swarm, Des Moines
swarm

Bee Removal

If you think you need a honey bee removal, check out >this page< or >this page<  to confirm that you have honey bees.

easton 5 9 14 (8)
golden brown, not black and yellow, about 1/2″ long

MAKE SURE THEY ARE HONEY BEES AND LOOK LIKE THIS:

  • If the ‘bee’ has yellow legs and/or yellow face, it is not a honey bee.
  • If the ‘bee’ has no hair/fuzz, it is not a honey bee.
  • If the ‘bee’ has a thread-like waist, it is not a honey bee.
  • If it is black and bright yellow, it is not a honey bee.
  • If they are flying in and out of a hole in the ground or a railroad tie, they are probably not honey bees.

If you see a structure like either of these, you have wasps:

Lefthand photo by Downtowngal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. Righthand photo with permission of B. Buckley.
Lefthand photo by Downtowngal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. Righthand photo with permission of B. Buckley.
Once you know they are honey bees, if you have any of the following, use the contact form  (here) for a removal assessment or better yet, call or text a photo ASAP because swarms usually leave after a couple hours: Ben (319) 830-8632

  • Honey bee swarm.  A random clump of bees hanging from an elevated surface, not feeding on flowers
  • Established colony in a structure or living tree
  • Downed tree with an established colony