Swarm Removal

For immediate swarm removal, Call 415-290-7405.

If you have a swarm - see photo's - it is important to have it removed as soon as possible. This is because the bees are searching for a new home, as the ball of bees that you see is not permanent and they may take up residence in the wall of your home, or your neighbors home. When the bees are in this stage, they are quite harmless. Although it is important not to disturb them. Do not try to exterminate them. If they are not removed by a beekeeper, they will eventually move on - which, again, they may take up residence in your wall or your neighbors wall. If you live in the San Francisco Bay area, call me at 415-290-7405 for free, fast, and safe removal. Or e-mail me: roger@minthillhoney.com

I received an e-mail from Christine in Napa. It seems her dog was out back enjoying the sun when this swarm descended into her Laurel tree! Imagine the dog's reaction, not to mention Christine's! I arrived a few hours later to successfully remove the cluster. What a beautiful swarm it was! Thanks Christine! This swarm will not be moving into a homeowners wall.

	6/27/2005 - The swarm that I removed from Christine's backyard in Napa.
	07/06/2005 - This is the Napa swarm, yet again. I tried to combine the Napa swarm with a small queenless hive and they swarmed again taking even more bees! They have since been rehived.

Hive Removal

If you happen to have a feral hive residing where you would rather it not, I can remove it. Fees for removal are based upon the complexity of the job. First and foremost is the safety of the homeowner and their family as well as neighbors and passers-by. I do everything that is possible to ensure everyones safety. Please e-mail me if you have a hive that needs removal and include photo's and details of the area the hive is established. As you can see from the following Photo's, each hive is different and with it has it's own challenges. I will get back to you as soon as I can to let you know what I think and the approximate cost to remove.

If you are considering extermination, please consider the following: You are killing and environmentally beneficial insect that means you no harm and has had its populations decimated over the past decade and a half by disease and parasites. If there were no honeybees all crops would be approximately 1/8 the size they are! Also, I have yet to see a "Successful" extermination. Normally the peripheral bees are killed for a lot of money and the thousands out foraging and in the hive are not hurt. More money "exterminating." The wise math would be to have the hive permanently removed and proper information given so that the problem does not happen again. All for less than a few exterminators, and you are doing the environment - and the bees - a really BIG favor.

	This was the first of the three hives removed. A wall hive is usually the easiest to remove. This is one of my favorites. The homeowner decided that after seeing the hive with the wall open she wanted to keep it that way. We used a plexiglass covering trimmed at the edges to match that of her victorian interior. Who could have asked for a better conversation piece?
	This hive was in the floor joists of a home. This removal was not easy, but not the most problematic since the homeowner was not using the basement and we were able to open the ceiling. This was one of three hives in this home.
	The third hive. Again, in the floor joists. Luckily this hive was limited by the joist blocking.