Today, most people are typically concerned with certain bacteria issues such as mold, but have you ever once entertained the thought of live bees being busy at work, making a nest of honey and pollen behind your bedroom walls?

Unfortunately, Houston apartment residents have seen firsthand the result of having a certain Queen Bee take residence in their apartment walls. When the property management company was informed about the inquiry to remove a small bee hive on the resident’s front porch, management followed procedure and immediately contacted pest control. Upon arrival, pest control noticed that the hive was not merely on the porch ceiling, but had continued to grow 12 inches deep above the ceiling walls.

Homeowners and apartment residents may encounter these new house guests for numerous reasons. Bees have a strong presence during the hot summer months, but more often, bees sneak into walls and ceilings through a hole in the wall that was never addressed or properly sealed. The odor of the wax comb attracts the bees back to that location. This leads to a colony of bees and an unbeelieveable mess.

An easy way to prevent this problem is to check your apartment for any holes that may be 5/16 inch or larger and seal them up as soon as possible. If a beehive is already existent on your front porch, do not plug any visible holes because they will look for other ways out through openings around ductwork, ceiling and/or wall fixtures in your home.

Filling in these holes may be a more difficult task if you find that the beehive goes further back, so it’s best to consult a professional and take on the charges of a pest control service. The Southeastern Beekeepers Association suggests that a single treatment kills only the adult bees surrounding the nest, and after a few days the pupa (baby bee cocoons), protected by the wax of their cells, will emerge as adults. Therefore, we recommend that property management, residents, and/or homeowners request follow up treatments at least 2-3 times over a two week period, to avoid a re-emerging bee problem.

Content contributed by Joanne Herrmann, Asset Plus Regional Supervisor