How much does Beehive removal cost?

Let’s take a closer look at the breakdown of professional beehive removal cost in the US in 2022.

Professional Beehive Removal Cost

Homeowners mostly choose to hire professionals, like Eden, for beehive removal from their property. This is effectively the safest and most effective option. Below, we have listed the different major factors that influence the overall cost of removing a beehive.

Free Beehive Removal

Beekeepers can help to remove a beehive from your property for no charge at all. This is only true sometimes and in very specific circumstances. Beekeepers usually do this when they need additional bees for their bee-farm. However, this works only for honeybees and not for other types of pests, such as wasps or hornets. Besides this, beekeepers tend to remove bees that are in a wild swarm, and have not formed a hive yet. They usually prefer to remove balls of bees that usually cling in a ball to a tree limb, before beginning to make their hive. 

However, if the bees have formed a hive within your home, such as in the walls, the attic, or under the soffit, then you will have to call in professional bee removal services. In such a situation, you will need to pay the professionals to remove the bee infestation and beehive from your property. 

Swarm Removal

The national average cost of swarm removal by professionals in the US is around USD 75, with the lowest cost at around USD 0 while the highest cost of removing a bee swarm is around USD 150 or more. 

Swarm removal is a cost-effective way to get rid of bees. When a bee swarm moves in, they are usually looking for a new home but have not chosen a place yet. Bee swarms appear when a hive has grown large enough to split apart with the weight of the honey and bee population. In such a situation, an old queen will set out with a swarm of bees to find a new location for building a beehive. 

It is easy to spot a swarm of bees. You only need to look for a large bunch of bees clinging together, usually on a tree limb. If you notice a swarm of bees, it is advisable to wait for a couple of days. There is a possibility that the bees may move to another location. However, if the bees remain clinging to the same spot for more than a couple of days, it is time to call in professionals for beehive removal. 

Factors that Determine Cost of Bee Removal

The final cost of bee removal depends on several factors. The biggest factor is usually for repairing the parts that are damaged by the bee swarm. Here is a list of the different factors and how they affect the overall cost of bee removal services:

Types of Bees

The type of bee infesting your property is a major factor that influences the overall cost of bee removal. The reason is that some bees are more dangerous and harmful to humans and pets than others. Apart from this, some bees are more eco-friendly and essential for the biosphere, so they need to be relocated, instead of exterminated. 

Here’s a quick breakdown of the cost of bee removal according to the type of bee:

• Bumble Bee = USD 80 to USD 200
• Carpenter Bee = USD 100 to USD 600
• Killer Bee = USD 150 to USD 800
• Honey Bee = USD 100 to USD 1,000

Location of Bee Swarm/Hive

The location where the bees are forming a bunch or making a bee hive is also a major factor in deciding the final cost of bee removal services. The reason is that some places may be easier to access while others may require using special equipment. Besides this, some places tend to get damaged less than others, around the house. This is also a major influencing factor in the cost of bee removal. 

Let’s take a quick look at how the location of bee infestation determines the total cost of bee removal:

• Ground Nest Removal = USD 150 to USD 250
• Tree Nest Removal = USD 450 to USD 750
• Home Nest Removal = USD 325 to USD 650 (no damage repairs)
• Home Nest Removal = USD 250 to USD 3,500 (with damage repairs) 

Size of Swarm

The size of the bee swarm that is infesting your property also determines the final cost of hiring experts for bee removal. Usually, bee hives can grow from 4 feet in length and can have more than 80,000 bees living in it. 

Different species of bees have different-sized hives. For instance, a bumble bee nest may have around 50 to 400 bees, while there are around 30,000 to 60,000 honeybees in a hive. As the effort to remove a larger infestation is more, this increases the overall cost of bee removal services.

Repair Costs (after Beehive removal)

Repairing the damage caused by bees is definitely the biggest influencing factor that determines the final cost of bee removal services. Once you have a bee hive removed, you may have to hire carpenters to repair the roof, ceilings and walls which adds significantly to the overall cost of bee removal. The price range for repairs is quite extensive because structural damage from bee infestation varies significantly from one another.

Here is a simple breakdown of the average cost of doing specific repairs to your home after bee removal:

• Roof repair = USD 200 to USD 300
• Siding repair = USD 200 to USD 2,000
• Deck repair = USD 225 to USD 3,500
• Drywall repair = USD 270 to USD 600 
• Stucco repair = USD 500 to USD 1,000
• Soffit replacement = USD 6 to USD 20 (per linear foot)
• Ceiling repair = USD 300 to USD 1,000

Extermination vs. Removal

Extermination is the process by which the bees are poisoned while removal is simply relocating the bees from their present location to another, in a safe, ethical manner. 

The average cost of bee extermination in the US is around USD 150 to USD 500, while the cost of bee relocation is around USD 1,000.

Conclusion

The average cost of hiring professionals for bee removal in the United States can be as low as USD 0 to as high as USD 354. Additionally, the highest cost of bee removal services can be as much as USD 2,000, depending on several factors. It is highly recommended to consult and hire professional pest controllers, such as Eden for best result.