It’s springtime which means it’s the start of the bee season here in San Diego. It’s been a busy start this year, but some jobs we are called out on don’t always turn out to be paying jobs. This is because we are often called out by concerned customers who don’t have a swarm or a beehive. Instead what they are experiencing are “scout bees” looking for a possible location to move into. This was the case of a man right by our office in La Mesa, CA. He noticed about a dozen bees flying in various areas inside and outside his garage.
When we got the call a couple weeks ago, we sent Jeff out to take a look to see what was going on. After arriving on site, Jeff noticed there wasn’t a swarm or hive that he could see. Yes, there were a few bees flying, but there was no cluster or flight pattern indicating that there was an infestation. To make sure the bees weren’t clustered and hidden inside the garage, Jeff went inside and took a look in the rafters.
After getting on a ladder and using a flash light, Jeff confirmed what he originally thought when he arrived. There was no swarm or hive present. It was just scout bees.
So what can a pest control or bee removal company do about bees that are scouting? The answer is not a lot. Without an actual swarm or beehive, there is not a lot that any company can do in this specific situation.
So what should a homeowners do if they see bees scouting? The main thing to do is to keep an eye out. Regularly check the exterior of the home at least every few days to start off with and continue over the following weeks. Just because its only scouts now, doesn’t mean the bees wont be back at a later date. Sometimes the scouts will lead a swarm right back to where the scouting activity took place. Sometimes you may get lucky and they will chose a different place to go to.
Its been a couple weeks since we went out and helped this customer at his home. So far we haven’t heard back, so we are guessing he was one of the lucky homeowners that wasn’t chosen.
