Knowledgebase

How to safely remove bees #866291

Asked April 29, 2024, 12:37 PM EDT

Had my patio furniture covered for the winter. Removed covering yesterday and found bees had made hives in the bottom area of all 4 chairs. Want to get them removed safely. Any ideas on how I can do that?

Macomb County Michigan

Expert Response

Thank you for reaching out! I don't see a hive in the photo you attached. I see an insect in the photo, but it's too blurry for me to identify. Can you please send more photos that show the bees/hives or describe them in detail? Recommendations for bee removal will depend on what kind of bee you have.

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If you magnify the pictures I think you might see the bees. If not let me know and I’ll try again. Thank you!

On Mon, Apr 29, 2024 at 2:52 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied April 29, 2024, 4:59 PM EDT

Thanks again for sending photos. The bees pictured look like a solitary bee species that emerge in the spring. Solitary bees normally lay eggs in stems or in tunnels in the ground, so I wonder if there were stems or ground nearby with developing bees or if the patio furniture provided a similar structure. Solitary bees tend to not sting people, and since they are solitary they don't live together as a family/colony. I expect that you can just wait a few days, and the bees will disperse. If you continue seeing the bees or have additional concerns, feel free to reach out. Thanks for looking after the bees!

Thank you for your help!

On Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 7:42 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied April 30, 2024, 3:23 PM EDT

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