Rescuing Central Texas Bees
Borescopes and Thermal Cameras
When we’re removing bees from a house, figuring out where the bees are located is only half the battle. We need to know how large the colony is and, by extension, the amount and location of the comb. To do this, we use primarily 2 tools. We use a thermal camera to detect the heat of the colony. This gives us an understanding of exactly where the colony is. Based on the size and location of the colony, we can determine the amount of comb and how far it extends. After that, we use a borescope to peer into the walls to verify the outer boundaries of the comb. And based on that, we can make the cuts.
Soffits
Soffits are among bees’ favorite places to build out their colony. They’re dark, quiet, and have the perfect dimensions. If you see bees going in and out of a soffit, it is best to remove them as soon as possible. The bees are building comb that is filled with baby bees, nectar, pollen and honey. As the colony grows, so too can the amount of comb. Depending on how far back the colony extends, you can potentially have honey dripping down exterior or even interior walls. It can pool on subfloors and it can stain exterior siding.
The following is the process used by Texas Bee Services to remove bees from a soffit.
Before cutting into any soffit, we use thermal cameras to confirm the presence of the colony in the soffit. We can identify the bees’ presence by detecting the heat emitted by the colony. Once we have confirmed that they’re in the soffit, we can drill small dime-sized holes in the soffit and insert a scope to identify the lateral boundaries of the comb. These holes are caulked over and painted at the end so they are not visible
After we have confirmed where the comb is located, we remove a section of the soffit to expose the comb. We carefully vacuum all the bees, and remove all the comb, including honey, pollen, brood.
After all the comb is removed, we scrape the walls of the soffit, and then leave the cavity exposed for about a week. During this time, the bees in the area will come into the soffit and remove the bits of honey and comb that we were not able to reach.
After a week’s, time, we return to the property where we will confirm that the colony is gone, and local bees have cleaned the cavity. Once we have confirmed that, we’ll add insulation in the cavity to ensure there is no room for bees to rebuild in the future.
Then we’ll add a pest strip just as an added safety measure to prevent any colonies from coming into adjacent areas of the soffit.
Then we re-secure the soffit plate that we previously removed, ensuring that it is properly caulked.
Then we add black foam to block any points of entry that the bees are using to get into the soffit.
Last, we re-paint the area so that it looks as good as new.
