Our most frequently asked questions:
If a cluster of bees suddenly appears on a wall, on a branch of a tree or on the ground and remains exposed please wait 24-72 hours. Swarms will often move on in a few days without intervention and although not defensive, they can sting if disturbed. Swarming is a fundamental and beautiful part of the bee’s life cycle. During the year the queen bee lays lots of eggs, the worker bees are born and form the colony. A colony can grow massively, both in terms of number of worker bees and needed space. The available space becomes smaller and smaller. When bees swarm, it means that one colony just became two colonies.
Scout bees (typically 1-5 dozen) are worker bees whose primary task is to find and locate a new place for the colony to build a hive. Generally, the cracks in stucco, openings in wood siding, chimneys, eaves, block wall, and flashing around chimneys, will provide access for bees. Once a location is found, they return to the swarm and lead them to the new location. Within an hour after arriving, the swarm will be inside the new location.
First look at bee behavior if bees are hoovering or flying in circles please wait 24-48 hours bees might be scouting and may leave naturally. If bees are going in an out of a hole please call OC bee guy.
If you notice a small number of bees first sweep up the dead bees and check your outdoor surrounding especially vents and chimney. Use optical or zoom feature from your phone to see if there is any activity of bees. If not wait a few days to see if problem continues. If you do see bees please call OC bee guy.
If tree is budding or flowering it is normal to see bees activity in tree. While bees are forging they are extremely noisy. If you notice a cluster(beard) of bees please wait 72 hours or call OC bee guy.
It is common for bees to migrate into block wall please seek professional assistance or call OC bee guy.
If bees are under your shed or inside wall please see out professional help or call OC bee guy.
If bees just arrived and is visibly outside the bin please wait 48-72 hours bees may leave naturally. If bees are inside the bin please seek professional help or call OC bee guy.
If bees just arrived and is entering top of brick chimney you can start a fire to flush bees out. If your chimney is stucco please call for professional assistance or reach out to OC bee guy. If bees are entering side between brick and stucco please call for professional assistance or call OC bee guy.
Yes and no If bees are endangering public safety in a public area and there is no public authority to help 911 might be the best option.
For townhome and condominium most HOA will cover cost of removal and repair. If you have a standalone house SFR the responsibility may be with the owner.
Please call a bee specialist or OC bee guy.
It is normal for bees to hydrate to reduce bee in fountain you can drain water for a few weeks or cover foutain with a tarp to redirect bees naturally to another water source.
If you see bees landing on side of wall drinking most likely your pool water is low on chlorine or salt. Please call your pool guy or OC bee guy if you have questions.
Yes! Bee hive roof removal is the most complex job please call OC bee guy or a bee specialist.
If bees just arrived you can turn on exhaust fan for 24 hours to see if bees naturally go away. If bees continue to be around please call us.
If bees just arrived start by getting a damp towel and run the dryer on high heat. If bees don’t fully go away in a few hours please call OC bee guy
If you see a few bees hovering by garage door or inside the garage start by closing the garage door and leave a 2-3 inch gap at the bottom. Turn off all internal garage light and wait for bees to naturally leave.
It is normal to see dead bees during spring and summer. Bees have a short adult life of 4-8 weeks. Bees are drawn in by automatic external LED lights and during summer daylight is reduced and some automatic timer are set while the sun is starting to set which then lure bees to lighting resulting in bees dying.
If bee are there for less then 72 hours please leave bees alone. Do not spray water or start a fire. Bees may be resting and may leave naturally.