Yes! As we are beekeepers, our service to our customers (and the bees) is the LIVE removal of the hive so that we may relocate it elsewhere where it is not disruptive to family and business activities.
Initially, most colonies are brought to our “quarantine” apiary in Ahuimanu where we may give them greater attention in the first several weeks following their removal. During this time we ensure that the queen remains healthy and viable, and help the colony manage pests such as Small Hive Beetles while they recover. Any colony determined to have Varroa Mites (varroa destructor) are treated and kept at this location until they no longer present mites. Once a hive is cleared and deemed to be healthy and growing in strength, they will be moved to one of our two primary apiaries located in Kailua and Laie.
There are many factors and variables that can affect the answer to this question, however, as a generalization, a swarm removal takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a cut-out removal from a structure (e.g. home wall or ceiling) typically takes 4-6 hours.
A swarm is a group of bees, typically numbering between 6,000-15,000 strong, along with a queen, seeking a new home. Swarming is reproduction at the colony level. Essentially, a colony becomes overpopulated in their current “home” and split into two groups. The patriarch queen, along with roughly half of the population leave in an amazing “swarm” and seek a new home, instantly reducing the population in the hive significantly. The other half of the hive population left behind in the original location will raise a new queen who will grow the population all over again and typically repeat the cycle. Sometimes a new queen elects to swarm upon hatching, in what is known as a secondary swarm. This can occur several times within a week with a large colony casting as many as 4-6 swarms! Swarming is most common in Hawaii from March through October.
While most people associate honeybees with honey (and why not, it’s delicious!), bees are invaluable to humans because of their pollination benefit. In fact, bee pollination is responsible for an estimated 1/3 of every bite that we consume and for approx. 70% of Hawaii’s commercial farming and agriculture!
The price of a hive removal is proportionate to the difficulty of removing the hive. We can’t provide a simple price list for our services as there are so many variables to consider for each unique removal. To remedy the fear of the unknown, we offer FREE onsite inspections, whereby we will visit the property and inspect the bee situation so that we may provide a no-obligation quote. This way prospective customers have no-risk in obtaining a price for removal and we can ensure that the rate provided is accurate. We do not like surprise changes to bills, and this approach helps us avoid them and build trusting relationships with our customers.
Yes. Now you may be thinking that if our bee population were low, why not bring in more bees form the mainland? (Good question!). It’s illegal. Since 1908 when Hawaii was a territory of the United States, a law was put into place prohibiting the importing of bees to the islands; And for good measure. It was done to protect our bees that are here from harmful and destructive fungi, diseases, parasites and more that can harm and kill entire colonies. This prohibition has benefited our local bees for a long time, however in 2008, unfortunately, the dreaded Varroa Destructor mite managed to make it to the islands and establish presence on Oahu and the Big Island. Fortunately, their presence is currently limited to these two islands only and we hope it stays that way! Our local bees also have to contend with frustrating Small Hive Beetles (SHB) and destructive Wax Moths among other issues. While we see less of the Varroa mite that the mainland does, Hawaii’s beehives are plagued with the Small Hive Beetles which often overwhelm and kill entire bee colonies.
While we generally discourage the use of weed sprays and insecticides due to their impacts on bee health, we understand that there needs to be a balance and that the sprays are an effective garden aid. Should you choose to use weed sprays and insecticides, please consider the following to minimize their effects on our precious bees:
Bees look for a space that offers room shelter from the elements, a small entrance for security from predators, and room for growth. Your home or business’ walls, floors, ceilings, storage sheds, trees, furniture, etc. have the potential to offer all three of these criteria.
A swarm at rest. After the signal to leave the hive is given and the bees take to the air as a swarm looking for a new home, the will gather together somewhere on an object and rest. During this time, scout bees will actively come and go from the surface of the cluster in search of a new home for the swarm to move into. Swarms typically rest from anywhere from 30 minutes up to a few days. Sometimes they will move and relocate to rest at another location if no suitable home is found in the nearby vicinity. On rare occasion, if they don’t find a home timely, they may choose to start building comb and establish an open-air hive on a tree branch or suitable object where they are resting to ensure the survival of the colony. Exposed hives such as this are quite uncommon here in Hawaii due to frequent rain events as well as lots of older homes with deferred maintenance (lots of potential home opportunities).
For liability reasons, we recommend having them removed as soon as possible. You can submit a service request for a free inspection using the link on our home page. Once a homeowner or business is aware of the presence of bees, it becomes a legal liability. If they were to sting someone (e.g. a neighbor’s child, or an employee) for instance, and that person has a severe bee allergy, they would stand a good chance winning a legal proceeding since the homeowner or business was aware of the presence of the bees and chose to ignore them; That could be perceived as negligence. Of course, we recommend live removal and relocation since Hawaii’s bees are irreplaceable due to laws that prohibit importing bees.
Yes. Hawaii has 63 species of native yellow-faced bees. Unlike honeybees, however, which are social insects that live in large colonies of up to 80,000, Hawaii’s native bees are solitary species, living alone or in very small families of less than a dozen. Some even make home on the beaches in sand burrows and holes of washed up coral. These local bees do not produce any harvestable honey.
The removal method typically used is referred to as a cut-out. As the name suggest, we must cut open the call or ceiling to extricate the beehive. We plan thoroughly in advance to minimize the amount of cutting necessary and coordinate repairs with the homeowner. Typically, bees are removed from the interior wall as drywall is cheaper and easier to repair than exterior siding. Plus, we don’t want to compromise the weatherproofing integrity of the exterior whenever possible.
In certain circumstances, we may be able to remove the bees by other means but there are variables and timing that play into their effectiveness.
In most instances, yes. We have methods for removing bees from most trees without significant cutting or loss of the tree. In Hawaii, the most common trees that we are called to remove bees from are Mango trees and Kamani trees. Large mango trees are notorious for have large hallow voids in their oversized trunks which if bees find, love to take up residence in.
In most instances, yes. We have methods for removing bees from most walls without significant cutting or damage to the wall.
Maybe. We have had success with removing bee colonies from rock walls, however rock walls are among the most challenging of removals as the bees often can find alternate routes out of the wall, making collecting them quite challenging.
Absolutely! We are commercially insured for swarm and structural beehive removals from residential and business properties. We can provide a “Proof of Insurance” Certificate of Insurance at no charge to any customer (homeowner or business) upon request at anytime. For a business or homeowner whom requests to be listed as “Additional Insured” on the policy certificate, they must inform us of the request at least 3 business days prior to the removal and a $15 service fee will be added to the cost of the removal.
For typical removals, 99% of the bees in the colony will be removed in one day! All of the bees present at the time of removal will be collected and relocated. However, each night a very small number of bees don’t make it home to their hive and settle to overnight somewhere safe. When these bees return home the next morning and find it closed up and gone, they will fly around that day confused. On the second day following the removal these bees will settle into a very small cluster and disperse naturally over 3-14 days. They are generally very docile and calm from the second day following the removal onward. The amount of stray bees is typical only a few dozen or less.
Most of our removals are guaranteed against future bee occupancy of the same exact space for a year (although in most instances, we make it so that been can never occupy the space ever again unless the area is disturbed. We will advise in our estimate about warranty coverage.
The responsible party for removal is typically determined by the location of the bees. Here are some common scenarios and general responsible parties: