When beehives are removed, not all of the bees are present. Some are still flying around the area. Worker bees might be pollinating plants nearby. These leftover bees after a hive removal service are called straggler bees. These straggler bees eventually return to the nest and look for their queen. They sometimes gather in a small group. Some bees who were separated from the original colony might search for a new queen to start another colony. But, straggler bees can only survive for a week or two without the hive, and often they are not successful in starting a new colony.
To avoid many straggler bees being left behind, we recommend removing the hive early in the morning or later in the evening. If completed very early in the morning, the worker bees will likely still be inside the hive and if done later in the afternoon, the worker bees will likely be back from their pollination duties. During mid-day, most bees will be out of the hive working and will become stragglers. Even if hives are removed during recommended hours, a high number of straggler bees may remain on the land. In those cases, the straggler bees can often be relocated with the help of a skilled beekeeper or a professional pest control service such as Pest Management, Inc.
Don’t hesitate to contact our team at Pest Management, Inc. if you have concerns about removing a hive or questions about straggler bees after a hive removal. We are experienced in hive removal and can walk you through any questions about the process over a quick phone call.