{"id":512,"date":"2013-05-26T17:35:26","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T22:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rex.bohemianutopia.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=512"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:59:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:59:43","slug":"removalswarm-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/?page_id=512","title":{"rendered":"FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Q:\u00a0 What do the bees use nectar and pollen for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 Nectar is the sugary liquid that some flowers produce to attract pollinators.\u00a0 This is used by the bees as their carbohydrates in their diet.\u00a0 Pollen contains the male portion of the genetics of a flowering plant – and is consumed as the protein (and amino acids, etc) for a bee’s diet.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 Why do beekeepers use a smoker?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 When honeybees smell smoke, they behave as if there is a forest-fire.\u00a0 They quickly consume as much honey as they can in order to save it and to be ready to move to a new location.\u00a0 This makes them a bit more docile when working hives.\u00a0 Another important aspect of using smoke is that it masks the honeybees alarm pheromone.\u00a0 When alarmed, the honeybees can release a scent (pheromone) that tells the rest of the bees to “defend our home”.\u00a0 A few light puffs of smoke can greatly reduce the ability of the bees to detect that alarm scent.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0 Why has my honey crystallized (or granulated)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 It is a normal process for pure, raw honey to eventually crystallize or granulate. The rate at which it crystallizes is dependent upon the flower (or nectar) source and the ratio of fructose to glucose – and some nectars will have more (or less) moisture in them than others.\u00a0\u00a0 Honey from crops (flowers) like cotton, mesquite tree, rapeseed, wild mustards (brassica family), and several other crops sometimes is crystallized before it is even harvested from the hives!<\/p>\n

Honey itself is a super-saturated sugar solution, that has had the moisture evaporated out of it by the honeybees while in the hive.\u00a0 When pollen granules are still in the honey, they provide a place for sugar crystals to form and grow.\u00a0 Honey in a crystallized state IS still honey, and is just as good to eat.\u00a0 It will just have a different texture.\u00a0 Some marketers of honey may warm the honey to a temperature that re-liquefies it – and that is normal also – as long as it is not “heated” beyond a temperature that kills the beneficial enzymes and pollen in the honey.\u00a0 Normal summertime temperatures in Texas can reach well over 100 degrees – so that’s near the ambient temperature that you will need to get your honey to if you wish to re-liquefy it.\u00a0 Your jar of honey can be set into a warm water bath to re-liquefy it if you wish (no more than about 125 deg. F to preserve the natural enzymes in the honey).\u00a0 I just prefer to spread my granulated honey onto a morning biscuit or put a tablespoon into my morning tea or coffee.\u00a0 No reliquefication is needed for me.<\/p>\n


\nQ: What is the difference in a *SWARM* and a hive or colony?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 A swarm is part of the honeybee hive’s way of reproducing.\u00a0 As a quick answer – during the spring (when we’re past the spring equinox, and nighttime temperatures are higher than 50 degrees (F), the bees start building up brood (eggs, larvae, and nurse bees).\u00a0 When they have too many bees for their enclosed space, the bees start the process of creating a new queen from one (or more) of the young larvae, and the old queen leaves with the majority of the adult forager bees.\u00a0 They can fly anywhere from a few feet from their old location up to about 1\/4 mile from the old location (or farther if needed).<\/p>\n

The queen is large, and cannot fly very far – so when she rests on a tree branch or the side of a building, the other bees cluster around her to protect her.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A swarm has NOT established a cavity or location to be their home.\u00a0\u00a0 Once a swarm finds an acceptable spot in which to call home, they fly\/march into the new home.\u00a0\u00a0 At this point – they start building wax comb, and have an established (albeit young!) hive\/colony.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 Will a swarm of bees attack me?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 Absolutes cannot be guaranteed – however, when a *swarm* of bees leaves their old home, they remove and carry out as much honey as they can carry.\u00a0 Think of it as compared to eating your Thanksgiving Dinner.\u00a0 After eating – you generally will be in a restful mood, and more docile.\u00a0 The bees are the same.\u00a0 Usually, there is no call for them to attack when swarming, because they (a) are full of honey, and (b) have no home to defend.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What is wax?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 When humans consume too much sugar, we gain weight (or get fat) and possible heart disease and hardened arteries.\u00a0\u00a0 Evolution has graced\u00a0 the honeybee with a method of losing the fat.\u00a0 When a honeybee consumes excess sugars (nectar) – they form a cholesterol – a fairly pliable waterproof substance that we call “wax” from a gland under the abdomen of the honeybee.\u00a0 The bees use this cholesterol (wax) to make honeycomb in which to give the queen a place to lay eggs, and a place for the foragers to put the nectar and pollen that they bring to the hive.\u00a0 Because wax is a cholesterol – it also has a scent associated with it.\u00a0 It is important to remove as much wax as possible from the structure in which the honeybees have lived – along with filling the void, and properly resealing\/caulking any cracks to prevent the bees from accessing the space again.<\/p>\n

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Q:\u00a0 I’ve heard that some beekeepers will take bees for free…<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 Some may.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The woodenware (box) costs money to buy or make.\u00a0 There are frames inside that also cost money to buy.\u00a0 These are real costs associated with the rescue of feral (wild) honeybees, plus labor<\/strong> and time\/gas.\u00a0 An average hive that has been through a re-homing (and survives!) will not produce excess honey until the following year.\u00a0 Special knowledge of honeybees and tools are needed for removing honeybees successfully.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What are Rex’s removal fees?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 As of 2024, Rex no longer performs honeybee removal services.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 See THIS PAGE LINK<\/a> for info on who I reccomend in tte DFW Metroplex.\u00a0 \u00a0The below Q&A is applicable to all bee removal customers – so I leave it here, even though I am no longer removing bees from structures.\u00a0 \u00a0 I *do* still perform removals from valve boxes, and on a limited basis – from trees.\u00a0 And will also collect swarms that are easily accessible.\u00a0 \u00a0For folks that need a building opened up – I’ll refer you to other beekeepers in the area.:<\/span><\/p>\n

Old info:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 *Swarm* pickup:\u00a0 $125.00\u00a0 *minimum* (as of 5-25-2015).\u00a0\u00a0 This is because of the cost of the woodenware, frames, and drive-time, and labor time<\/strong>.\u00a0 It can often take an hour (or longer) and several tries to get the bees to orient to the catch-box.\u00a0 If the queen is located, this becomes much easier.<\/p>\n

For established hive removal<\/span> <\/strong>– call me to discuss your situation.\u00a0 In all cases, my rate is based upon actual time and difficulty to remove the colony from your home or structure.\u00a0\u00a0 Removals take time, because we are trying to save the bees, as well as clean up the comb and nectar\/honey\/pollen inside the structure.\u00a0 It takes time and construction experience to open up the structure in a respectful manner that allows it to be put back together.\u00a0 It also takes time and beekeeping knowledge to carefully remove the comb, orient it correctly and place it into commercial hive frames; then to remove as much of the wax as possible that has been attached to the inside of their home\/cavity, remove the bees themselves, and then to put the structure back together.\u00a0\u00a0 In some cases, the homeowner may choose to do their own repairs (themselves – or with their own handyman\/contractor) after the removal is complete.\u00a0 Just be aware that foragers coming back to a structure that is left open will cluster inside.\u00a0 For this reason, I recommend having the repairs done at the time of bee removal.<\/p>\n

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Q:\u00a0 What types of removals can be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 Typically – once bees have moved into a void\/space and have set up their honeycomb (which is done with a day or so of moving in) – there are two ways of performing a removal.<\/p>\n

(a) Physical removal.\u00a0 This is by far the fastest and most effective way to remove the bees and their associated “housewares”.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It involves physically opening up the structure and removing the bees, honeycomb (wax), nectar\/honey, and pollen.<\/p>\n

(b)\u00a0 Forced abscond (typically from a tree) – smoke is used to force the bees out of the tree.\u00a0 As they exit the tree, they are collected, while watching for the queen.\u00a0 This method is time consuming – however can be done in a day.<\/p>\n

(c) Trap-Out.\u00a0 Not really an ideal method.\u00a0 This method can take up to 6-8 weeks to complete, and is far from foolproof.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 For a trap-out to be successful, a new hive box must be able to be placed next to the old entrance to the hive, and there must be NO other ways in\/out for the bees. A trap-out consists of placing a one-way screened exit over the opening to the hive.\u00a0 Once a bee exits the hive, they cannot find the entrance to return to their home\/queen.\u00a0\u00a0 The bees generally will decide to use the provided box to store their nectar & pollen in since they cannot return to their old home.\u00a0 After 2-3 days, a frame of eggs\/young larvae is placed into the new box – and the bees can raise a new queen from known genetics, or a mated queen can be introduced to the colony.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What are the procedures used for removing bees from a structure?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 As a broad overview, here are the steps used in the removal of a honeybee colony:<\/p>\n