I was a country kid and our family loved barbecues where half the town was invited. We had a big yard and a spring-fed pond. One unforgettable reunion included my city-slicker cousin, who knew nothing of country ways. He thought it would be fun to pitch rocks at the beehive in an old tree.
Ignoring warnings, the buzzing intensified. Soon we were being chased by an angry mob. We headed for the pond, but unfortunately our course took us straight through the middle of the party which was in high gear. I'll never forget the sight of grownups jumping around, flailing aprons, and snapping napkins like whirling dervishes.
Fast-forward to 2010, where safe hive removal is as important as recycling. In the San Diego area, bees are an important problem. Before messing with them yourself you should call a professional who specializes in the best bee removal systems.
It is important to enlist the help of a professional because there are over 20,000 species of bees, each having different habits and degrees of aggression. You must identify what you're dealing with, and leave hive removal to the experts.
Honeybees are the least aggressive, but a hive can house up to 60,000 bees. Sometimes, calling the county extension agent or fire department will provide a link to an experienced bee-keeper who will remove the hive in exchange for the bees. Yes, some folks really do want these things. In 1957, Brazilian scientists imported African honeybees to breed with the locals hoping to produce a super-bee more suitable to the tropical climate.
Some escaped and bred in the wild, resulting in the killer bees of today. Their area has increased by 200 miles each year since. Africanized honeybees are a problem in San Diego, Chula Vista and in other areas. While most bees attack only if provoked, these need very little tweaking.
Simple vibrations such as machinery or squealing toddlers may be all it takes to launch an assault. Attacking in far greater numbers than other species, they travel further in pursuit and stay mad for up to 24 hours. Bees build hives where you can't see them, in attics, between walls, in chimneys and countless empty spaces in yards and outbuildings. Hive removal experts know their habits, when the hive is least active and when most of the occupants are home.
Safe bee removal needn't call for harmful chemicals. Many professionals simply use a carefully applied soap and water solution, while some homeowners carelessly blast Raid around. Don't be like the guy from Brazil who thought he had the best bee removal scheme. Wanting to destroy a hive in his orange tree, he decided to torch it.
He suited up with heavy clothing and a see-through plastic bag secured around his head. A few hours later, his concerned wife gingerly stepped into the orange grove to find her husband dead on the ground. He had died not from bee stings, but because he had neglected to cut air holes in the plastic bag. It's best to leave bee removal to bee experts.