Removing Unwanted Honey Bees from Occupied Structures

Keith Hawkins, Extension Agent, Beauregard Parish

Homeowners, landlords, realtors and other property owners have called the AgCenter office in Beauregard about locating beekeepers to remove honey bee swarms and infestations. These citizens have a humane attitude toward honey bees because of their usefulness for both pollination and honey production. There are several ways to locate beekeepers:

  • Local AgCenter office: Your local AgCenter office usually has a list of beekeepers who can gather honeybee colonies and swarms. Often, the listing in the phone book will be under parish government, and you will likely find this office under “County Agent” or “Extension”. This office can then refer a local apiarist to remove bees or to collect swarms.
  • www.labeekeepers.org: This is a website for the Louisiana Beekeepers Association where you can find different local associations. The contact person for each local association can refer you to a beekeeper to remove swarms.
  • www.lsuagcenter.com: Another website for finding beekeepers is through the AgCenter’s website. After you arrive at the website, look for “Environment” on the left side of the page, and then click. Then click on “Insect and Relatives”, and you will arrive at a link entitled “Honeybee Removal and Swarm Collection”. Click on this link to arrive at a listing of dozens of beekeepers for the entire state.
  • Local exterminators: Most folks want to humanely remove bees. However, if no beekeeper is available, then the “nuclear option” may be necessary to control the hive terminally. Even honey bees in places where they are unwanted are also pests. Sometimes folks incorrectly identify a stinging insect as a bee when it may be another type of pest. So exterminators are also better able to control wasps and yellow jackets than beekeepers.

Finally, the SW LA Beekeepers Association has monthly meeting on the first Monday of each month in DeRidder. The topics for these meeting provide educational support to local beekeepers. If you have questions or comments about beekeeping, call 337-463-7006.

If you want to receive regular email updates from LSU Horticulture, then email Keith Hawkins at khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu to request these updates. You can also sign up to be on the “Beemail” list for information about beekeeping.

1/3/2018 8:21:19 PM
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