Bee swarms sometimes find the oddest places to land. Sometimes the colony is just resting and will fly away. Other times they decide to stay and build a hive in the most remarkable places.

If you take a look at our YouTube Channel, you will notice that most of the swarms we encounter are removed from gardens, eaves of houses, chimneys, birdhouses, and irrigation boxes.

Less common are the swarms that land on transportation. Last May I wrote about bees landing on vehicles. In today’s blog we are going to talk about bees on boats.

Most of the bee swarms we encounter that land on boats, usually do so in the summer to early fall. Over the years we have removed swarms from nearly all the docks along the coast in San Diego. From the  Chula Vista Marina all the way up to the Oceanside Harbor.  We have seen bees land on sailboats, dingys, slips, and piers.

Over the years we have noticed that when bees land on a boat, they usually land on the underside of the canvas cover or on the side of of the boat. When the bees land, the boat is docked. We have yet to ever encounter bees that land while the boat is at sail.

Another common place swarms land on the marina are on the electric hookup pedestals. The pedestals are there to provide electric and water utilities to the boat. For some reason, swarms seem to land on these pedestals more than other areas on the pier.

Only once have we encountered a swarm that landed on a flag at the mast. Luckily for all you sailors, bees usually don’t invade the cabin or sleeping quarters.

So what should you do if a swarm of bees lands on your boat and won’t go away?

1. Don’t spray them with water or try to kill them. Most wild bees in San Diego are Africanized and you could put yourself or others in danger.

2. If you are patient you can always wait a few hours to see if the bees will go away on their own. Put up some caution tape. Make a few signs. Add caution cones around the area and leave the boat for a few hours. They might just fly away on their own.

3. If you are allergic or scared of bees, (or just don’t want to wait), call a bee removal professional to come out and remove them humanely if possible. If you are in San Diego you can call us at (619)464-2057. We have the proper protection and equipment to handle the problem safely.

Curious what a bee removal from a boat looks like? Check out this clip below: