equipment and protective clothing worn by the beekeeper, and the bees spread it themselves, especially if there is a case of hive robbing. The robber bees will inadvertantly collect the spores and return to their hives, infecting the colony.
AFB is not curable, it can decimate an entire colony of bees and render the hive unusable. Minimising the impact and preventing the disease from spreading will depend largely on the beekeeper and how he goes about getting rid of contaminated hives, and the condition of the equipment that is used.
It is important to wash hands, gloves and hive tools, especially if you suspect there has been some form of exposure to the AFB spores.
As soon as Afb is detected it is imperative that the the beekeeper remove and destroy the hive. While we are bee removers and choose to rehive bees rather than destroy them, in this instance it becomes necessary. AFB will spread to all the other hives and kill off all the bees.
By the same token, we endeavour to remove and rehive any bees that have made their home in an inappropriate place. Thereby doing what we can to prevent any unnecessary deaths.
The bees will interpret this, and rightly so, as aggression and respond in kind. You will be doing both yourself and the swarm of bees you are trying to remove a disservice. You will undoubtedly manage to kill a few bees but in return you will be sure to have more than just a few stings.
We remove bees from your property anywhere in Johannesburg and relocate them, keeping the bees alive and our client safe.
A bee remover will use smoke which sedates the bees and enables him to remove them more effectively. The smoker is a tried and trusted piece of equipment long used by bee removers and beekeepers.
Sometimes a colony will build their hive inside a wall making it difficult
if not impossible to remove them, sadly the only way out is to then to
exterminate the bees in as quick and painless a way as possible, at which
point all the wax and honey need to be removed in order to prevent infestations
of pasts wanting the honey and wax and also to prevent another colony
from building their hive in the same place at a later stage.
Setting a bee hive alight in order to remove bees is often the point of recourse if the bees are in a difficult to reach area. By pouring petrol onto a hive and setting it alight you will not be doing anyone any favours. The wax and honey will soften, melt and leave a mess which is extremely difficult to clean, and the space in which the hive is may catch alight.
In the name of safety it is best to call a bee catcher who has the correct equipment an knows how to remove bees safely and humanely. If you pour any petrol onto a hive you are guaranteed to anger the bees and run the risk of being attacked by an angry swarm.
You will not manage to destroy all the bees because foragers make up the majority of a colony and they will probably be away from the hive. The colony will be very difficult to rehouse as they will be scattered and the queen may possibly be killed or injured, making the bees unwilling to move on or move far away until they have re-established themselves.
Read about the effect of global warming on bumble-bees
Read an insiteful article about why removing bees trumps managing a swarm by extermination:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2008/nov/21/wildlife-endangeredspecies
updated on 10 February 2015