bee removal
{{Short description|Process of removing bees from a location}}
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,{{r|Hood-nd}} and bee colonies have potential economic value, professional bee removal typically involves a beekeeper transferring them to a new location where they can be cared for and used for crop pollination and for production of honey and beeswax. As such, bee removal has characteristics both of pest control and of beekeeping.{{r|Dullas-2008}}{{r|Killem-2022}} Live bee removal{{Cite web|title=Bee Removal vs. Bee Extermination - Live Bee Removal|url=https://dteklivebeeremoval.com/bee-removal-vs-bee-extermination/|access-date=2021-04-29|website=dteklivebeeremoval.com|language=en-US}} 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.{{r|Dullas-2008}} In bee removal, a bee vac can be used.
Species and subspecies
Typically, the species of bee involved in removal is the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). However, the Africanized bee (hybridized with Apis mellifera scutellata) can also be removed safely, 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.{{r|OMalley-and-Ellis-2008-06}}
Resources for finding a beekeeper
Local beekeeping associations are a common resource for finding bee removal services, as they often maintain lists of beekeepers who provide live removal. The nonprofit organization Pollinator Partnership also offers a free Bee Rescuers directory covering North America and provides information on professionals and volunteers who can safely remove and relocate bees.{{cite web | title=Bee Rescuers | url=https://www.pollinator.org/learning-center/bee-rescuers#101 | website=Pollinator Partnership | access-date=2025-02-04}}
References
{{reflist | 30em | refs =
{{cite book
| chapter-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
| 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
}}
|url = http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in771
|last1 = O'Malley
|first1 = 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 (IFAS)
|publisher = University of Florida 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
}}
}}