So you wake up one morning and notice a swarm of bees sitting on a tree near the front of your home. Or maybe you take your dog for a walk and notice a hive in an irrigation box along the way. Who do you call? Who is responsible for having them removed? Well according to the County of San Diego, it all depends on who owns the tree and who owns the irrigation box. For all intents and purposes, it is the property owner’s responsibility. If you own the land where the bees are located, you are the one responsible for having them removed.
Most of the time it is very clear who is responsible for having bees removed, but there are some grey areas. One of these exceptions is with Homeowner and Condo Associations. Every HOA and Condo Association handles bee problems differently, depending on the contract with the homeowner. Most of the time the HOA will pay for bee removal if the bees are in common areas like a courtyard or parking structure. If the bees enter the home through a vent or hole in the home, most associations consider that the responsibility of the homeowner.
Another gray area is when bees land on a cable or utility box. Yes the box is on your property, but do you own the box? What about a tree in front of your house located on the sidewalk. Is that your tree or is it considered city property? One question that may help determine who owns the property is by figuring out if you have the legal right to remove it.
Here’s another conundrum. What about when bees land between two fences on a property line? Most of the time when this situations happens, both neighbors agree to split the cost. If however, the two neighbors disagree on whether or not to have the bees removed, it may cause a problem.
What if there is a nearby hive on another property that is causing trouble? What if the bees from that hive are aggressive and people are being chased andor stung? What do you do if you don’t know who owns the property? What if the property owner refuses to take care of the problem? That’s when it’s time to call someone at the County of San Diego. Don’t know who or where to call? Click on the link below for a great flow chart on the San Diego County website.
Bee Flow Chart. Who pays for the bee removal?
If you have a bee problem on your property and want to have them removed, give us a call. (619)464-2057. If possible, we will remove the bees alive and relocate the colony to a bee farm or apiary. Take a look at the video above. It is another short clip of bees being relocated to the bee clinic. We made sure to position the camera inside the box a few times so you can get a close look at the beautiful bees that were rescued.
