What to Do If Bees Make a Hive on Your Property
Especially during the summer months, swarms of bees can sometimes be heard roaming the suburban streets of Australia, searching for their next home-invasion target. If you hear a buzzing around your home, look out, you could be next! Once a colony is formed, bees search for a new home in the form of giant swarms slowly floating through the sky. If they find a tree or structure they like, they will huddle together there, before slowly creating a hive of wax. But what should you do if this happens on your property?
Keep in Mind That Not All Native Bees Are Stingless!
For whatever reason, many Australians are under the impression that native Australian bees are stingless, which is definitely not the case! Of course, some species are, but the majority are not. So, if the bees on your property don't look like the commonly shown domesticated European bee, but still seem to be bees, that's an even better reason to stay away. They'll likely act a lot less predictable and more dangerous than their domesticated cousins.
Immediately Tell Your Family, Visitors and Neighbours
A healthy, average adult can supposedly take more than 1,000 stings before things get serious. This may seem like a lot, but if you take into account that the average 4-year-old weighs about a quarter of the average adult's weight, the risks become evident. Not to mention the potential for young children to not only have unknown allergies, but to also develop them after seemingly not being allergic to the trigger in question. The same goes for pets, who probably have no idea what's going on, so they should be kept inside regardless. Also, some medications or combinations of medications can cause anaphylaxis in people who get stung, even if they have no prior history of bee sting allergies, which can lead to a lot more trouble than a little bit of pain from getting stung.
Call a Pest Management Company
If you happen to know a beekeeper, they may remove the hive free of charge, as most non-native bees in Australia are usually descendants of domesticated bees and are therefore easily taken from the wild to an artificial hive. However, if the hive is in the structure of a building or another hard to reach place, and you don't want your structures torn apart or the bees are wild or highly aggressive, poisoning the bees may be your only option. Pest management companies can offer quick, humane deaths to the bees of unfortunately placed hives.