An Exterminated Hive

What happens when you choose to have a beehive exterminated, rather than relocating the hive? The outcome is rarely as simple as it seems.

Bees are very hard to exterminate due to how their colony is structured. This can often mean that multiple attempts are needed to destroy the same hive. The photos here show a hive where exterminators were called in three times over a two year period before the hive was killed.

When a hive is exterminated we often see other pests moving into the old hive as there are no bees around to protect the honey that the bees stored there. We regularly see issues with other pests such as mice, rats, wasps, robber bees and cockroaches. Plus a new swarm of bees may move into the exterminated hive during swarm season. Thus the problem of having a beehive has not gone away and still needs to be dealt with. We are often called in to remove the dead beehive after extermination due to these other pests. We would much prefer to move a living hive, young bees and all the honey first time around, rather than having to remove a dead hive.

Although you may think that you are saving youself money by exterminating the beehive, in the long run it may cost you more with repeat visits and other pest issues.

Think again if you're considering extermination as a cheaper option.