[Stinging Insects] Going to Great Heights to Save a Beehive

Honey bees, Apis mellifera, occasionally present a problem to homeowners and property managers, particularly when they nest in walls and other difficult-to-access areas or when swarms occur. Swarms can create a great deal of concern by passersby when they see thousands of bees hanging on a tree or over a doorway. Last year, in the District of Columbia a swarm in a homeowner’s front yard created such alarm that the District posted a police officer to keep citizens away from the area. Despite the efforts of several entomologists and beekeepers to persuade the sergeant in charge to cordon off the area with yellow tape and let them move on in the morning they vigilantly guarded it until the next day when the bees moved on. You would think D.C. police have more important things to do than guard a swarm of bees.

When a beehive is in a structure’s wall or ceiling this is a more difficult and serious problem because the bees are difficult to remove and pose a risk to occupants if they break through to interior areas. We attempt to engage the services of local beekeepers to remove the colony from the structure and we do the clean-up; unfortunately, most local beekeepers aren’t interested in dealing with these situations.

A Team Effort. In the summer of 2007 I had the opportunity to consult with the National Zoological Park (NZP) to save a bee colony that was 65 feet up a tulip poplar tree (Fig. 1, below) that was scheduled for removal in an area being cleared as part of the Asia Trail Phase II Project. The beehive was in an opening in the tree trunk. My approach was rather simple — drop the tree and allow the colony to naturally disperse. In similar scenarios the bees will typically return and recover most of the honey and reestablish the colony in another location.

Fig. 1: Richard Kramer consulted with the National Zoological Park on how to save a bee colony that was 65 feet up a tulip poplar tree. Fig. 2: The tree was sectioned above and below the hive and the section containing the bees was carefully lowered to the ground. Fig. 3: The tree section containing the bees was loaded on a truck and transported off the construction site to the beekeeper’s Virginia location in the hope it would become established in a man-made hive. Photos provided by Joel Rose, William V. Walsh Construction Co.

NZP’s Horticultural Unit, headed by Frank Clements, facilitated an alternative course of action — they hired The Davey Expert Tree Company to remove the section of the tree containing the beehive and gently lower it to the ground and employ a professional beekeeper to remove the colony. The principals involved in the operation were Herb Landman, consulting arborist, Jason Phillips, foreman/climber, and Dane Hannum, beekeeper. Additional staff included another climber, ground worker and a crane operator.

The tree removal was scheduled for February when, if cold enough, the bees would be relatively inactive and all would be in the hive. The procedure involved having the climber seal off the opening to the hive by stapling window screen to the outside of the beehive opening. The tree was then sectioned above and below the hive and the section containing the bees was carefully lowered to the ground (Fig. 2, on the right). The tree section containing the bees (Fig. 3, on the right) was loaded on a truck and transported to the beekeeper’s Virginia location in the hope it would become established in a man-made hive. No pesticides were used during this operation.

Consider Alternatives. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) seems to be a major reason honey bee colonies cycle up and down. Many believe CCD is caused by several factors including viruses, the Veroa mite, pesticides and climatic extremes. In the Northeast it is not uncommon to see virtually no honey bees in one season and the following season they appear to proliferate.

I don’t think most of us in our efforts to conserve a colony of honey bees would go to the measures used by the NZP; however, we should consider alternatives to traditional pesticides for those areas where bees are foraging and consider colony removal rather than destruction. Thus, it is imperative as pest professionals we do everything to minimize the destruction of honey bees.

The author is president of Innovative Pest Management, Brookeville, Md., and can be reached at rkramer@gie.net.