Bees - how to get rid of?

We have an old couch on our front porch which some bees have taken a liking to.

I called the council (Town of Vincent) who put me onto a bee catcher who informed me $120 to remove. I was under the impression a bee catch would remove the bees for free (as they keep the bees/eggs for their own use).

Anyone dealt with this problem before? I don't want to kill the bees if possible.
 
I'm guessing that setting the couch on fire isn't an option, but how about getting a can of aeroguard and spraying the whole couch all over?

You might have to do it again eventually if they come back.

Another option is to do a little reading and put some plants that will repel bees around the area & maybe a couple around the couch aswell.
 
Not sure about lighting the couch. We want to throw it out, however we can't move while it's full of bees.

Aeroguard may work. I also heard moth balls may repel them.
 
exterminators aren't interested in keeping the bees, dude.

they spray poison, you hand over cash. simple.

i reckon drag couch with a long rope into the middle of the driveway and set the thing alight.
 
very simple call a bee keeper and they will come and collect the Queen , and the others will disperse , ;)

i think a queen bee is worth $20 :D
 
It just cost me about $160 to remove (kill) a swarm (also Perth).

Petrol will kill them as will Mortein.

I know it sounds harsh, but so did the $160!

I thought that I could get them removed, but no one was interested that I rang, they only told me they would kill them. :(
 
I had bees take up residence at my home twice. Both times removed by beekeepers. First time free, second time paid. Oh well, that's small bickies for a bee-free backyard :)
 
bee's are dieing , and if we loose them , we have no flowers , fruit, grass , feed for cattle, and the planet will die, have you lot seen bee movie!
 
Bee keepers will come and get them if they are in an easy access spot. We just had them settle in the roof. I thought he would get up into the manhole but he said no way it was against OHS. This old house has 8 chimneys. They swarmed into the front bedroom and came down the chimney. Killed about 50 each day for 2 days. Then partner put a cap on chimney, could see them swarm to the next chimney. He was up the top putting a cap on, I was down below trying to seal off the fireplace before more came down. Very frightening. Then they came in through the air vents and I could hear them swarming in the walls. I used 4 cans of fly spray over 2 weeks & my eyes were sore. It kills them and they dont get mad. But you only kill about 200-300 and there can be 200,000 eventually. They wont go away by themselves as they are setting up a nest. Finally they started coming in through the window and vents of my studio so I rang the pest controller. $110 and all he did was spray poison powder intothe vents with an industrial size puffer pack. It was worth it for peace of mind as the buzzing was unsettling and I kept thinking I would get stung and evidentally they wont just go away.
 
bene313 - usually your local council is the first call you should make and they should put you in touch with a nominated bee swarm coordinator who would usually be aligned with the local apiarist club or society. This poor guy will usually be run off his feet during swarming season. Swarming season for bees is during the spring and early summer. Swarms occur when the queen of the hive is getting a little older (weaker) and/or the hive is getting overcrowded and the beehive actually splits itself into two. Half the bees together with the existing queen load themselves up with honey then nick off (swarm) looking for a new home. The remaining bees left in the hive will have started to breed up a new queen for the remainder of the hive from the eggs laid by the old queen. The bee swarm will form a cluster as they have on your old couch, they may be transiting and bee scouts may still be looking for a more suitable location - letterbox, hole in the wall, compost bin where they may decide to settle and continue to do what bees do.

Beekeepers will take steps to prevent their bees from swarming by replacing the old queen with a new one (for example) - but steps can be taken to prevent swarms but they still may swarm, and if they do, the existing bee colony can can loose 20 or 30 thousand bees - not good for honey production. There are also feral swarms from wild honey bees.

So chances are that your swarm may move on to another location in a few days - you wouldn't want them to make a new home in a wall cavity of your home as they will start filling up your wall cavity with honey!

The swarm coordinator will come over and place the swarm in a container who will pass them onto a beekeeper who will use them and put them to work as a new colony.

You may like to do a search for beekeeping clubs within your area as some will come and collect your swarm for nothing - usually a beekeeper as he/she gets a new colony for free or the poor swarm coordinator who will usually have a family and a regular job who will come and collect them for a fee.

good luck

wombat

PS - yes I like bees, I reckon they're cool. :)
 
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