Bee’s? A hive in the backyard?

Question

We have a ships mast about 12 feet in the air with a bird’s nest at the top. (A big blue wooden church my kids made with their grandfather). The other day we had a swarm of bee’s move in to the nest and now by my best guess they are turning it into a hive. I think the county we live in needs more bees but I am not crazy about them in my backyard. Although they are high enough up I am not worried about the kids accidentally disturbing them, I still worry about having this many bees in our back yard. No one in the family is allergic.

How do I actually assess the safety of the bees? I’d rather not start with an exterminator but I really don't know who to call?

Answer 1

Smoke them. My grandpa used to do that. He would take a roll of paper and burn it, and with it, he would smoke the bees. It paralizes them and confuses them.

Answer 2

your right... bees across north america are in dire shape. There is a virus thats killing off up to 1/2 of hives so the world needs more bees for sure..  No bees means no pollination so if you want to be eco-friendly... leave them alone.  They wont bother you if you dont bother them but would caution the kids to wear shoes or flipflops in back yard as bees fall to the ground before dying and even after dying you can step on them and get stung.

Answer 3

WIth a large number of bees I wouldn't  risk the safety of your children. Sure they are high up but the have to fly low to collect pollen and the necessities to maintain a hive which will no doubt be fairly large. Especially if there is a mass number of them. And remember a bee will strike if it thinks it's queen is in danger--all the kids have to do is come close.

I would suggest eliminating the hive altogether.

Edit: If you really want to help them you could have the hive relocated by a professional beekeeper. Look it up online for one near your area.

Answer 4

Killing the bees is not an option. It is against Federal law. They are a protected insect. Don't do it. We NEED them. Bees are essential in the pollinating of food crops. Call a bee keeper.  They will remove the hive and bees for free. This way you win, the bees win, and the bee keeper wins. And we all win!