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How to Get Rid of Bees in Siding

Whether it’s the fall season, and you’re hoping to squeeze in a little more patio time (perhaps with some hot chocolate sitting around an outdoor firepit) or Spring is here and you want to soak in the sunshine, chances are you’d like to enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about one of nature’s more aggressive (if only annoying) pests. 

I’m talking about an insect that’s fuzzy, winged, black and yellow, and makes Winnie the Pooh’s favorite food. [In case you weren’t aware, that’s honey.]

Unfortunately, stories about bees performing an air raid and turning a family picnic into a nightmare with their devotion for diving into meat and sweet things are all too common. 

Of course, nobody likes to deal with insects, whether it’s outside or inside the home—you know, like when you find huge crickets in the kitchen or see silverfish scuttling along the ceiling. But when it comes to bees, these little raincoat-wearing beetles can be more than a nuisance: they can be dangerous.

Some people are allergic to bees, which of course could turn a single bee sting into a potentially deadly occurrence. Then, of course, there’s the fact that some bee-like insect cousins (such as wasps) whose stingers don’t fall out after one use…meaning that they can sting again and again.

It all sounds charming, doesn’t it? Adds some character to the house. Imagine a real estate agent showing your property and commenting on the situation. And here we have a lovely little nest of wasps behind the siding. You can hear them swarming around in there, letting their righteous wasp anger snowball until they burst out and attack unsuspecting victims in the yard.

Great….just great. But don’t fret: if wasps, bees, or hornets have built some sort of nest in the siding of your home, you can do something about it. Bees will usually sequester themselves away in overhangs, cracks, window and door frames, and under siding—basically, anywhere they can build a cozy nest.

Now, you might think that a hive hidden away inside of the siding on your home (whether it’s wood, vinyl, or aluminum) is hard to get rid of…but actually they’re pretty safe and easy to eliminate because you won’t have to touch them directly. What you’ll need to get started are gloves, a funnel, powdered insecticide, and an empty dish soap bottle.

Sounds like we’re about to do some arts and crafts, but actually we’re about to drive away the striped invaders from your property.

get rid of bees

Step #1: Search and Remove

The first thing you’ll have to do, of course, is to locate the nest (or nests). Chances are unless you have x-ray vision, you won’t know exactly where they are, but you can take a clue from your six-legged friends. Take note of where the bees are entering and exiting your house. Here’s a hint: it’s probably not the front door…remember, bees don’t have opposable thumbs, so they can’t operate a doorknob.

Note all the specific locales where you see the little buzzers making an entrance into and egress from the sacred siding of your abode, profaning the outer layer of your home as they are with their foul vibrating noise.

Bees tend to be active during the day, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to walk around and see where they live. If there are several gateways to the bee underworld, mark them with colored tape so you’ll be able to find them later. Helpful hint: use neon, or at least noticeable colors, because you’re going to be coming back at night.

Step #2: Prepare the Feast

That’s right: your bee friends are going to feast on powdered insecticide (probably against their will). Put on your gloves, and if necessary (per the recommendations on the insecticide) perhaps a face mask as well. Take the funnel, and pour some of that powdered deadly goodness into the empty detergent bottle.

An empty detergent bottle is great for this task because you’ll be able to spray a wider and more specific target area than you would be just by sprinkling it around with your gloved hands. Just make sure the bottle is clean and dry before you fill it with the insecticide, otherwise, you might end up making some strange cocktail with heretofore unknown chemical properties.

Step #3: Come Like a Thief in the Night

As we said, bees tend to be active during the day, and a little more subdued at night. Moreover, since they’re not all buzzing around like busy bees, they’re congregated in one place, yielding the best chance of your insecticide making the greatest impact in the morning.

Another benefit to attacking at night is that the bees will be asleep, which is especially helpful because they can also be aggressive if provoked—and last time we checked, spraying deadly chemicals over someone else’s home was provocational.

Apply the insecticide by squirting the bottle over the openings that the bees are using. Make sure you hit all exits, perhaps referring to the points that you taped off. Make sure you also spray the powder into the opening as well, in order to maximize your coverage. If the exit point is close to the ground, spray a little on the ground as well, for those bees who try to crawl away.

remove bees from your siding

Step #4: Patience

You’ll need to wait about a week, but the insecticide you’ve sprayed will do its work. As the bees come and go, they’ll track the powder with them, eliminating other bees in the nest. If the Queen Bee is at home, she’ll probably be making contact with the powder that her drones have tracked in, and suffer a dramatic, Shakespearean death as well.  And that’s all folks! [Cue the Looney Tunes music].

But Wait…There’s More…for the Humane Crowd

If you’re not so into the idea of chemical warfare, then you have a few other alternatives. One of them is just to call a professional beekeeper. No shame in that. They will come over ins a space suit and gently lure the bees out of your siding to some pipe music, or whatever devil’s magic he or she has in her beekeeper bag of tricks. Or, you could try this…

Smoke ‘em Out

You’ll need a box with a lid, a bee smoker, a flathead screwdriver or scraping tool, and some protective gear like gloves, thick clothing, and a preferably a mask—just make sure your skin is covered.

You can get a bee smoker and requisite pellets from the hardware store. Unlike exterminating the bees, which takes place at night, you’ll want to smoke them out during the day, when the bees are going about their business and are not home. The smoke is mostly a deterrent to stun any bees who are home and prevent them from returning.

You’ll need to use a tool to scrape the hive away. Put it gently in the box, and then relocate somewhere far away. When the bees return, they’ll realize the sheriff has already come by and changed the locks—prompting them to look for a new abode. As you could imagine, this method is far more difficult and requires a little more finesses, so you might be better off hiring a beekeeper if you want to do this humanely.

Replace Your Siding

Your bee problem is possibly a cause of old warping and rotting siding. All that wear and tear on your siding will set you back in electric bills because your siding has poor insulation. Now is the time to fix that problem by replacing your siding with brand new virgin vinyl siding that can withstand the test of time.

At Feldco, we’ve delivered on good quality products, local service, and professional installation. That’s why we’ve helped over 400,000 customers across the Midwest. Our durability-enhanced vinyl design resists splitting, cracking and warping so you’ll be covered with high energy efficiency for a long time. Speak to a specialist and get a free quote today.

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