FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the questions we receive on a regular basis. We've tried to provide answers or pointers to places where you can find an answer. If there is a question you have that you don't see on the list, please contact us and we will do our best to respond.

Disclaimer: The information provided below is given as is without warranty or guaranty. The Trinity Valley Beekeepers' Association will not be held liable for any actions or events that occur based upon the information provided. You are advised to contact a professional before taking any actions involving bees, swarms or beehives.

Beekeeping

• Isn't it illegal to keep bees?
  No. While municipalities differ in how they regulate bees, almost none of them outlaw it. In the city of Dallas, for instance, the only laws the apply are the public nuisance laws: if your bees bother enough of your neighbors and they complain to the city, the city could ask you to remove them, or you would face a fine. The city of Mesquite allows up to two hives per residential lot. Your local regulations may vary. You can find the ordinances of some of the cities in Texas at http://www.amlegal.com/library/tx/index.shtml. Search for words like "bee" and "apiary".

• What's going on with all the bees disappearing?
  We call it Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and - although we are not entirely sure about it - it appears to be caused by a virus. There have been instances of beekeepers losing up to half of their colonies. The problem has been reported by beekeepers in Texas, but many of us have not been effected at all. Some of the wild speculation early on (about how all the bees were going to die and we would run out of food) was just that: wild speculation.

Bees Around You

• A swarm of bees is living in my neighbor's tree. How can I tell if they are
  "killer bees"?
  There is no easy way to distinguish between an africanized bee and a regular honeybee; they are the same size, the same color, and have the same venom. The difference is in how they behave. An africanized honeybee colony will be much more defensive when threatened, and it will stay upset for hours after the event. The bees will chase for up to half a mile or more. A european bee colony rarely stays upset for more than ten or twenty minutes, and generally will not chase more than thirty feet.

• I went out this morning and found a huge ball of bees (like a football) hanging on a bush in my yard! What do I do?
  You don't need to do anything. Those bees are looking for a new place to live; once they find it, they will leave. You see, bees do not live out in the open. Unlike wasps and hornets, bees need to find an enclosed space (like a hollow tree) to build their nest. The bees on your bush are sending out scouts, looking for that new location. Once they find it, they will leave your bush and fly away. While it's hard to know for sure, generally their old hive is somewhere close by (within several hundred feet), and the bees will want to move at least a mile away - so it's unlikely that they will bother you again.

  Also, swarms of bees (like the swarm on your bush) are not defensive, because they have left their old hive behind. They may look scary, with hundreds or even thousands of bees all hanging there, but they will completely ignore you unless you hurt them.

  Unfortunately, it may take the bees two hours or (up to) two weeks to decide where to go, and there is no way to tell when they will leave. If you can afford to leave them alone a few days, though, it's likely that they will go away by themselves.

• I have bees building one of their paper nests under the eaves of my house...
  You have wasps, not bees. Bees build their honeycombs out of wax (beeswax), and bees almost always nest inside of something: an old tree, a stack of disused lumber, an old shed. If you see a paper nest hanging in a tree, or under the eaves of your house, it may be hornets or it may be wasps, but it's not bees. Also, many hornets and wasps can sting over and over; they don't lose their stinger, and this makes them quite a bit more dangerous to disturb.

• I called my exterminator to remove some bees in the walls of my house, but they said it was illegal to kill bees in Texas.
  This is not true. While it may be a company policy not to kill bees, there are no laws against killing bees in Texas. Call another exterminator, from a different company.

• I had a nest of bees living in the wall of my house last year. I had them killed, but now this year they're back again!
  What has happened is, another swarm of bees was looking for a home, and they smelled all of that old comb in the wall - and moved in. Unfortunately, this means you have the same problem all over again. The best solution is to have a beekeeper open up the wall and remove all of the bees/combs/honey/etc; that helps eliminate any odors that could attract bees in the future. Alternately, if you have the bees exterminated (and sometimes you have to), once they are dead you need to open up the wall and clean up whatever's left. Or hire a contractor to do it.

  Also, once the bees are gone and the comb and honey are left unguarded, you run the risk that it could attract vermin (ants, roaches, or even rats). In the summertime, it's possible for the comb to melt, or the honey ferment, making a sticky, smelly mess. So, if at all possible, clean out wherever the bees were nesting; it'll reduce your chances of having further problems.

Bee Stings

• What's the best way to remove a sting?
  Scratch the stinger. Scratching will remove the stinger without squeezing in additional venom. Also, you want to scratch as soon as you can; the bee that stung you left behind her venom sack along with her stinger, and it continues to pump in venom as long as the stinger is in your skin. The faster you scratch out the stinger, the less venom you will get.

• I heard that the best thing to do if you're chased by honeybees is to jump in the water?
  It is true that bees won't go underwater, but they will be waiting to sting you every time you come up for air - so jumping in the water is not a good idea. You want to get indoors, or in a car, or someplace where the bees can no longer get you. Even if some of the bees come inside with you, at least you are safe from additional bee stings. Also, do not try to outrun the bees, as they can fly 25-30 miles per hour for several miles.

• Is it true that the bee dies after she stings you?
  Yes. Even though she may fly away, in a few minutes she will die.

About the TVBA

• Where are your meetings held?
  Meeting information can be found by clicking on Meetings to the left.

• Do I have to be a member to attend?
  Absolutely not. Our meetings are open to everyone.