Why charge more when sprayed?

[Joes_bees]

So after reading about people pricing hive removal from homes, a few beekeepers mentioned charging extra if they had tried using "wasp & hornet killer" on the bees.

Maybe this will be obvious if I ever get into that situation but ... why?

Because the honey is no longer safe?

Because the bees are no longer healthy?

Because the spray contaminates their bee tools and now need to be cleaned?

[EastSideBuzz]

Mainly because if they sprayed most of the honey bee's will die later anyway. Part of why you do the cutout cheaper or free in many cases for me is because you want the bee's. If they die then no good.

I did a cutout. put them in a Nuc. Left the nuc under the eave outside of the house to get all the stragglers. Came back the next evening to take them figuring I had all of them and they were gone. They did not like the box and moved on. So all that work and no bee's. She did give my daughter 100 bucks for helping but, I got no bee's. So if you were to do a cutout and get no bee's to survive because of chemicals you would have nothing and possibly infect your other hives with the chemicals that might be on a wing tip or something.

[Joes_bees]

If it's still in there killing bees I'm guessing the honey isn't safe either.

After what I've read it sounds like you should never do a cut out expecting to get much from it. But I guess when they are sprayed it's closer to a guarantee you'll be providing a service with no physical rewards other than $.

[warrior]

I had a call to remove two from an apt complex. When I arrived I found four and all had been sprayed and were dying.
I immediately walked and as I explained to the manager. Bees are a business to me and it is how I feed my family. I agreed on one price to remove two LIVE colonies of bees. That fee was a labor charge. With four I have to up that labor fee and with them sprayed there will be additional fees as well because I expect each live colony I remove to make me XXX amount of dollars over the next 18 months. Dead colonies do not make me money so the cost to remove a dead colony is more than to remove a live colony.

[Joes_bees]

My next question then is; is it obvious when they've been sprayed?

[johng]

Sometimes it is obvious. But, most people will tell you if you ask what have you tried to get rid of the bees up to this point?

[bluegrass]

The staining around the entrance is a dead give away that they have been sprayed. And like mentioned above, if asked people will admit to it, you just have to be coy when asking. For example you don'y say "did you try pesticides?" You say something like: It doesn't look like spraying them would have taken care of this colony, good thing you called me" Then they volunteer how many cans of spray they tried first.