Honey Bees

Social, industrious, pollinating insects.

Facts & Information

Honey Bees

(Apis)

9 to 20 millimeters long

Active Months:
Hive: April – November
Swarm: April – July

Generally Not Aggressive
If Undisturbed

Insect Quantity:
10,000 – 60,000 per hive
10,000 – 25,000 per swarm

Insect Color

Quick Facts

Honeybee appear in two ways:
1. A Swarm – A temporary cluster of bees resting on a surface while searching for a new home.
2. An Existing Hive – A permanent nest built inside a cavity like a tree or wall. These long-term hives store honey and pollen and can last for years.
Swarms: In the spring, when a hive becomes overcrowded, a portion of the colony—typically 5,000 to 20,000 bees—led by a new queen, leaves to find a new home and establish a fresh hive. Before relocating, they temporarily cluster near their original hive. Once they find a suitable location, the entire swarm flies together. This process can take anywhere from an hour to a few days. This natural behavior, called swarming, helps honeybee populations grow and expand.
Unlike wasps, a honeybee colony can remain in the same location for many years, as long as the hive remains intact and conditions are suitable.
Unlike wasps, honeybee colonies survive the winter by clustering together, generating warmth through body vibrations. The queen stays at the center, while bees feed on stored honey to stay warm.
Honeybees are generally docile and only sting when threatened.
A honeybee can only sting once; its stinger gets lodged in the skin, causing the bee to die.

Our Process

Rockland Bee Removal saves and relocates honeybee swarms & colonies.
Swarms are quicker & easier to save & relocate since they are not inside a cavity. Established hives, however, require us to open the cavity they occupy, which necessitates an initial inspection to determine the exact location of the hive.
When a swarm is spotted, it must be addressed quickly, as it can relocate within minutes or remain for up to a few days before moving to a new home.
Since bees generate heat, a thermal camera is used during the initial assessment to locate the exact position of an established hive.
Each honeybee hive presents its own challenge for removal, as the process depends on how easily it can be accessed and extracted.

Honey Bee Behavior:

Honeybees can sting, but are considered docile and are not likely to be a threat to people unless disturbed.

Honey bees sting for one reason: they feel threatened, and they are either defending themselves or their nest. When bees feel threatened and respond by stinging, keep people & pets away from nests and call a professional to remove them

How Serious Are Honeybees?

Many people fear bees and want to get rid of them, even helpful species such as honey bees. Before you take steps to eliminate bees, keep in mind that they play an important role in producing our food. Indeed, bees pollinate approximately one-third of the food we eat. Please don’t kill these bees, instead contact us and we will safely remove them.

Why call a beekeeper to remove Honey Bees?

Exterminators will not kill honey bees, and for good reason. Besides the fact that honey bees are important to human survival, once a honey bee colony takes residence, they will build honeycomb and begin filling it with honey. If comb and honey are left in the structure, other insects will be drawn to the sweet honey and will infest your home. The comb and honey need to be removed for this not to occur.
When it comes to honeybee swarms, it’s best to leave it to a professional beekeeper. Swarms, although generally docile, can become agitated and defensive, leading to stinging incidents. Experienced beekeepers know how to efficiently collect and relocate a bee swarm so that it’s done in a safe and calm manner.

Hive VS Swarm

Honeybee Hives

A honeybee hive is a structured dwelling where a colony of bees lives and carries out various tasks as a highly organized society. It consists of brood comb for raising young bees, honeycomb for storing honey, and is inhabited by a queen bee, worker bees, and drones with specific roles and responsibilities. With proper care and environmental conditions, a honeybee hive can persist for many years, sustaining the colony’s activities and serving as a long-term habitat for successive generations of bees.

Honeybee Swarms

A honeybee swarm is a natural phenomenon where a queen and a portion of the colony leave their hive to establish a new one. During this process, the swarm gathers in a temporary location, typically hanging in a cluster on a tree branch or other structures. While in this interim location, scout bees explore the surroundings to find a suitable permanent nesting site for the colony, and once located, the swarm will move to establish their new hive.

Honey Bee Hives

Our Hive Removal Process:

Rockland Bee Removal provides honey bee hive removal. We will open your you structure, get to the hive and remove the entire comb and bees. Getting to the hive can be a challenge, many times we’ll need to cut Sheetrock, siding, trees, to expose and remove the hive and bees safely. Once we’re done you’ll need to call a handyman for the repairs. We do our best to keep damage to a minimum.

Rockland Bee Removal Team extracting a Honey Bee nest from inside a home.

Honey Bee Swarms

Have a bee swarm?

First, Don’t Panic! 
Honey Bees in a swarm are not likely to sting, first, stay clear from them and call us. Second, you’ve done the right thing by calling a beekeeper to help you. Honey bee colonies are dying in record numbers from pesticides, diseases and pests. Only 1 in 10 swarms will survive if left to fend on their own. By calling you local beekeeper these honeybees will be safely removed and given a new home, fed and cared for. SAVING ONE BEE AT A TIME!

Here are a few tip about honey bee swarms.

1. Call a beekeeper to remove them safely.
2. Honey Bees in a swarm will usually not sting you if you leave them alone.
3. A honey bee swarm is a natural part of the bees reproductive cycle.
4. This is not their new home, it is a resting place for honey bees. If you do nothing, in a few days the honey bees will go away and find a new permanent home.
5. Do not spray honey bees with pesticides or a hose. It will only make them upset and they may sting you.

Our Swarm Removal Process

Rockland Bee Removal will come and rescue honeybee swarms. We utilize specialized bee vacuums designed for the gentle collection of honeybees. These vacuums are equipped to prevent harm to the bees during the suction process, ensuring a humane relocation. After relocation, remaining bees will be present, our on call beekeeper will guide you on taking the appropriate precautions until all the bees have dispersed.

Need Honeybee Removal at your location?

Are honeybees causing concern at your property? Whether they’ve established a hive in your backyard or are swarming around your home, swift action is essential to address the situation safely. Take a picture of the bees as well as the location where they are so we can positively identify the type of bees. Then, text the pictures to 845-445-8273 or send us a bee removal request HERE. Honeybee removal requires specialized expertise to ensure the colony is relocated without harm to the bees or residents. At Rockland Bee Removal, we’re equipped with the knowledge and tools to handle honeybee infestations effectively. Contact us today to schedule professional honeybee removal at your location and restore peace of mind to your property.

Rockland Bee Removal Team rescuing u0026amp; collecting a Honey Bee swarm from a tree.

Not Sure What Type of Bees You Have?

If you see bees coming and going from an opening in your home, take a picture of the bees as well as the location where they are so we can positively identify the type of bees and text the pictures to 845-445-8273 or send us a bee removal request HERE.

Image Gallery

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