You probably know that bees are important to the environment. They’re so crucial because they go around pollinating plants and local ecosystems wouldn’t be able to thrive without them.
This doesn’t mean that they can’t create big problems for people, though. Sometimes bees will sting people and this can be very dangerous if you happen to be allergic to them.
When bees have managed to get into your siding somehow, it’s going to be very problematic. You might not want to have to kill them, but you can’t allow the bees to stay in the siding either.
What can you do to remedy a problem such as this? Is it possible to get rid of bees in siding without it being a big deal?
Read on to learn about the options that you have to get rid of bees in your siding. Once you’ve learned about everything, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about what to do.
Try to Find the Nests
Trying to find the nests will be an important part of finding success. You know that bees are in your siding because you’ve probably seen them going in and out, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you know where the nest is located.
You actually don’t even know whether you’re dealing with one nest or two. It’s possible that you might have many more bees than you had imagined and this could be a problem.
Try to start by figuring out where all of the different entrances and exit points are located. You can do this by observing the bees during the day when they’re active.
Mark the spots where you think that the nests are located. Remember that it’s going to be wise to look at all sides of your home to ensure that you’ve found all of the spots where bees are getting in.
It’ll be easy to mark the spots if you use some type of tape. Simply use some weather-resistant tape and place it on the spots where you think the nests might be located.
Get Insecticide Ready
The next step is going to involve actually killing the bees. You need to get rid of them when they’re inside of the siding this way.
It isn’t really going to be practical to try to save them. You can’t leave them alone because the issues will only get worse if you do nothing.
Experts recommend using powder insecticide to get a job such as this handled. You don’t want to handle insecticide such as this with bare hands, though.
Wear protective gloves and a protective mask to be on the safe side. Inhaling the powder could be very bad for you and this is why wearing a mask makes a lot of sense.
Now, you’re going to want to funnel the insecticide powder into an empty bottle. You could use an empty bottle of dish soap for this job.
A bottle such as this will make it easy to squeeze the powder out into specific spots. Once it is dark outside, you’ll be able to take action.
Bees should be together during the nighttime because they aren’t active at night. You can get them all by squeezing the powdered insecticide into the entry and exit points that you marked earlier.
Sometimes entry points will be somewhat close to the ground. In this instance, you’ll want to also squeeze a bit of the insecticide powder onto the ground near the entry point.
The Bees Should Die Within One Week
If everything goes as planned, then the bees in your siding should die within one week. The bees will keep going in and out of the siding as they normally do, but they’ll be exposed to the powder.
They’ll carry this powder back to their nests and this will kill other bees. It should also kill the queen bee so you’ll be able to know that the problem is truly solved.
It might feel a bit unfortunate to have to kill bees in this fashion. Bees are indeed beneficial and important to the environment, but you must keep them out of your siding in the future.
Preventing the bees from doing things such as this will be much better. Keep reading to learn about prevention techniques so that you won’t have them nest inside of your siding again.
Fix Your Siding
Of course, it’s not good that bees were able to get inside of the siding in the first place. This indicates that there is a problem with your siding that needs to be fixed.
You should also know that loose siding isn’t likely doing its job well. It’s possible that you could be wasting hundreds of dollars or more on heating bills and air conditioning expenses due to the siding not functioning as it should.
This means that it might be best to replace the siding entirely. You can get new siding so that your home will look nice and you won’t have to worry about gaps that will allow bees to get in any longer.
Conversely, you could try to repair the siding to fix any gaps or cracks that might be present. You just have to go with whatever option makes the most sense to you.
You might need to hire professionals if you want to get new siding installed. This can be pricey, but it’s worth it when you want to get the job done right so that your home can look its best.
Consider Planting Certain Plants That Bees Don’t Like
There are plants that you can place around the perimeter of your home that bees don’t like. If you have plants such as this around your garden area, then it’ll be less likely that bees will want to get near.
You have many options to consider when you decide to go this route. Basil is one of the most popular options because you can use this handy herb in the kitchen as well.
Mint plants will do a good job of keeping bees at bay as well. Humans love how mint plants smell, but bees absolutely hate it.
Citronella plants are commonly considered when people are looking for options to keep mosquitoes away, but they work to repel bees, too. The smell of citronella plants should keep both bees and wasps away from your home if you use it around the perimeter.
If you want to plant something that has more color, then considering marigolds would be a good idea. Marigolds are very pretty overall and red marigolds will do a good job of keeping bees away.
Geraniums are another option that you’ll love when you’re looking for something pretty. Red geraniums are the best to use because bees can’t see red and the scent they emit is not pleasant to them.
Use Mothballs
Did you know that bees seem to hate the scent of mothballs? You can use this to your advantage by hanging mothballs near areas where you don’t want to have to deal with them.
If you use mothballs strategically, then you can avoid having bees come near many spots on your property. Some people choose to hang mothballs near the entrances to their homes to keep bees out, but others might hang them near porches, patios, or decks.
The downside to this is that many people don’t enjoy how mothballs smell either. It might not be pleasant to have to smell mothballs all the time when you’re trying to use your patio or porch.
Mothballs do work quite well as a bee repellent, though. If you’re looking for a simple and inexpensive way to deter bees from getting too close to your house, then this should work out for you.
Burn Citronella Candles
Maybe you just want to keep bees away from you in the yard when you’re trying to spend time outside. If you want to be able to sit on your deck in peace, then burning a citronella candle will be helpful.
You can easily find citronella candles at any department store. They’re also very easy to order online if you’d like to go that route.
Citronella candles are very inexpensive and they do a good job of keeping many insects at bay. These candles can keep both bees and wasps away from you if you choose to use them.
It’s also nice to know that you’ll be able to keep mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas away from the area. You might even find the scent of the citronella candles to be quite pleasant.
You can use these whenever you want to spend time outside with others. It might not be a permanent bee deterrent option, but it’ll be good for when you just need a reprieve.
Distilled Vinegar Helps
Distilled vinegar is going to be useful in your fight against bees, too. This is a common ingredient that many people keep around for when they need it.
You can place distilled vinegar at specific points on your property to try to keep bees away. Some choose to place small opened containers of vinegar around so that they won’t want to fly around in certain spots.
It’s also possible to spray vinegar on certain surfaces to keep bees from sticking around. You could create a simple vinegar spray using one part water and one part distilled white vinegar.
Some people say that adding a tablespoon of dish soap to the mix makes it even better. The vinegar spray will be a bit sticky with the soap being added to the mix, and that can make it even easier to keep bees away from many locations.
Exterminators Are Always an Option
Of course, calling exterminators will always be an option that you can turn to. If you don’t want to have to deal with bee issues by yourself, then you could get the help of dedicated professionals.
Not everyone has the time to handle bee infestations such as this. You also might want to get faster results, and this means that you need professional help.
Calling a local pest control company will allow you to get things taken care of in a timely fashion. You can talk to the pest control workers and figure out the best path to take to solve your bee problem.
In some ways, allowing professionals to handle things will be a lot safer. For instance, you might not want to get too close to bees yourself if you happen to be allergic to them.
The downside is that calling exterminators will cost you money. You’ll need to be able to pay the professionals to get this done, but many would say that it’s well worth it.
If you don’t have a lot of time to handle this issue yourself, then it might be your best option. Pest control specialists can remove bees from your siding or anywhere else that they happen to be.
You’ll also be able to get advice about how you can keep the bees from returning. Sometimes experts might be able to point out problems that you hadn’t noticed before that will need to be addressed to keep bugs from becoming an issue.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to take care of issues such as this as soon as you’re able to. You don’t want to allow bees to keep going in and out of your siding.
When bees are nesting in your siding, it’s a sign that there are significant problems with the siding. You will need to get rid of them properly so that you can address the problems.
Addressing the siding issues will help you out in many ways. It’ll make it so that the bees won’t be able to get in the siding in the future, and you’ll be able to get better thermal performance out of the siding.
Replacing the siding is a job that you can do yourself if you have the right tools and the experience to do the job. However, most people will hire professionals.
Depending on the situation, you might also wish to hire experts to get rid of the bees in the siding. Otherwise, you can do so yourself by identifying the entry and exit points before using powdered insecticide to kill them.
You can then choose to use deterrent methods to try to keep bees away from your house. This will make it a lot easier to enjoy your time outside without having to worry about getting stung.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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