If you have Tree Bees at your property it will be most notable in nice weather and when the sun is shining on the area of the nest. Their favourite nesting places are in bird boxes, soffits, cavity walls and under the tiles next to your guttering where they build a nest containing up to 200 bees.

They are not native and made their way over from mainland Europe about 10 years ago and in the last couple of years have established themselves up here.

They are not likely to attack unless you disturb them however it is their mating rituals that provoke the most distress and alarm.

Male bees from the surrounding area are attracted to nests as they produce virgin queens at this time of year (May-June). The males dance around the entrance to the nest (c. 15-30 at a time) and then catch the virgin queens as they exit the nest. Then they fall to the ground and mate, the mated queen then goes to look for a new home. Therefore one nest can produce several in the local area.

Unlike native bumblebees and honeybees they are prolific to say the least, for example in Southport last year I found 4 nests in a row of 6 houses and as such the number of bees was causing some of the neighbours a great deal of concern.

Therefore whilst there may be a global issue with the number of bees (specifically honeybees) tree bees are not rare.

However they do still pollinate to an extent so if someone is happy to have bees around for the summer, and probably every summer as some queens are saved for the following year then by all means leave them.

If the number of bees is causing you distress or you have children or pets who may get stung then you can have them removed or killed.

This depends on their location and the amount of money you are willing to spend, as if they are inside your building (they particularly like insulated cavities) then you would have to have the area of the nest taken apart brick by brick to access the nest.

Alternatively a sensible pest control company can (when satisfied it is necessary) treat the nest and put a stop to the spread via the mating ritual and kill the active nest.

Treatments take approximately 20 minutes and after up to 7 days (to allow the males to move on) the nest will be dead, if you see bees entering the nest the following week after we have visited we will return for free ensure the treatment has been effective.

If you need our help just call or see our Book Appointment page to book an appointment or for free advice call us on the number at the top of the page.

We will only charge you for a successful treatment

Our normal rate is £95*.

*This price is based on an average domestic property within 10 miles of our base location, PR9 8ES