How to get rid of bee hives beneath the eaves?Hmmcast, health and lifestyle, How To — by TDavid @ 4:20 pm PST
New!
 (Hmm, no ratings yet) Loading ... |
Hmmcast #152 mp4
I’m not allergic to many things, but very allergic to bee stings. Doesn’t help that bees love it under the eaves in our house. We knock down the hives, but they keep coming back.
This morning I counted eight developing bee hives around the house (see video). In the past, the hives haven’t bothered me that much because we haven’t done a huge amount of outdoor stuff, but this year with the new barbecue and pool, we’re outside more at home and these bees need to go. A lot of the bees are landing in the pool and dying too making it one more thing to strain out of the pool. I know all the good things that bees do for mankind, so it’s nice to see them buzzing around, but they need to build their homes elsewhere.
As you might expect, it doesn’t make the bees too happy when we knock their homes out of the eaves.
Been thinking about using something like Demon WP, but curious if there are any other good home remedies for keeping bees from building hives under the eaves? Something you spray on? Perhaps something that’s environmentally friendly?
What do you use under your eaves to keep the bee hives at bay?
I suppose prevention is the key. I’m curious how the Demon WP prevents them from building. I know in the past I’ve used a product with Diazanon in it to repel spiders. The trouble with some of that stuff is that it can be harmful to birds. So if the insects are poisoned and birds come a long and eat them you lose the birds too.
When I spot those nests, I go out after dark with a flashlight and a can of this Raid wasp killer. The instructions boast a 22ft reach, but I’m usually closer than that. Make sure you soak the nest thoroughly.
I haven’t been stung yet. Matter of fact using this method I haven’t even seen an ‘escapee’ from the precarious task. The next day I observe the nest to see if I got it thoroughly. It’s pretty uncommon for them to return. Then I just broom it away. Or if I can’t reach it - I leave it for the elements to weather it away.
Comment by Lestat — August 1, 2007 @ 6:19 pm PST
Demon WP looks like some kind of dry compound, Lestat. I’m wondering if you mix that with water and spray the eaves?
Probably not very wise, but we’ve used the pressure washer to blast the bees in the day time. No stinging yet, but they understandably get mad as hell.
Comment by TDavid — August 2, 2007 @ 8:50 am PST
Hi–those look like wasp nests, not bee nests to me.
The Raid wasp killer seems to do the trick and is supposed to keep them away for a few weeks. Though lord knows what’s in that stuff. We had some nice hosta plants under our eaves and when a wasp nest developed above we used the Raid wasp killer, and it turned them completely white.
One nice thing about wasps as opposed to bees is that they won’t rebuild the nest in the same spot usually. However, they are attracted to the eaves of houses because it is a protected area, so if you don’t do something that repels them they will come back to the same general area (but not the same nest or the same exact spot).
A bad thing about wasps is that unlike bees they can sting multiple times. So, I am thinking that in your case, you might want to have a professional remove them?
It’s generally wiser to only mess around with the nests in the evening after they slow down.
Here’s a link to an article about how to remove the nests naturally: http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm
Comment by Sandy — August 2, 2007 @ 9:06 am PST
Some of the hives are wasps, some are honeybees, Sandy. We’ve been removing them with pressure washer for awhile now without incident or injury, but would like to try something that keeps them from coming back and doesn’t ruin the environment.
Your link gave a great natural tip: “Another option is to rub the under-roof area liberally with bar soap - ordinary soap like Ivory soap will do. One application can last through an annual wasp season.”
Cool, a bar of soap to do the trick! Thank you again, Sandy.
Comment by TDavid — August 2, 2007 @ 9:56 am PST
[…] my problem with bees building hives (#152) in our eaves? I learned that rubbing soap under the eaves (#153) would deter the bees from […]
Pingback by Proof that soap under the eaves deters bees » Make You Go Hmm — August 29, 2007 @ 4:21 pm PST