Honey Bee Removal

Honey Bees In Central Texas

Honey bees are treated differently from every other stinging insect here, because they are pollinators worth protecting rather than pests to eliminate.

Because honey bees are pollinators, the goal is to move them, not kill them, and the Texas A&M AgriLife guide to honey bees reflects that same relocation-first approach.

Signs You Have Honey Bees

Honey bees show up in one of two ways, and telling them apart matters:

• A swarm clustered on a branch, fence, or structure, often for just a day or two.
• Steady bee traffic in and out of a wall gap, soffit, or chimney.
• Buzzing inside a wall, a sign of an established colony.
• Honey or wax staining a wall or ceiling.
• Many bees around one entry point on the structure.

Are Honey Bees Dangerous?

A single honey bee sting is minor for most people, since the bee dies after delivering its one barbed sting. Two situations, though, make honey bees a real concern.

The first is Africanized honey bees, which are present in Texas and defend their nests far more aggressively than European honey bees, delivering many stings at once. The second is a colony inside a wall, which builds honeycomb that, if the bees are killed and the comb left behind, melts, rots, attracts other pests, and stains the walls. For anyone with a venom allergy, any sting is a risk, as the NIH MedlinePlus guide to insect stings notes.

How We Handle Honey Bees

Stride handles honey bees through the five-step Stride Forward process, built around relocation and proper removal:

1. Inspect. We locate the swarm or the structural colony and assess how established it is.
2. Identify. We confirm honey bees rather than wasps, since bees are relocated rather than exterminated.
3. Recommend. We arrange relocation through a beekeeper for swarms and accessible colonies, and plan full removal for colonies inside a structure.
4. Relocate or remove. We coordinate beekeeper relocation where it is safe, and for an established wall colony we plan removal that includes clearing out the honeycomb.
5. Evaluate. We seal the entry point so a new swarm does not move into the same spot.

Our GreenPro certification guides this reduced-risk, pollinator-first approach.

How to Keep Honey Bees From Nesting

Keeping honey bees from moving in comes down to sealing potential nest sites:

• Seal wall, soffit, and eave gaps that open into voids.
• Cap chimneys and screen attic and gable vents.
• Address a swarm early, before it establishes a colony.
• Remove old honeycomb after a colony is gone, so the scent does not draw new bees.
• Watch wall gaps in spring, the main swarming season.

Honey Bee Frequently Asked Questions

Stride Forward is our Integrated Pest Management program where we partner with our clients in the long-term removal and prevention of pests. Keeping your property free of unwanted insects and rodents works best when we work together.

The program combines habitat manipulation, biological control, cultural behavior changes, and the targeted use of products designed to repel or eradicate pests. Our approach follows five steps, with non-chemical methods prioritized before any product application.

Our Certifications & Awards

Stride Pest Control holds QualityPro and GreenPro certifications through the NPMA’s Foundation for Professional Pest Management, and fewer than 3% of pest control companies nationwide hold both. QualityPro requires background checks on every service member, a drug-free workplace, and 16 standards that exceed state and federal requirements.

Our Austin and Round Rock office operates under Texas Department of Agriculture license TPCL #667951, with Burton Johnston as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our San Antonio office operates under TPCL #827449, with Alex Randall as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our office manager, Michael Honeycutt, is an Associate Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America.

Founded in 2013, we have served nearly 12,000 customers across Central Texas and hold a 4.9-star rating across 2,400+ reviews with an A+ from the BBB.