Bees are beautiful, glorious, and beneficial creatures of mother nature. The problem is that sometimes they don’t stay in nature. Sometimes they invade our homes. That is when they officially become a pest.

So what do you do when bees invade the roof of your home? Below are a few tips you need to know about removing hives from a tile roof:

Tip #1: Take action as soon as you discover the problem. The longer the bees stay, the bigger the hive. The bigger the Hive, the more difficult it is to remove. The more difficult the job, the higher the cost to remove it.

Tip #2: Don’t just kill the bees. Killing the bees without removing the hive often results in problems down the road. Unless you catch it early, eliminating bees only provides temporary relief. If a hive remains inside a structure, new swarms will eventually re infest the same area. Bees are attracted to the smell of hive material and will often re infest and build new hives next to older ones.

Tip #3: Hire a licensed pest control company that specializes in bees. Make sure the company is insured…after all it’s not butterflies we are dealing with. In San Diego wild bees are often Hybrid African bees…and they can be quite aggressive. Don’t attempt to do it yourself unless you possess the proper protection, knowledge, and equipment.

That being said, most of our customers want to know how we remove hives from a roof. Every job is different. Some are only able to be removed through the attic. Others are only able to be removed from the exterior roof. It all depends on the logistics of where the hive is located.

In general, most structural hive removals from a tile roof are performed by following the steps below:

  • 1. Identify location of hive inside structure. At times, this can be difficult. Other times the hive is right where the bees are entering.
  • 2. Remove the tiles where the hive is located. Be careful not to break any tiles!
  • 3. Pull back the tar paper.
  • 4. Cut open the plywood to expose the hive.
  • 5. Remove the bees. Scrape out the hive, honeycomb, and wax.
  • 6. Prime the area where the hive was located. This reduces the scent of the pheromones.
  • 7. Bee Proof  (screen off) the area where bees were entering.
  • 8. Repair the area of opening.

 

If you are interested in prevention check our post we wrote on Bee Proofing.

So now you know what is involved in removing a hive from a tile roof. Take a look at video clip above. It’s an edited clip of a recent tile roof job. It may look easy, but that’s because you will be watching the Bee Whisperer. He makes it look easy because he has over 30 years of experience removing hives from structures.

Ever had a beehive in your tile roof? Tell us your story.