Bee Removal in Anaheim, CA

Anaheim covers a lot of ground, from the flat, older neighborhoods west of the 57 to the canyons and hillsides of Anaheim Hills. The Santa Ana River runs through the city and Santa Ana Canyon opens to the east, and Anaheim Hills borders natural open space. That combination of flowering landscaping, older buildings with gaps, and open land nearby means there are plenty of honey bee colonies looking for new homes every spring and summer.

Honey bee colonies reproduce by swarming. When a hive gets crowded, the old queen leaves with thousands of workers, and the swarm clusters on a branch, fence or eave while scouts look for a new cavity. That new home is often a wall void, an attic, a meter box or an irrigation valve box.

Swarm calls in Orange County tend to pick up in spring as colonies build up, and they continue into summer and early fall in warm years. Established hives inside walls can be found any time of year. The sooner a colony is dealt with, the less comb it builds and the easier the removal and cleanup.

Africanized honey bees are established in Southern California, and many wild colonies in Orange County carry Africanized genetics. You can't tell them apart from ordinary honey bees by looking. The difference is behavior: Africanized colonies defend their nest more readily, in larger numbers, and chase farther.

A resting swarm is usually not defensive because it has no nest to protect. An established hive in a wall or tree is different. Do not spray, plug the hole, hose it down or try to knock it loose. Keep children and pets away, and if bees start chasing you, run in a straight line to a car or building and do not stop to swat. Removal of established colonies is a job for a professional with protective equipment.

Anyone with a known bee sting allergy should be especially careful and keep an epinephrine auto-injector on hand if one has been prescribed. If someone is stung many times, or shows signs of an allergic reaction such as trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911.

In the Anaheim Colony historic district and the older neighborhoods around Downtown and West Anaheim, wood-sided homes and older stucco have gaps at the eaves, vents and chimneys that bees move into. In Anaheim Hills and around Canyon Rim, hives show up in roof tiles, block walls along slopes, and outdoor kitchens. Businesses along Katella Avenue, Harbor Boulevard and in the Platinum Triangle call about bees in signs, light fixtures and planters.

Bees going in and out of one small hole in a steady stream, especially on warm afternoons, almost always means an established colony inside. A loud humming in a wall or ceiling, or honey stains seeping through drywall, are signs it has been there a while. The most common places we find colonies in Anaheim are:

We start by looking at where the bees are, how big the colony is, and how they are behaving. An exposed swarm can often be removed in a single short visit. When a colony is healthy and accessible, we work with local beekeepers on live removal whenever possible. When a hive is inside a structure, we open the area, remove the comb and honey, and then seal the entry.

Removing the comb matters. Honey and wax left inside a wall can attract ants, cockroaches and rodents, can stain drywall as it melts in summer heat, and the smell draws new swarms to the same spot. Sealing the hole with the right materials is what keeps the next swarm from moving into the same cavity. In some situations, such as a very defensive colony in a high-traffic area, removal methods other than live removal are necessary for safety, and we explain why before starting.

Wasps and yellowjackets are sometimes mistaken for bees. If we find a wasp or yellowjacket nest instead, we can handle that during the same visit, and we tell you what it is before we treat it.

For bees on private property in Orange County, removal is the property owner's responsibility. The County of Orange and the county Agricultural Commissioner both direct residents to a private pest control company for hives and swarms on private property. If bees are actively stinging people, call 911 first.

For everything else, call Yogi's Pest Control at 714-323-8262. We are owner-operated, licensed by the California Structural Pest Control Board (OPR 14866), and work 7 days a week from 8 AM to 8 PM across Anaheim.

When you call, it helps to tell us where the bees are, roughly how long they have been there, and whether they are hanging in a cluster or flying in and out of a hole. A photo taken from a safe distance helps us plan. We will give you a price range on the phone and confirm it on site before any work begins.