Bees

How to identify bees

Honey bees are golden-brown to amber with fuzzy bodies and dark bands, about 1/2 inch, and far hairier than the smooth, slender wasps people confuse them with. You'll see steady two-way bee traffic at a single entry point — a knothole, gap in the brick, soffit, or chimney — rather than a visible paper comb. Continuous buzzing inside a wall and, in an established colony, honey or waxy seepage staining the interior surface are telltale signs of bees nesting in the structure.

Behavior & biology

A honey bee colony is a large social unit — a single queen plus thousands of workers — that builds wax comb to store honey and raise brood. Colonies establish in spring and summer, often when a swarm looking for a new home moves into a cavity in a wall, chimney, or hollow tree. Once inside, the colony expands its comb and honey stores through the warm season, which is why an ignored colony grows heavier, more defensive, and more damaging the longer it stays.

Why bees matter

Bees are overwhelmingly beneficial, so the concern is situational rather than constant. A colony in a wall or chimney can deliver defensive stings to people nearby, and stings are a medical emergency for those with venom allergies. Established comb adds weight and, when a colony is killed or abandoned without removal, the leftover honey and wax can seep, stain, attract other pests, and create moisture and odor problems inside the structure. The bees themselves do not chew wood like carpenter ants or termites.

DIY vs. professional control

Spraying a colony in a wall is both ethically and practically the wrong move — it kills beneficial pollinators and leaves comb and honey rotting inside the structure, drawing ants, roaches, and moisture damage. Honey bees should be assessed by a professional who can identify the species, determine whether live removal is feasible, and coordinate relocation. Treatment or exclusion is reserved for cases where a colony genuinely threatens a structure or safety and live removal isn't possible.

How Definity treats bees

Definity treats bees as the pollinators they are: we assess the colony first, confirm it's honey bees, and arrange live removal and relocation wherever possible rather than extermination. When a colony is in an inaccessible void or poses a direct threat to a structure or to allergic occupants and live removal isn't feasible, we treat and then remove comb and honey and seal the entry point so the cavity isn't reoccupied. Johnny Lockridge's guidance is simple — don't spray a beehive in your wall; have it assessed, because in most cases the bees can be saved and the entry sealed so they don't come back.