When honey bees swarm they send out 'scout bees' whose mission is to look for the best place to
establish a new home. Usually they find a hollow area in a tree, but any enclosed empty space that will
provide protection for the weather will do. They may well find an opening in your home's outside walls
or foundation that will provide them a very nice cozy spot inside your walls or ceilings or even the
basement or attic space.

Removing honey bees from inside any of the above spaces is a time consuming process that is best put
in the hands of a professional. You can do it yourself but only if you really know what you are doing
and you use extreme caution, especially if you live in an area populated by the infamous African Bee.
The removal of African Bees should only be done by a professional service, as you could easily be
attacked and lose your life !

It is important to realize that it is not sufficient to simply kill the bees and not remove the entire hive. Honey bees ventilate their bee hives and if they are not there to perform this task then the hive will get too hot in the summer weather and its contents will eventually melt and seep through your walls or ceilings. That creates a real mess !

Most people first notice honey bees coming and going through a small hole in their home's outside
walls or eaves. Sometimes they are able to find a hole where the foundation and your home's wooden
structure are joined together. In this instance they either get up inside your walls or make a home in
your basement or crawl space. Their entrance can be anywhere.

Sometimes honey bees are first noticed flying around a window inside a room of your home. In this
instance they have built a hive inside a wall or ceiling and they have found an opening very often
around a ceiling light fixture. Try to observe how they are getting inside your room and open a window
to let them get outdoors. They will have all left by nightfall. If possible close the door to the room after
they have all left.

In any case, once you have noted how they are coming and going, call a pest removal service or a local
beekeeper you may know or can find in your area. Some beekeepers will remove the bees and the
entire hive.

In any event, the honey bees most likely will have to be exterminated and the person doing the job is
going to have to access the hive by removing part of your outdoor or indoor wall. This will then
provide access to the bee hive combs, which must be removed in their entirety and all that remains of
the hive. It is important to exterminate a colony when all the bees are in the hive after dusk or before
dawn.

A variety of pesticides, in liquid or dust formulations may be used to exterminate the bees. One needs to be careful in their use as these formulations are equally of danger to the health of us humans. There is good evidence to show that soapy water is a very good material for this purpose. It is inexpensive and relatively environmentally benign.