We need bees, but not in our homes. If you have bees living in your home’s siding, call an exterminator immediately. Bees are helpful creatures, but many people are allergic to them. Professional exterminators know how to remove bees from siding in a safe and eco-friendly way. If an exterminator cannot help, you can take steps to remove bees from the siding so that they don’t enter your home and create more problems. Let’s look at how to get rid of bees in siding.
How To Get Rid of Bees in Siding
There are various effective methods of getting rid of and detering bees. You can try the following techniques:
Find the Nest
Removing siding is expensive and time-consuming, especially since you’ll have to replace what you take off. Wander around your home to look for the entrance and exit points for the hive. Bees find small openings where they can safely enter and exit. If you don’t see bees immediately, walk around and listen for the buzz from the hive.
Once you find the general area, grab a lawn chair, have a seat, and watch for the pollinators to leave the hive and look for flowers. After locating the access spot, mark it with colored tape and look for other locations. You’ll need to do the removal work when the bees aren’t as active. The colored tape delineating the entrance will save time and help you remove the bees.
Hire a Local Beekeeper
Before you do anything to remove the nest, contact a beekeeper for help. The beekeeper has the tools and techniques to remove the bees safely from the nest. Because bees are so important, the last thing you should do is kill them all. A beekeeper can move the bees to a better location where they can pollinate flowers and gardens.
You might not find a beekeeper in local phone listings. Instead, advertise for help on social media or visit a local farmer’s market and talk to a merchant who sells honey. They might be beekeepers themselves, or they’ll know a local group that can help.
Prepare the Insecticide
If you cannot find a beekeeper or exterminator to help, you might have to kill the bees. Powdered insecticides are the easiest to use with bees in siding. Before you make the insecticide, put on your safety gloves, mask, and respirator. You don’t want to inhale the toxic powder.
The best tool for insecticides is an empty detergent bottle. Clean the bottle before putting insecticide in it to remove the chance of an unexpected chemical reaction. Then, prepare the insecticide and fill the bottle. Use the bottle to spread the insecticide around the entrance and on nearby flowers. Wear gloves while spreading it.
Remove the Bees at Night
Bees are active when the sun is up, but they slow down at night. Spreading the insecticide at night makes it more effective, as the bees fly into and around it when they leave the hive in the morning.
Spreading insecticide when bees are lethargic keeps you safe. You are less likely to be stung if you do your work around the nest at night. They can be provoked, but it’s highly unlikely. Spray the insecticide around the exits. Then the bees will touch the insecticide and bring it to the flowers and back into the nest.
After you spray the insecticide around the openings, you’ll need to wait for the product to begin working. It takes time to kill a nest of bees, especially with the queen safely protected inside the hive. The pollinators will need to spread the toxin around the hive, and it takes time before they get close enough to the queen to kill her.
Plant Mint Near the Opening
Bees don’t like all plants. If you plant them near the opening, bees will stay away. Bees avoid mint, which is easy to grow. If the nest is away from the ground, consider putting pots of their least favorite herbs on a table near the hive openings.
Repair the Siding
If bees find one opening, they will find more. The best way to remove bees from your siding is to prevent them from moving into the space between your siding and walls. Inspect your siding and the trim, then repair and close the openings that attract insects.
How To Get Rid of Bees in Siding: Conclusion
There are various ways to eliminate bees from your home. The most effective is to fix any holes or gaps in your siding. Professional siding installers can help you prevent more infestations.