Bees In The Garden: Blessing In Disguise?
Posted on: 5 January 2016
Let's say you are one of the millions of American homeowners who love working and spending time in the garden. You discover a beehive in you backyard and it is a safe distance away. You think to yourself that because you don't go to that specific corner of the yard that you should be safe. But are you? Bees are quite beneficial anyway, so why bother?
Yes! Bees are very valuable. In fact, without them we would not have a lot to eat. This is a short list of their benefits.
- Cross-pollination: Domestic and wild bees carry pollen between flowers, which helps in pollination. They account for 80% of global pollination.
- Crop production: Farmers lease bees to help increase crop yields, which results in more food for human consumption. This benefit alone is valued at $15 billion annually in the US.
- Honey: Without bees, we would not have this natural and healthy sweetener.
Issues
But despite the benefits we derive from bees, consider the downside of having a beehive in your backyard.
- Stings: They are painful, and if you are allergic to the sting, they could send you to the emergency room.
- Structural damage: As the hive grows, a new colony may swarm away and begin building a new hive within crevices on your outer walls.
- Africanized honeybees: That hive in you backyard may actually be the more aggressive and feral species that looks identical to the more docile honeybee. That spells trouble!
Solution
As lovely and beneficial as bees might be, an uncontrolled hive not managed by a professional apiculturist is a big problem. A few bees visiting your garden and flying from flower to flower should not be a big deal as long as their hive is not within your property. However, if your backyard is also their home, you are better off not dealing with them and you need to consult a pest control specialist immediately.
Considerations
Domestic honeybees are declining in the US and other locations due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This occurs when large numbers of worker bees in a colony die off, usually during the winter. Scientists have listed a number of reasons for CCD. The general consensus is that many factors play a role and the issue is very complex. This prompted the White House in 2015 to issue guidelines to protect bees and other pollinators. Therefore, some pest control specialists may actually be reluctant to remove or kill bees from your property under the stipulation that they are federally protected.
The fact is that there are no federal laws against removing or killing bees from your property as long as it is considered a nuisance issue. In almost every case, if you have a beehive in your backyard, and you are not an apiculturist, you are definitely dealing with a nuisance situation. A well-experienced, professional pest control specialist knows this and should be able to assist you.
Keep this in mind as you work in your garden and you begin noticing bees. A few of them feasting on your flowers are a blessing, but if you find a beehive call for help. Don't do it yourself!
For bee removal, contact a company such as ASAP Bee Removal.
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