Bee Removal in Vallejo, CA

Bees are not wasps

The first question is always: is it really a bee? Honey bees are fuzzy, golden brown and fly from flower to flower. Yellowjackets are smooth, bright yellow and black, and they hang around trash cans and picnic food. Carpenter bees are big, shiny black and look like bumble bees.

If you are dealing with yellowjackets or paper wasps, go to wasp and yellowjacket removal in Vallejo. This page is about bees.

Honey bees pollinate the gardens, fruit trees and farms all around Vallejo and the Napa and Solano valleys. Where we can, we would rather move them than kill them. But bees in the wrong place, like inside the bedroom wall, still need to go.

Swarm or colony?

These are two different situations, and they are handled very differently.

Honey bee swarms

Spring swarms are how honey bee colonies split. Half the colony leaves with the old queen, rests on something nearby, and waits while scout bees look for a new hole to move into. A swarm can sit for a few hours or a couple of days.

That waiting time is the best time to call. Once the swarm picks a home, which is often a gap in your siding, roof or a hollow in a tree, the job becomes a colony removal. Swarms in Vallejo show up on trees in yards, fences, cars and even the playground equipment at neighborhood parks.

Bees in the wall

A colony inside a wall, ceiling or chimney is the harder job. Honey bees build sheets of wax comb filled with honey and young bees, and a colony that has been there a year can hold a lot of it.

Here is why this matters: if the bees are killed and the comb stays in the wall, the honey can melt and soak through drywall and ceilings, and the leftover comb draws in wax moths, ants, rodents and new swarms that smell the old hive. Bee removal from a wall is not finished until the comb is out and the entry is sealed.

Older Vallejo homes, with their wooden siding, gaps around vents and hollow wall cavities, are especially popular with swarms looking for a home.

Carpenter bees: the wood borers

Carpenter bees are one of the most searched bee problems in Vallejo. They are big, shiny black bees, and the males hover around your eaves and deck in spring. Males cannot sting; females can but rarely do.

They do not live in colonies. Each female drills a perfectly round, finger-wide hole into bare or weathered wood and tunnels along the grain to lay eggs. Look for:

• Round, clean holes about 1/2 inch wide in fascia boards, eaves, deck rails, fences, pergolas and wooden outdoor furniture
• Small piles of coarse sawdust right below the holes
• Yellow-brown stains below holes from bee droppings
• Bees hovering and buzzing near the same wood every spring

A few holes are cosmetic. Years of tunnels in the same boards weaken the wood and let in moisture, and woodpeckers often tear up the boards looking for the larvae.

Holes in wood with fine, pellet-like droppings instead of sawdust are a different problem: that is often drywood termites. See termite control in Vallejo.

How we handle bees

1. Identify and locate. We confirm the bee, find the entrance and work out whether it is a swarm, an established colony or carpenter bees.
2. Swarms: live removal where possible. Swarms are usually collected and relocated, by us or by a local beekeeper, depending on the situation.
3. Wall and structure colonies: plan the removal. We locate the comb, which sometimes means using a thermal camera or opening a section of wall or ceiling. The bees are removed, live if the situation allows, and the comb and honey come out with them.
4. Seal the entry. Once the bees and comb are gone, the entry point gets sealed so the next swarm cannot use it. Leftover scent attracts new bees, so this step matters.
5. Carpenter bees: treat and seal. We treat active tunnels, then the holes are plugged and sealed after the bees are gone. We tell you which boards need paint or replacement.
6. When live removal is not possible. Sometimes a colony is too deep in a structure, too defensive or in a spot that is a danger to people. In that case we explain the options before anything is done.

We tell you exactly what we plan to do before we start, including any wall or ceiling opening and who handles the repair.

What to do while you wait

• Keep people and pets away from the swarm or entrance. Close nearby windows.
• Do not spray the bees with water, insecticide or a hose. It makes a calm swarm defensive and can scatter it into your walls.
• Do not seal the entrance to a wall colony. Trapped bees will find another way out, sometimes into the house.
• Take a photo from a safe distance and note how long the bees have been there. This helps us plan.
• If you are allergic, stay inside and keep doors closed.

Prevent bees from moving in

• Seal gaps in siding, eaves, vents, chimney caps, utility boxes and around pipes before spring swarm season.
• Screen vents and cover unused openings with fine mesh.
• Paint or stain bare wood on fascia, decks and fences. Carpenter bees prefer bare, weathered wood.
• Remove old comb after any bee removal so the scent does not attract the next swarm.
• Check empty spaces like old sheds, water meter boxes and unused barbecue grills in spring.

What does bee removal cost in Vallejo?

It depends on whether it is a swarm, a wall or ceiling colony, or carpenter bees, how high the bees are, how long the colony has been there and how much comb has to come out. A swarm on a low branch is a quick job. A large colony in a second-story wall that needs opening and repair is a much bigger one.

We assess first and give you a clear price before we start. For general pricing factors, see our Vallejo pest control cost guide.