Bee removal is the process of removing bees from a location. Professional services exist for this purpose. Since the honey bee is considered to be the most beneficial of all insect species, and bee colonies have potential

economic value In economics, economic value is a measure of the benefit provided by a good or service to an economic agent. It is generally measured through units of currency, and the interpretation is therefore "what is the maximum amount of money a specif ...

, professional bee removal often involves transferring them to a new location where they can be cared for and used for crop pollination and for production of

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

and

beeswax Beeswax (''cera alba'') is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers ...

. As such, bee removal has characteristics both of

pest control Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range ...

and of

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...

. Live bee removal or saving the bees can be accomplished by a local beekeeper who will then either keep the bees, sell them, or simply help whoever is requesting the bee removal to keep them in a hive box. However, not all beekeepers provide removal services. In bee removal, a

bee vac A bee vac is a type of vacuum cleaner, factory-made or home-made, designed to suck up live honeybees without killing or damaging them. It can be used to remove bees when capturing a feral colony, or where a swarm has settled. It uses a solid recept ...

can be used.

Species and subspecies

Typically, the species of bee involved in removal is the

western honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", ...

(''Apis mellifera''). However, the Africanized bee (hybridized with ''Apis mellifera scutellata'') can also be removed safely and relocated and kept alive. Bee removal professionals should not claim to be able to differentiate between the two types; this can only be done by laboratory analysis.

References

{{reflist , 30em , refs = {{cite book , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Vglrl53v53UC&pg=PA29 , last = Dullas , first = William , date = 7 August 2008 , title = ABC's of Beekeeping problems and problem beekeepers , publisher = iUniverse , location = Bloomington, Indiana, USA , language = en , isbn = 978-0-595-53382-4 , chapter = Chapter 5: Bee removal operations , pages = 29–32 {{cite book , url = https://killem.com.sg/pest-control-services/bee-relocation/ , last = Pest , first = Killem , date = 1 February 2022 , title = Bee Relocation , location = Singapore , language = en {{cite web , url = http://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/fact-sheets-publications/honey-bee-colony-removal.html , last = Hood , first = William Michael , date = n.d. , title = Honey bee colony removal from structures , website = Clemson Cooperative Extension , publisher =

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

, location = Clemson, South Carolina, USA , language = en , access-date = 2017-10-30 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170804014443/http://www.clemson.edu/extension/beekeepers/fact-sheets-publications/honey-bee-colony-removal.html , url-status = live , archive-date = 2017-08-04 {{cite web , url = http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in771 , last = O'Malley , first = M.K. , last2 = Ellis , first2 = J.D. , date = June 2008 , orig-year = revised April 2016 , title = Choosing the right pest control operator for honey bee removal: a consumer guide , series = EDIS Report ENY-144 , website =

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on agriculture and natural resources. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governmen ...

(IFAS) , publisher =

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Department of Entomology and Nematology (EDIS), UF/IFAS Extension , location = Gainesville, Florida, USA , language = en , access-date = 2017-10-20 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171012071128/http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in771 , url-status = live , archive-date = 2017-10-12 Beekeeping Pest control