If your home or yard has been harboring bees, the risk of getting stung is very high. But bees are such insects that mustn’t be harmed.
What can be done then, to mitigate this distressing situation? Well, in this guide, I have put forward several natural ways to get rid of bees from your place without bringing any harm to them.
Being one of the most essential insects of our natural ecosystem helping to pollinate for food production, bees must be protected.
But what if you encounter a beehive near your residential area? It should be noted that bees have a stinger and they are likely to sting you.
Some people experience harsh allergic reactions if they get stung by bees, for this reason, one should be completely aware of safe removal procedures without having them killed.
Bees have a strong and sensitive sense of smell. They get irritated if they encounter deterring smells around the surroundings.
Peppermints possess one of the kinds of smell bees do not prefer. The strong aroma of peppermint can be intolerable for the bees.
You can plant peppermints at different locations in your garden to avoid bees around your property.
2. Sprinkle Cinnamon
Cinnamon also releases a strong odor in the surrounding air, which the bees strongly avoid. You can sprinkle cinnamon around areas where bees are frequent.
Besides that, you can mix cinnamon powder with water and spray it around the highly likable area. Make sure to apply cinnamon regularly around your property for effective results.
Further adding to the strong smell element, citronella candles can be another useful entity. Bees do not particularly like the smell of citronella candles.
If you light the candles and place them around your house, it can create a barrier deterring the bees away.
4. Prepare Garlic Spray
Garlic is a common kitchen element that assists in almost every recipe you prepare at home. Well, it can also be used in the area beyond the kitchen.
Yes, bees can not withstand the smell of garlic. You can take the help of the strong smell of garlic to get rid of bees from your place. Remember to mix the garlic in water and spray around your house.
Place cucumber peels around the garden; bees are repelled by their acidity. Make sure to scatter the peels in areas where bees are frequently seen.
Replace the peels every few days to keep the scent fresh and effective. The acidity and bitter compounds in cucumber peels make them an excellent natural bee repellent.
6. Use Smoke
Light the small, smoky fire or use the best smokers to encourage bees to leave. The smoke masks their alarm pheromones and makes them less likely to sting.
But you have to be careful that the smoke is not very intense, or you may end up harming the bees. Beekeepers often adopt this technique to handle the beehives.
The essential oils extracted from specific plants can be excellent choices to deter the bees. You can easily purchase fresh essential oils from the market.
You need to dilute the essential oils with water before spraying them in the surroundings.
8. Hang Mothballs
Mothballs also possess strong odor which the bees do not particularly like. You can hang the mothballs in likable areas where the bees are frequently found to occur.
But mothballs are found to be toxic if pets and small children swallow them. Thus, you need to keep them away from the reach of pets and children.
Vinegar is another popular and common household entity. Among several other uses, vinegar can also be used to repel the bees away undoubtedly.
Dilute the vinegar with water and spray this solution to highly susceptible areas. The odor of vinegar helps to discourage the bees.
Vinegar solution is safe to be used even if pets and children are around.
10. Almond Oil
The use of almond oil can be another strategic move to deter the bees. Yes, you can control the bee population and eventually get rid of bee nests if you make the best use of almond oil.
You need to soak cotton balls with almond oil and place them at different locations around your garden and home.
If you plant citronella around your house, bees won’t make it inside your house or anywhere near. This is because bees find the strong scent of citronella very irritating and unappealing.
12. Add Ultrasonic Devices
Ultrasonic devices emit sounds with such a high frequency that bees are likely to fly away upon hearing them. Don’t worry, high-frequency sounds are completely safe for humans and pets.
You can place the devices in the likable area compelling the bees to move away. This won’t harm the bees, they would just fly away from such places.
You can also create a sugar water trap to lure bees away from specific areas and release them elsewhere. Grab a container, fill it with sugar water, and place the sweet solution away from your house.
The sweetness will attract the bees and once you find them lingering around, carefully cover the container and move it to a new location away from your property.
14. Seal the Entrance
Bees are tiny insects and they can get through over almost anything. Every small hole, gap, and crack can act as an entrance for the bees inside your house.
You need to properly seal entry points ensuring the elimination of every possible entrance around your house to keep your home safe and free from bee swarms.
It is a well-known scenario that bees often roam around flowers for nectar and pollen. If you want to get rid of bees, you may need to keep the flowers of your garden away from your house.
Yes, by transferring the flowering plants away from the entry points, you lower the risk of bees swarming around your home.
16. Avoid Bright Colors
Bees are highly attracted to bright colors.
If you have bright-colored furniture, decor, and cushions in your house, particularly in outer space, you may find bees flying over more often. It would be good if you avoid yellow and orange colored materials.
Bees require water for hydration and for cooling their hives. If you eliminate the standing water sources, you can significantly lower the swarming of bees.
For this, you need to ensure a good drainage system in your garden and make sure to fix leakages around your yard.
18. Hang Reflective Objects
Hang reflective objects like CDs or aluminum foil to confuse and deter bees. The reflective surfaces create visual disturbances that bees find disorienting.
Hang these objects in areas where bees are frequent to encourage them to move to a more peaceful environment.
To identify bees you need to consider specific physical features and behaviors that make them different from the rest of the insects.
This refers to studying their body frame, coloration, wings, legs, and behavior.
1. Body Structure
In particular, they differ from other insects in their body structure, which is unique. Their bodies are divided into three main segments: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.
As for the differences, bees are stouter and have a hairy body so they can pick up grains of pollen with their hind legs.
The head accommodates their massive compound eyes, antennae, and mouthparts adapted for sponging on nectar and pollen.
2. Color Patterns
The color stripes in bees are one of the most distinctive aspects of these insects. Bright colors coupled with high contrast, such as yellow and black in many bees, including the honeybee.
However, some species may develop other colors on their bodies such as green, and blue color, or even the entire body may be black.
These color patterns can assist in the recognition of certain bee types and their differentiation from related pests.
Bees have two pairs of wings which are equally frail and nearly colorless, although the fore wings are larger than the hind wings.
The wings are also lined with veins that enable bees to fly effectively as they seek nectar and pollen. They have their legs especially their hind legs well developed for pollen collection.
4. Behavior
Another aspect that is important in the identification of bees involves behavioral aspects.
Most bees are social organisms that live in colonies consisting of the workers, the reproductive female known as the queen, and the males called drones.
Although bees are beneficial to the environment, they can sometimes cause damage if they are allowed to live side by side with human residential areas.
Beehives very close to human activities can invite unfortunate and unforeseen problems. Some of them are discussed below:
1. Structural Damage
Carpenter bees, in particular, are highly destructive and pose considerable risk to wooden structures. They make round and clean holes in wood or other materials to lay their eggs.
Eventually, the burrows can compromise wooden structures such as beams, decks, and other structures, causing more expenses for repair work.
2. Health Risks - Do Bees Sting?
Yes, bees do sting. The sting is painful and dangerous, especially for those with a sting allergy. Bees are not very hostile but they sting when they feel threatened.
In a typical case, one gets a burning sensation, and redness of the inflamed skin at the spot of the sting.
3. Nuisance
The bees can build their colonies near human habitation which can be a major problem.
The constant swarming of bees may cause people to avoid spending time in areas that may have gardens, patios, or recreational facilities.
The sound of the buzzer and the constant movement of bees can elicit feelings of stress and discomfort, particularly for homophobic individuals.