Contacts for removing honey bees from structures in Michigan
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EmailHow to find someone who does cutouts to remove a honey bee hive from a home or other structure.
Sometimes honey bee colonies can build a nest in a home or other undesirable location. Honey bees reproduce by swarming, a process where about one-third to one-half of the workers in a colony leave with a queen to set up a hive in a new location. Beekeepers work hard to deter swarming behavior, but honey bees have a strong natural instinct to reproduce. Factors like nectar availability, colony genetics and weather can contribute to swarming.
Honey bees prefer to establish nests in cavities, so swarms will often build a home in a tree cavity. Unfortunately, sometimes a swarm moves into a cavity in a structure like in a wall or a roof. Honey bee colonies can’t be lured out of their new nest cavity, since a portion of the colony won’t abandon developing brood and stored honey. The act of removing honey bee colonies from structures is called a “cutout”. If you need a honey bee colony removed from a structure, it’s best to call a beekeeper experienced and qualified in doing cutouts.
The Michigan Beekeepers Association maintains a cutout removal list of people interested in removing honey bees from structures. Due to the time and expertise needed to perform cutouts, this service is usually offered for a fee. Michigan State University Extension does not vet or endorse anyone on the list. If you are not able to find someone on the cutout list to help you, you can also try reaching out to local Michigan beekeeping clubs. Michigan State University does not provide bee or wasp removal services.
The Michigan Beekeepers Association would like to grow its cutout list. If you are an individual or business who can provide cutout services, please email your name, business name (if applicable), phone number, city and county to newslettereditor@mba-bees.org.
Before you reach out to have the honey bees cut out, it’s best to confirm you are dealing with an established honey bee nest and not an active swarm or another species of bee or wasp. Photos and descriptions of honey bee swarms and wasp nests are below. People in Michigan can send photos of insects and nests to Michigan State University’s Ask Extension form to confirm if they are dealing with honey bees, other bee species, wasps or another insect. The Michigan Beekeepers Association also has information on distinguishing honey bees and wasps on its page, Problem Bees.
Honey bee swarms
A cluster of honey bees that is gathered outside, often hanging on a tree branch or gathered on a fence post or other object, is a swarm that has not moved to a permanent hive location. Many beekeepers are interested in relocating honey bee swarms, and this service is often performed for free. You can find more information on swarm identification and removal in Michigan State University (MSU) Extension’s article, “What should I do if I find a swarm of bees?”
Wasp nests
Many bees and other insects resemble honey bees. People commonly mistake wasp nests for established honey bee nests. MSU Extension’s article, “Getting rid of wasp nests,” has photos and descriptions of various kinds of wasp nests and suggestions for their removal.
Honey bee nest established in a structure
Cutout list of people who remove bees from structures
Resources
- What should I do if I find a swarm of bees? from MSU Extension
- Getting rid of wasp nests from MSU Extension
- Michigan State University’s Ask Extension form
- Problem bees from Michigan Beekeepers Association
- List of Michigan beekeeping clubs from Michigan Beekeepers Association
- Cut-out list of people who remove bees from structures from Michigan Beekeepers Association
Acknowledgments
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no 2021-70006-35450] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Thank you to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for securing funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Michigan State University to implement strategies in the Michigan Pollinator Protection Plan.
