What to Do About Tree Bees

Honeybees like to swarm, but this clustering is usually a temporary part of their schedule. They usually gather around a limb of a tree for a few days with the goal of scouting for suitable cavities to nest in. Swarms are also how bees reproduce. If things take longer than expected, they may settle down and start building a comb on a branch. When the scout bees find a cavity, they will start dancing on the surface of the swarm. Thereafter, other bees will visit the cavity and the swarm will move into the cavity to build their nest.

Honeybees rarely pose a threat unless they are threatened by you. They will usually only sting to defend their nest. Otherwise, they will only sting you if you get in their way or run into them. In fact, they even provide benefits. Honeybees will pollinate your fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. So, having honeybees on your property can actually be a blessing if you can manage the risks.

Luring the Bees Out

A common solution to get bees out of a tree is the trap-out. In this method, the beekeeper closes all but one entry or exit point to the nest. The beekeeper makes a cone out of hardware cloth that acts as a one-way exit for the bees; the bees will be able to leave the nest but cannot re-enter. So, what happens to those bees? A bee box is set up near the trap-out. The hope is that the bees that cannot get back into their nest will move into the new box, which has eggs, brood, and a queen in it. After several weeks, the beekeeper will return and take the box away, then seal up the cavity.