There are a lot of companies out there advertising “Live Bee Removal”, when in fact they are a licensed pest control company that kills bees. Some companies do it in a way that can appear as if it was  live removal to the untrained eye, others simply convince the customer that there is no way to get them out alive and killing them is the only way.

Here are a few questions you can ask that will reveal what the companies true intentions are:

• Do you have a registered Apiary (or bee yard) and if so, where is it located?
• Will you be leaving the transport hive box until sundown in order to collect all of the bees?
• Do you use any chemicals?
• Are you a beekeeper and if so how many hives do you have?

Obviously, any company that is claiming to perform live bee removals but doesn’t have an apiary full of hives is not actually relocating and saving these hives.

When companies don’t leave a box behind to collect the remains bees and/or there are not any bees flying around when they leave, it is likely they used a chemical to kill the majority of the bees and if they left with a box of bees it was simply to appear as if they are relocating rater than killing.

If the company tries to convince you that there is no way to get them out alive and extermination is the only solution (especially over the phone without even seeing the hive yet), get a second opinion from someone who will take the time to come and give you a free quote.

There are some instances that merit killing a beehive rather than attempting a live removal but they are far less often than many companies will have you believe. For example, if a hive is acting extremely aggressive and is located in an area where disturbing them could result in neighbors, pets, and surrounding households being put at risk, then we recommend bringing in an exterminator. As we mentioned, these situations are far less common.