You park your car. As you disembark, an insect flies right in front of you. You ignore it because you think it’s a normal fly. But when a second and a third fly by, you throw off everything on your hands. You curse loudly and follow them through with your eyes to see where they are headed. A swarm of bees is resting on the edge of your roof!
If bees keep coming into your house, use essential oils like lemongrass, thyme, lavender, hyssop, citronella, fennel, and peppermint to deter them. Mix the oils with water then wipe down surfaces with them or soak cotton balls in them then place the balls around the house. They won’t harm the bees.
What Attracts Bees to my House?
Bees in your house are like the uninvited guests whose timing is always wrong. Now, do you know you could have contributed to their impromptu visit? Yes.
Bees swarming around your house can be caused by the following:
1. Flowers
Bees are flower lovers as this is where they collect nectar as their food. So, having colorful flowers in your compound, especially the wall-hanging ones, will attract the bees.
If, for instance, a swarm of honey bees has split from their colony and they are looking for a new residence, a compound with plenty of flowers will be their first stop since feed is guaranteed.
2. Sugars
Sugar is like a magnet to the bees. Remember that time you went for a picnic and a bunch of them couldn’t leave you in peace? You must have had sugary stuff with you, like pineapples and honey itself.
The same happens in your house since sweet sugary stuff will get the bees knocking on your house and residing with you.
3. Soft Wooden Structures
Ever heard of the carpenter bees species? These bees like boring into wooden structures searching for a nest. The female carpenter bee will put in all the effort searching for a place to lay the eggs.
They prefer soft wooden structures as they are easy to drill. Check around your house for the holes and examine the status of that wood. It could be the reason the bees are in your house.
4. The Porch Light
Yes, your porch light could be the reason the bees won’t leave your house. Bees belong to the class of insects that become dormant at night. Your porch light could alter their normal reaction to positive phototactic making them remain attracted to the light.
5. Former Beehives
Let’s say you just acquired the property and the previous owners had hives in the compound that are now dormant. These hives are a great attraction to the swarm of bees searching for a new residence. Some such as Langstroth hives last for very long and can withstand the elements even when abandoned for a while.
How to get Bees Away from Your House
You can use different approaches to get the bees away from your house. Either you can choose to apply the natural methods that will not harm the bees but force them to relocate. Or, you can engage experts in bees control who will apply tough measures to either relocate or kill them.
First, let’s look at the home remedies you can apply naturally and keep bees away from the porch, balcony, or house at large.
1. Essential Oils
Spray your home compound with a concoction of essential oils. You can combine the oils to form a mixture of a strong acidic liquid for it to be effective.
Mix up peppermint, rosemary, thyme, and hyssop with water. Also, wipe your surfaces with the mixture to keep bees and wasps away.
2. Seal Loopholes
If you are sure that your area is susceptible to bees invasion, go the extra mile and seal all possible entry points.
You could wire up the vents and chimneys. Then, clean the gutters and seal holes left behind during the electrical wiring of your house. This method also works if you want to keep bees away from the pool or other locations.
3. Vinegar
Get a few small containers and place them strategically on the bees’ route. In due course, the bees will be repelled. Vinegar also helps prevent bees from nesting since bees don’t like its smell.
4. Hot Pepper
Boil the pepper, strain, and let it cool. Then, spray around your house or areas you view as most vulnerable to repel the bees.
At times, bees may simply die by themselves especially during the winter when they don’t have a good hive where they can cluster and survive the cold. in such a case, you may not need to worry since the weather will help you get rid of them.
Commercial Options
When the infestation gets out of hand, consider bringing in an expert exterminator to help you out.
They apply different approaches. Here are the common ones:
- Relocating the nest
- Using killer sprays
- Treating your wood with WD-40
Ask them the side effects (if any) of their methods and how to further prevent the bees from coming back. It’s not a good idea to kill bees when they get into your house. Instead, find a way to deter them or simply keep them away. Bees from a nearby hive may be coming to your house since they lack food for the winter and simply checking their hive can help you keep them away.
How do Bees Get into the House?
Once they identify a favorable environment, bees have various access points to your house.
The most common ones include:
1. Vents
See those vents on your outer wall, ceiling, or just above the window? Ideally, they are meant to control the temperature in your house. But unfortunately, they also serve as the bees’ entry point. The vents, especially those on the upper floors, are a favorite for the bees.
2. Chimney
The protruding section of your chimney is a key entry point for the bees. This is because it’s a good link between your house and the external environment.
The bees can even form a hive here since the area is hardly interrupted. Under the eaves of a neglected chimney, the bees huddle and form a nest. From this point, they can easily hover around your entire house.
3. Wall Cracks
Any opening on your wall will create an ideal entry point for the bees to your house. Check out gaps in areas where the electrical wiring connects to your house or where the roof tiles overlap. Shoddy developers could have left small openings that the bees use.
In addition, the design of your exterior could attract the bees and use it as the route to get to your house. For instance, the point where the fascia board joins the roof could have a gap, and the bees could use that.
4. Gutters
When dry, the gutters act as an ideal access point for the bees. Therefore, constantly check, clean, and seal the gutters and pipes when not in use.
Ensure that the point where the gutter joins your house fits completely without leaving openings that bees could use to access your house.
Conclusion
Having bees in your house can be a major distraction, especially the honeybees that sting when disturbed. Immediately you discover a few of them around, take time to find out where they have nested around your home, and apply the best evacuation measures or repel them.
Bees are essential for the entire ecosystem as they aid in pollination, and their honey is a key ingredient in many products. Therefore, apply the natural bee repelling methods before resorting to commercial extermination tactics.
References
Missisipi State University. Prevention and Treatment of Nuisance Honey Bees around Your Home.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture. Honeybee Removal and Swarm Collection.
Michigan State University. Bee, wasp or hornet nest: Which one is it?