When you come across bees in attic, you will find their hive in boxes of blinds, holes, and grooves in the house structure, walls, attics, shingles, and more. The bees often lament near a residential environment. They do not harm their nests, and so a few meters before they begin to remove hostile factors.
We all know that bees have an essential role on the planet. However, when they start to find nesting in our homes, it can be problematic. Getting rid of bees and their hives without getting stung can be difficult. In most cases, you will find these bees in the loft, ventilation holes, or at elevated corners of the house where there isn’t much disturbance. Before you face a battle with these stingers, here are a few things that you may need to know.
What are the types of bees that can nest in your attic?
Almost all bee species can nest in attics, while the most common ones are honeybees, bumblebees, and carpenter bees.
Bumblebees
Their fluffy tail can identify bumblebees. Their color models are epic (warning colors), often with contrasting color bandwidths. The colors are either of the combinations red/ black, ginger/black, off-white, black, and yellow.
Many species have a long tongue that allows the collection of nectar from tubular flowers. The shape of the bumblebees is rounded and covered with soft hair, features that give them the appearance of a furry animal. Bombus females can sting several times, but most often do not attack humans and other animals.
Despite their soft looks, bumblebees can be aggressive when it comes to defending their nests. They do not hesitate to sting you if they feel threatened. The venom of a bumblebee can lead to painful swelling, or if you have an allergic reaction, your airways will tighten, rending a fatal condition.
Honey Bees
Honey bees have a thin body with yellow-amber and black stripes. The Honeybee color is black-brown with the rise of yellow streaks and hairs at its feet. The nest runs when the queen is the biggest, the males are her workers, and they are smaller than her.
Its length ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and its workings are less than that. The honey bee is the most threatening of bees because it protects its nest well.
Within the nest are hundreds of bees that can attack at any given moment if their nest has any trace of threat. The bee feeds on buoys, insects, and sweet fruits. Finding honeybees in your attic can be a severe headache due to the massive nest and the bee army that protects it.
Not only can they appear dangerous, but they can also destroy property due to their honey-filled nests.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees have a close resemblance with bumblebees. Many people who find carpenter bees in their attic, confuse them with the bumblebees, who are a different species and have a fundamentally different lifestyle.
However, a few significant features that distinguish them are the shiny black abdomen that carpenter bees have and their flying pattern that appears more like they are chasing each other.
The carpenter bees have a large, plump body, 13 to 30 millimetres in length. There is a prominent paired bivalve with darker colors in many species, whereas males have a plume of bright hairs.
Carpenter bees are considered solitary by nature. Females will sting only when severely provoked while the males do not have stingers at all.
Bumblebees
Their fluffy tail can identify bumblebees. Their color models are epic (warning colors), often with contrasting color bandwidths. The colors are either of the combinations red/ black, ginger/black, off-white, black, and yellow.
Many species have a long tongue that allows the collection of nectar from tubular flowers. The shape of the bumblebees is rounded and covered with soft hair, features that give them the appearance of a furry animal. Bombus females can sting several times, but most often do not attack humans and other animals.
Despite their soft looks, bumblebees can be aggressive when it comes to defending their nests. They do not hesitate to sting you if they feel threatened. The venom of a bumblebee can lead to painful swelling, or if you have an allergic reaction, your airways will tighten, rending a fatal condition.
Honey Bees
Honey bees have a thin body with yellow-amber and black stripes. The Honeybee color is black-brown with the rise of yellow streaks and hairs at its feet. The nest runs when the queen is the biggest, the males are her workers, and they are smaller than her.
Its length ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and its workings are less than that. The honey bee is the most threatening of bees because it protects its nest well.
Within the nest are hundreds of bees that can attack at any given moment if their nest has any trace of threat. The bee feeds on buoys, insects, and sweet fruits. Finding honeybees in your attic can be a severe headache due to the massive nest and the bee army that protects it.
Not only can they appear dangerous, but they can also destroy property due to their honey-filled nests.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees have a close resemblance with bumblebees. Many people who find carpenter bees in their attic, confuse them with the bumblebees, who are a different species and have a fundamentally different lifestyle.
However, a few significant features that distinguish them are the shiny black abdomen that carpenter bees have and their flying pattern that appears more like they are chasing each other.
The carpenter bees have a large, plump body, 13 to 30 millimetres in length. There is a prominent paired bivalve with darker colors in many species, whereas males have a plume of bright hairs.
Carpenter bees are considered solitary by nature. Females will sting only when severely provoked while the males do not have stingers at all.
Why do bees like my attic?
Bees tend to build colonies in empty spaces that are not often visited. This makes your attic very attractive, as well as your basement and tool sheds. During the winter, most bee activities slow down except honey bees. Among the three that we described, honey bees are not known to hibernate. They use the fall and early winter to start new colonies. Unlike bumblebees and carpenter bees, they come out at the start of spring to expand their homes to raise their young.
Why bees in the attic can be dangerous?
Not everyone encounters bees entering the house, but it’s so scary and stressful when that happens. In fact, – bees are one of the terrifying pests that there are such allergies to or caused by multiple bites, Which may end in death if not treated immediately.
One important thing to know – bees sting as a survival reflex. In principle, if not provoked- the bee will not sting. But since it is an insect, it can also come as a surprise, without being “provoked” before. Bees sting because they panic. When you go wild and try to kill a bee, it reacts on a similar scale, and as a last resort – it pulls out the sting.
One important thing to know – bees sting as a survival reflex. In principle, if not provoked- the bee will not sting. But since it is an insect, it can also come as a surprise, without being “provoked” before. Bees sting because they panic. When you go wild and try to kill a bee, it reacts on a similar scale, and as a last resort – it pulls out the sting.
What is the typical reaction to the sting?
After a bite, there is physiologically in response to poison – swelling, and pain. This is something that happens naturally, and that should not scare you. It hurts, it burns – but you shouldn’t be alarmed. Put ice on it and treat it locally. Here it is important to emphasize that no bullet addresses this phenomenon: neither antihistamine nor steroid therapy. There is no treatment for what has been proven effective. After 3-5 days, it should pass.
In what case can a sting be fatal?
The story begins to be problematic if there are many bites or if the person is allergic to poison. In case of allergy, the person is in grave danger. In both cases, you need to go to the hospital immediately.
Usually, the people allergic to this poison go with an adrenaline-containing syringe—adrenaline bridges the time between the bite and arrival at a hospital. Death after a sting can be sudden. The symptoms develop immediately, seconds, or a minute later. The sting drops and loses consciousness, his blood pressure drops, his airways swell, and he suffocates. These are immediate phenomena. There’s not much time here. 10-15 minutes at best.
Usually, the people allergic to this poison go with an adrenaline-containing syringe—adrenaline bridges the time between the bite and arrival at a hospital. Death after a sting can be sudden. The symptoms develop immediately, seconds, or a minute later. The sting drops and loses consciousness, his blood pressure drops, his airways swell, and he suffocates. These are immediate phenomena. There’s not much time here. 10-15 minutes at best.
When is the best time of the year to check if there’s any bee nest in the attic?
The best time to check if there is any bee nest in the attic- is in the Spring. In winter, because of the rain and cold, the bees cannot work and produce honey, so they are not active.
In the first month after waking, the nest is continuously active, so it is an excellent time to check for bees in the attic.
The bees are usually active during the day and sleep at night, so it is advisable to do the test on the day. Besides, testing at night can lead to panic in the bees, and the chance of getting stung is higher.
Note that even though the recommended checking hours are daytime, it is best to remove the bees nest at night when they are asleep.
In the first month after waking, the nest is continuously active, so it is an excellent time to check for bees in the attic.
The bees are usually active during the day and sleep at night, so it is advisable to do the test on the day. Besides, testing at night can lead to panic in the bees, and the chance of getting stung is higher.
Note that even though the recommended checking hours are daytime, it is best to remove the bees nest at night when they are asleep.
Now, Let’s kick them out! Here are the main ways to deal with bees in your attic
Catching bee stragglers
If you have not identified where the hive is and have notice bees flying around, you can buy bee traps that can either harm or catch the bees. Of course, the latter is more recommended unless you feel that it is essential to harm bees. You may have to set up these traps daily until the bees have fully been evacuated.
If you want to create a bee trap, use a pint and half a bottle of cane and sugar water, place it on one side of it, insert the tube, put sugar-spoon sugar and water, seal the bottle with tape and set the tube. Put the trap at night next to the hive. Bees will enter the bottle through the tube In the morning, but when they want to get out, they will have serious trouble.
If the nest is likely inside your home, put in the groove from which they come out of nightcap. Seal it tightly and thus prevent the movement of bees in the morning, you should not do this during the day because bees will attack you.
If you want to create a bee trap, use a pint and half a bottle of cane and sugar water, place it on one side of it, insert the tube, put sugar-spoon sugar and water, seal the bottle with tape and set the tube. Put the trap at night next to the hive. Bees will enter the bottle through the tube In the morning, but when they want to get out, they will have serious trouble.
If the nest is likely inside your home, put in the groove from which they come out of nightcap. Seal it tightly and thus prevent the movement of bees in the morning, you should not do this during the day because bees will attack you.
Apply Repellents
Spray repellents are useful methods to keep your perimeter away from bees. Leaving these natural repellents outside the house can deter bees as they do not like the smell it. You can opt to buy some of these repellent sprays from nearby stores. You can also employ organic ones such as garlic powder, citronella plants or candles, and cucumber peels.
Bee sprays can be made with vinegar, water, and dish-washing soap. Add them all to the spray bottle, and voila, you have an insecticide. The drawback of handling pesticides on your own is that you will have to spray this inside their hive or on a bee directly. Thus, it can be dangerous for you if you do not have protective gear.
You can also put a poisoned bait near the nest, a piece of food with poison intended for it. The bee will take the food to the nest, and then the poison will spread throughout the nest and destroy it from within.
If you want to keep the bees away without killing or trapping them, sow a seedling of the tobacco shrub or the broad-leaved or spruce bush.
Bee sprays can be made with vinegar, water, and dish-washing soap. Add them all to the spray bottle, and voila, you have an insecticide. The drawback of handling pesticides on your own is that you will have to spray this inside their hive or on a bee directly. Thus, it can be dangerous for you if you do not have protective gear.
You can also put a poisoned bait near the nest, a piece of food with poison intended for it. The bee will take the food to the nest, and then the poison will spread throughout the nest and destroy it from within.
If you want to keep the bees away without killing or trapping them, sow a seedling of the tobacco shrub or the broad-leaved or spruce bush.
Seek a professional beekeeper to move the hive
Finding a local beekeeper in your area can make a difference. For one, they are trained to handle such conditions and two, and they can keep both you and the animals safe. In most cases, beekeepers would relocate the nest out of your home. When relocating, you cannot expect that the nests can be placed too far as it would confuse the colony. A progressive relocation will have to be done until they are far enough to harm you and your family.
Call the exterminator
The exterminator knows best how to deal with bees, so that you do not end your day at a hospital and call the exterminator specializing in bee control. When the exterminator sprays bee removal pesticide, you must close the windows or not be present in the area. The most effective pest control is in the evening when there is no activity around the nest.
Still, not every exterminator likes to work in the evening. Even when you are not at home, make sure to evacuate the children who stay at home for their safety and proper safety. The bees may attack if the spray is distributed to Keenan, so the priority is not to stay home.
Still, not every exterminator likes to work in the evening. Even when you are not at home, make sure to evacuate the children who stay at home for their safety and proper safety. The bees may attack if the spray is distributed to Keenan, so the priority is not to stay home.
The best defense is the offense
It is done, there can still be lingering fear finding bees nest in the attic again. One effective way to deal with this is to take preventive measures. Here are a few dos and don’ts.
- As much as possible, food should not be left out in the open. Food should be kept stored in plastic containers or covered with foil. Although food is not necessarily a prevalent magnet of bees, it can help mitigate the problem of their presence.
- Bees can enter through cracks and crevices in your home. To prevent this, you can seal holes with expandable foams or any other similar solution. That way, they cannot crawl inside to nest.
- By frequently cleaning and inspecting your house’s areas, you can prevent nesting of bees in the loft, basement, and other undisturbed areas. And even though you arrive at one, you can immediately address this problem before the colony grows more massive.
Finding bees in attic is can pose a serious concern because it is already close to you and your family. And although they do not mean to harm anyone, it is not safe to live in a house with a buzzing friend.
If you are already facing this invasion, I strongly advise that you address them as soon as possible.
Lastly, if you can, please dispatch in the least harmful way so that you and your buzzing visitors can live safely, separately, and peacefully from one another. We got plenty of attic related blogs here at homecolumns.
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