LIVE BEE REMOVALS
We will rehome those unwanted bee colonies on your property and give them the best opportunity to flourish in our apriary.
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(NO REMOVALS JUNE-AUGUST DUE TO EXTREME HEAT)
SERVICE AREA
If you are within the boundary of this Google Map (link button below), we will perform our live bee removal service in your area. Contact us using the email link below. When contacting us, please provide the following information for a free estimate: Geographical location (major cross streets is acceptable at first), what type of structure the bee colony is in and how long you have known them to be there. Close up pictures truly help in giving the most accurate quote.
LIVE REMOVAL VS EXTERMINATION
There are several reasons why a person with a bee issue should hire a beekeeper to perform a live removal instead of hiring a pest control company to exterminate the colony.
First and foremost, bees are already struggling. The number of "wild" colonies decreases every year. It is now becoming more and more imperative that these wild colonies are re-homed to a beekeeper's apiary to provide the necessary pollination to our plant based food sources.
However, if I am being quite honest, usually it boils down to the cost of the removal. You can find pest control companies who will simply exterminate the colony for as low as $50. It is very difficult to compete with that low price. One thing to consider is this; if the pest control company is successful (which is not always the case) in exterminating the colony, the comb left behind still needs to be removed. If the comb is left inside the structure, the smell will attract future colonies to move in. During this time, the left behind honey and pollen will attract roaches, mice, ants and many other pests. Furthermore, during the heat of summer without the bees presence to keep the colony cool, the comb will melt and drop and release that honey, sometimes many gallons of it, into the structure. This honey will cause further damage to the surrounding structure and you will find that you will need to repair far more than you would have had you hired a beekeeper to perform the removal in the first place. Also, a beekeeper will clean the area as best as they can and advise you how to properly "bee proof" your home.
WHY WE CHARGE FOR REMOVALS
It is a common thought that beekeepers should not charge to do removals because they get the "free" bees after all. However, below you will see a list of some of the costs involved in being a beekeeper and performing live bee removals.
BASIC HIVE COMPONENTS
This is a small list of the minimum equipment needed to house these "free" bees. Keep in mind prices change all the time and the prices I have provided do not include shipping.
bottom board: $23
hive body x2: $44
honey super: $12
frames for hive bodies x20: $67
frames for honey super x10: $31
outer cover: $29
inner cover: $13
new queen (due to the high presence of Africanized Honey Bees, the queen is typically replaced to change the genetics and temperament of the hive): $25-$45
TOOLS
There are several tools needed to complete a live bee removal. This list is just a small portion of the tools that I typically use to perform these removals.
FLIR camera: $370
digital borescope: $60
Little Giant ladder: $250
reciprocating saw: $60
circular saw: $80
Dremel Multi-Max: $150
drill: $40
shop lights: $70
This list does not include the many extension cords, smaller hand tools and other materials needed for the job.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There is more to it than "free" bees.
When you are paying a beekeeper to perform a removal, you are paying for their time and experience. You would not expect a tree trimmer to remove a tree for you for free just because they can sell the wood as firewood. Also, just because the beekeeper is able to take home the bees, that does not mean they will be able to collect honey from them. It takes approximately a year for a colony to grow enough to produce surplus honey to sell. In this time, the bees could easily die or abscond (leave for unknown reasons) and the beekeeper needs to feed and care for these bees to give them the best chance possible. So please keep all of this in mind when you have a honey bee issue and you are considering hiring a beekeeper to perform a live removal.
REMOVAL PRICING
The following will help you in determining what fee you should expect based on your honey bee issue. Keep in mind there are a lot of variables that cannot be accounted for and may greatly alter the pricing. Please read the entirety of this section to fully understand what fee you should expect.
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-SERVICE FEE- $40
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The service fee is associated with those needing us to come to their location to make an assessment prior to scheduling a removal. This service fee will be rolled into the final cost of the removal if you decide to move forward with our service. However, after we have made our assessment and provided you with an estimate, the service fee is non-refundable and will be paid PRIOR to the assessment. If for some reason we are unable to keep the assessment appointment, we will fully refund this service fee.
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The service fee can be paid for here: https://www.hornbakeracres.com/product-page/service-fee
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-TRAVEL FEE- $1.00/MILE
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Travel miles are calculated from our location in the Rainbow Valley area of Buckeye. They are also calculated as a "one way" distance and are not charged for the service fee. As an example, if the honey bee issue is 15 miles from our location, a one time fee of $15 will be added to the total removal fee.
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-EXTRA HOURS- $50.00/HOUR
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The below prices are for the first 3 hours of work. Any length of time after that will be charged $50.00 per hour based on half hour increments. Keep in mind that a vast majority of our removals take less than three hours. If a removal goes beyond that time frame it is due to an especially large or difficult removal. This is only WORK hours. There are times that we may need to walk away from a removal to allow the foraging bees to return to the colony at night to ensure we collect them all. You will NOT be charged for this down time.
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-10 FEET MAX-
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We will only perform removals a maximum of 10 feet in the air using the equipment we have in our inventory. Any height above that may require the use of rented specialty equipment at the cost of the client.
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-WHAT WE DON'T CHARGE-
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There are certain items that our competitors may charge in addition to what we have listed. However, we feel that our fees, though very reasonable, are able to cover those items. One item that we do not charge for is expendable materials used in our service. We also offer free over the phone (or via email) consultation. Furthermore, we also offer FREE on site bee proofing consultation with any removal that we may perform.
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SWARMS
OPEN AIR COLONY
CUT-OUT
$60
Swarms are simply a gathering of thousands of bees with NO attached comb. These bees are simply resting while attempting to locate a new home.
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While it is true that swarms will likely move along in a day or two, it is unwise to just leave them there. While they are scouting for a new home they may likely find one on your property in a location that makes them far more difficult (and therefor costly) to remove, such as your wall or in the trunk of a tree.
$120
An open air colony is a honey bee colony that has built their comb in the complete open or in an accessible structure such as: a storage cabinet, on a fence or in the branches of a tree. This type of removal requires no cutting or dismantling to access all of the bees and the comb.
$240
This style of removal requires cutting into or dismantling a structure to access the bees and comb. This style of removal is most prone to additional fees due to further hours required to complete the service. However, it is still very rare that our removals go beyond the allotted 3 hours. Furthermore, we do not perform any repairs to the damage caused to the structure while performing our service. With that in mind, we do our absolute best to be as least intrusive and cause as minimal damage required to complete the removal.