[USCBeeMan]

I hate 'em!!! Had stand step on tree for a trap out. Tree must be 300 years old. Huge tree. Was probably going to put on the trap this week and a hive on the stand. Bees were flying well last week and bringing in pollen. Things were looking good. With the days in the 70's and 80's this week.

But I checked this AM and NO BEES!!!! Also noticed lawn service had cut all they way up to the tree. Normally they don't. Came back by this afternoon and no bees. When into Farm Credit (they own the property). Mentioned that there were no bees and that someone must have killed them. The lady said she noticed they were no longer flying and that they were flying last week. She also noticed that the lawn service cut right up to the tree instead of the normal 3-5 foot distance around the tree. She too believes that they killed the bees. But have no way of proving it.

Really makes me angry. I am going to find out who works that lawn and have some words with them. They cost me a trap out of bees and $200 service fee to remove the bees and close up the hole. Hopefully they will pay me a little something for my time so far and for closing up the hole so that they will not have another swarm find a home.

$200, that's a lot of money to me! It's against the law to kill bees in TN. I may call the state apiquirist and see what he has to say.

 

[Rohe Bee Ranch]

Turn them in to the state! I hate when this happens.

 

[tnmx]

Hey Ken
Sorry to here about the about the bees and your loss. I had something like that happen in Hendersonville, TN last year. A swarm of bees had set up shop under a water meter cover. They called me I went over tocollect them. When I pulled the cover off there was some fresh drawn comb and a lot of dead bees in the bottom by the meter. The lawm service came over around 1:00pm and must have sprayed poision in the meter cover slot. The home owner was as upset as I was.

 

[Batman]

Here in California, I have been told by people that it is against the law to kill honey bees, but don't know California's official stand is on the subject. Say what you want, but I just continue to pass along the info that "it's illegal to kill them." It's not that I am puposely trying to feed people bad info, I'm just trying to keep people from killing the bees. I talked to a local business that has bees in a wall. THEY WANTED ME TO PAY THEM $150 FOR THE REPAIR COST. I told them that that was not gonna happen, but to be advised that it was illegal to kill them. I drove by the other day, they put a cap over the entrance. I would love to call on it, but have not, even if it is illegal, I wonder if the they'll get away with it for one reason or another. But I am REALLY crossing my fingers that when summer comes and the wax and honey start to heat up and melt, that it makes a huge mess.

Craig

 

[peterloringborst]

Here in California, I have been told by people that it is against the law to kill honey bees

I hear this pretty often. No, it is not illegal to kill honey bees.

They are not an "endangered species" and are not protected by any laws. An exception would be if somebody else kills your bees. There would be laws governing property loss.

If you own bees, they are yours to kill as you see fit (like if they are vicious or diseased).

If they are in a house, they are pests and pest control operators are just as free to kill them as they are to kill roaches and ants. Some areas require a license to perform this service, and insurance.

If you are a homeowner and have bees in your house, they belong to you and you can do what you want with them. They can be killed cheaply with over the counter products designed for wasps.

Some of these don't even have insecticides, but are made from detergents and essential oils. Most insects are killed by soapy water and this is the method of choice for African bee swarms. Fast and cheap.

Saving the honey bees from a house or tree is a noble thing but it can be very difficult and time consuming. Most knowledgeable beekeepers start at $300 and it goes up depending on the complexity of the job.

Some do not do carpentry, so the cost could easily double. Hence, in terms of cost, a pest removal service is much more economical. Cheaper still is the do it yourself route.

I love bees as much or more than anyone. But they don't belong in houses, any more than you would want crows nesting in your kitchen.

 

[chandler]

While that does suck, you have no proof what happened to them. May not have anything to do with anyone. Maybe they just left and went somewhere else? I'd hate to be blamed for something I didn't do or in this situation didn't know I did it.

 

[Batman]

I hear this pretty often. No, it is not illegal to kill honey bees.
QUOTE]


Just got off the phone with the Dept of Food and Ag. I asked the exact question "is it illegal to kill honeybees?" The gent I spoke to told me "Yes." When I talked to him about the wall that had been closed off, he told me to get him an address and they would look into it. So here in California, per CDFA, yes it is illegal.

I'm also getting an application to reg. with my state.

 

[Batman]

While that does suck, you have no proof what happened to them. May not have anything to do with anyone. Maybe they just left and went somewhere else? I'd hate to be blamed for something I didn't do or in this situation didn't know I did it.

Since I am always going by there and looking at them, salavating at getting them, I know they were still there the day before it was capped off. It was a well establish colony. Did they get up and leave? Maybe, but worth looking into. They estimated the repair cost to be $150 and wanted me to pay it. Im sure when that wax starts melting and the honey starts to drain down from the roof, the cost is going to be more than that. I'm not trying to be jerk, heck I would have even given them a jar of honey, but I surely was not going to pay them $. I can buy a single story deep established hive for $75 or a double deep for $150. Same price, less work? Not a hard choice to make.

Craig

 

[peterloringborst]

Just got off the phone with the Dept of Food and Ag. I asked the exact question "is it illegal to kill honeybees?"

I believe the gentlemen to be a complete nitwit who has no idea what he's talking about.

 

[Batman]

Well, whatever. It's his job to know these things, but who knows. Regardless, I talked to the owner of the building, and she said a local guy from the next town over removed it and I kind of believe her since they said they found 3 queen cells.

 

[peterloringborst]

exterminating bees is big business in many states, including California. In Arizona it is illegal to have unhived bees on your property. Florida has outlawed bees in many counties.


Bee Exterminators

Abolish Pest Control are professionals when it comes to identifiying the problem, remove the bees and removing bee hives. Bee extermination is what we do. With rising concerns of the Africanized bee (killer bee) more people are now looking to control their bee problems rather than avoiding them. Unlike other pest control companies who only kill the bees but don't fully solve the problem; We find the hive, remove the bees, remove the hive and prevent future infestations of the area. That is true bee control!

Bee extermination is our expertise. We have serviced Southern California for over 30 years. Our technicians are highly trained and experts in bee extermination. We don't just exterminate the bees. We search the area, your home and establish where the hive is. Then we eliminate the bees in a manner that would cause the least damage to your home or the area. once all the bees have been exterminated we begin removal of the hive. It is essential to remove the hive and honey to prevent future problems such as other pests or bees. Bee removal services don't just end there, once the bees and hive are removed we clean the area and proof the area of future bee infestations.

Unlike the European honey bee, the Africanized bee can be easily aggravated. The killer bee has been on a journey from South America to North America since 1957. The first reported case in the USA was in 1990 and by 1994 they reached California, moving at a rate of 200 miles per year you would think they would have overwhelmed the continent by now. Their expansion rate has been drastically reduced thanks to professional bee control companies who have crews specializing in bee removal.

Call toll free

 

[peterloringborst]

Is it illegal to kill honey bees?

Many pesticide labels include warnings to avoid spraying flowering plants or crops outdoors where honey bees are likely to be foraging for nectar and pollen (e.g., in a garden or planted field). In those situations, it is important to obey the labeling to help protect the bees. However, when bees invade a home, or a colony is a threat , you have the right to remove them (preferably) or to kill them if necessary.


Master Pest Patrol
Sacramento, CA 95823

 

[Naturegoods]

I believe the gentlemen to be a complete nitwit who has no idea what he's talking about.

Ditto
It's not like you gotta think he works for the government so he has to know what he is talking about!:lpf:

Bees in buildings are dangerous and not protected according to my research last summer on this subject. Lucky for us beeks the media makes a big deal out of honey bee CCD and most people have 'heard something' and therefore don't want to kill the bees. That being said, most cut outs I have done, I know they TRIED to kill the bees before paying me to remove them but the hive tends to be a ways away from the opening and they can buy spray by the case and it won't kill the hive

 

[peterloringborst]

Rumors are prevalent on the Internet that it is illegal to kill bees. This is not unilaterally true. Regardless, it should be remembered that bees are an indispensable part of our planet's ecology.

Misconceptions
1. It is a misconception that it is strictly illegal to kill bees. It depends on the method used to kill the bee. Approaches such as swatting, using natural liquids or administering EPA-approved chemical solutions to kill a bee are not prohibited by law. The use of federally banned pesticides, however, is illegal.

 

[Chick]

To peterloringborst. I copied and pasted to following from a commercial site. I think that the bees are actually covered under a provision of a 2008 law, rather than a 2007 law. Some protection has been afforded to bees, with the decline in colonies.



If they show Africanized behavior they will be
immediately destroyed. If however they prove to be uncorrupted
European stock they will be placed in a standard bee hive and put
back to work in the ecosystem as nature intended, pollinating and
producing honey. This is the only logical solution to the growing
Africanized bee problem. This is the only method used and
recommended by the USDA. This is the only logical solution to the
growing Africanized bee problem. This is the only method used and
recommended by the USDA. The only other alternative is to kill all
honeybees on site, which is now banned by Federal Law under the
Pollinator's Protection Act of 2007. This Law states the prescribed
legal method for dealing with honeybees and other pollinators should
be reduced-impact integrated pest management, which means using
biological and mechanical alternatives first. This includes but is not
limited to, biological lures, traps, and removing and relocating
honeybees alive. Exterminating is permitted as a last resort if no other
means is available or pruden

 

[peterloringborst]

I would hardly call that definitive. Who has read the act?

 

[peterloringborst]

I worked as a NY State bee inspector in 2006, 2007 and 2008. NY law dictates that bees infected with AFB are to be destroyed and the combs and honey burned. African bees are illegal in NYS and are to be destroyed as well.

I supervised the destruction of hundreds of hives, as required by law. I believe I would have heard if a law had been passed that would prevent the State inspectors from carrying out their job.

So far as I know, anyone that owns bees is free to exterminate them as they see fit, and exterminators are free to kill bees at the homeowner's request. I have never seen nor heard of any law that would prevent them from doing so, nor do I believe there is one.

So far nobody has shown even a shred of evidence that killing honey bees is illegal. They are not an endangered species by any stretch of the imagination. They aren't even native to the US. Native wild bees are an entirely different matter; many of these are endangered species.

 

[chandler]

exterminating bees is big business in many states, including California. In Arizona it is illegal to have unhived bees on your property. Florida has outlawed bees in many counties.


Bee Exterminators

I think a lot of people call the whole bee/wasp family bees. My neighbor talked to me the other day about her dog getting attacked by bees while we were talking about my hive. It wasn't bees, it was hornets. She's like, eh, bees, hornets, what's the diff? She asked, so I told her. An hour later, she was sorry she asked.

 

[rkr]

John Q Public is not much help here either, I got a call today on some bees in a $1.25 mil home with (confirmed) Honeybees in it. Once I got the whole story I found out that one exterminator had been there last fall and they owners had been spraying poison up in the hive opening.

I politely declined to "help" them. He had an exterminator coming just after me (in fact I met them in the driveway). I told him that poisoned bees and fouled wax was of no use to me, next time consider calling a beekeeper first.

It was OK and he understood why I could not help him, he was a bit apologetic. I have no idea what they charged him but I did let him know that if he did not remove the combs it could attract more bees, pests and possibly mold and ferment the honey with no bees to maintain it.

Here in Mo although many people are under the impression bees are protected, the Department of Ag said they are not in a phone conversation I had with them.

I would say intentionally killing someones honeybees is a crime, but that is true of any livestock. Kinda like feral hogs vs a hog farm. More of a property crime.

Aren't we asked to report managed colony kills from pesticides to the EPA or DNR?
Maybe that is the confusion.

RKR

 

[PoDuck]

I have heard it is illegal to kill bees in Tennessee and Illinois. I have not seen the specific laws though. The original poster is in Tennessee, so it may very well be illegal there to some extent.