Bee Removal Techniques
Beekeepers use special tool to find the location of an established colony in a structure and also special techniques to remove and relocate the honey bee colony. Locating the colony and using these special techniques will keep the cost down for the homeowner by eliminating unneeded destruction of the building. Below are some interesting images and videos.
A FLIR image of a colony that made their home in a wall behind an air conditioning unit at the Tortugas Community Center in Las Cruces, NM and the relocation was done by Erica Perras, Tray Spencer, and Bill Hooten. (FLIR image by Bob Reneau)
A FLIR image of a colony that made their home in an outside wall. This colony was about 10 ft high and 24 inches wide. It had been there for years. The image was taken in El Paso and the relocation was done by Josh Meier, Joshua O’Halloran, and Bill Hooten. (FLIR image by Bob Reneau)
A FLIR image of a colony that made their home in a cinder block wall built above a solid concrete wall in Canutillo, Texas. The honey bee colony was relocated by Jim Jordan. (FLIR image by Bob Reneau)
A trap out of a mulberry tree in El Paso Texas. This trap out took about 2 months to successfully relocate the honey bees. The relocation was done by Bill Hooten, Ralph Payan, and Bob Reneau
Joshua O’Halloran suited up rappelling down to relocate a colony, Established bee colonies are found in unusual locations and require specialized skills to access.
Ralph Payan opening a ceiling to relocate a colony of bees. A feral colony is sometimes accessed from the inside of the structure.