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Hundreds of bee removals from trees/houses/roofs/sheds/water meters/etc have been done over the years. Hive access is sometimes difficult and sometimes easy. Every removal situation is different and always an adventure. If you have bees that need removing give us a chance to relocate them to a good home in an area hobby beekeeper’s apiary. Not all types of removals can be done by NaplesBees and there is no charge, but donations are always appreciated. Click here to contact NaplesBees for a quick response to your request. Below is a chronological listing of various past bee removals done over the years. See 2024 year bee removals here |
Bee removal highlights for 2020
1/2/2020 – A small swarm was removed from a roadside tree in Goodlette/Pine Ridge road area of Naples. The bulk of the bees were gently scooped up and moved into a brood box and then gradually the remaining tree trunk bees moved into the box on their own. Following the initial removal, the swarm did not want to stay put in the apiary, ie, swarming two more times so far.
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| Update below after a morning of the hive being in the apiary….. | |
 The swarm in a hive box and placed in the apiary. |
 The bees decide they don’t want to stay in the hive box and swarm to the bottom of the box. I put them back in and they decide to leave again for a nearby cypress tree. |
 The swarm is now 20 feet up in a cypress tree. I position another hive box right below the swarm and climb the ladder to gentle scoop up the bees and place in the hive box. We will see if they decide to stay in this box, and, if so, move the box to the apiary. |
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 This afternoon I found this hanging on the back of an apiary hive box. It was removed and placed in an empty hive box. |
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1/26/2020 – A small swarm was removed from the front door area of an East Naples house. The queen was found and caged.
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2/21/2020 – A hive was removed from a Comcast service container located on a street in East Naples. In order to remove the cover, the comb which was built around a lot of wiring, was heavily damaged. Even so a lot of brood comb, honey comb, and bees were able to be removed and relocated to an apiary. An examination a few days later of the brood box in the apiary revealed the hive has a healthy queen.
 The Comcast stand and cover. Click on picture for a larger view |
 The Comcast container top……Click on picture for larger view. |
 The Comcast hive removal in the new apiary location. Click on picture for larger view. |
 The queen survived the removal. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Close up picture……The queen rules!! Click on picture for a larger view. |
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3/3/2020 – A very small hive was removed from a cypress tree at a home in Golden Gate Estates. We used our battery powered bee vac to remove most of the bees and then enlarged the hole slightly to so we could remove all the comb. A queen was not spotted because of the confined space, but something (queen pheromone?) was attracting the bees to our bee vac. Maybe we will spot the queen when the hive is moved in to our apiary.
 Cypress tree with small hive. Click on picture for larger view. |
 Small hive as viewed from the cypress hole opening. Click on picture for larger view. |
 Being a very young hive, there was only a few small comb pieces available for removal. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Bee Vac used to get as many bees as we could. Possible queen pheromones may have been attracting bees around the bee vac vacuum control opening. |
 Cypress hole opening widened slightly to allow the comb removal. |
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3/11/2020 – A very large hive was removed from a wooden table structure in eastern Golden Gate Estates. The large hive had built extensive comb along the bottom of large wooden console table. Access was difficult but all the comb was removed and all the bees were vacuumed up using our “beevac”. The size of the hive was around 5 X 3 feet and was packed with 20-25 thousand bees.
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3/26/2020 – A small hive was removed from a buried propane tank cover in the Palm River area of Naples. About 4 pieces of comb were recovered with brood and most of the bees captured.
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4/2/2020 – A small hive was removed from a water meter box in the Naples Park area of Naples. The queen was spotted and caged. Using the newspaper technique, it was combined with another hive in our apiary that had gone queenless recently. We marked the queen.
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4/8/2020 – Another hive was removed from a water meter box in the Naples Park area of Naples. This one had about 6 good size frames of brood.
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4/12/2020 – A good size swarm was removed that had settled on the back side lid of another hive box in the apiary. The trick to a successful swarm removal is capturing the queen. Sometimes she is hard to spot, but with a little patience she usually can be found and then caged to allow the hive to settle in the box. She can be released in a few days. A short video of the removal is shown below.
5/12/2020 – A swarm was removed from a tree in the front yard of a Golden Gate Estates home. The queen was spotted and caged.
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5/22/2020 – A gentle hive was removed from a carport ceiling in the Naples City area. The bees were vacuumed up as the sections of comb were gradually removed and mounted in frames. The queen was spotted on the very last piece of comb removed
 Ceiling cutout exposing the entrance. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Hive exposed after more ceiling removal. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
 All the comb removed. |
 Queen caged. She was on the very last comb piece removed! |
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5/27/2020 – A swarm was removed from a branch in Royal Harbor, Naples, FL.
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5/28/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter box in Royal Harbor, Naples, FL.
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6/4/2020 – A very small swarm was removed from a hedge at an Olde Naples address. Although not a lot of bees, the queen was spotted and captured and we will try to get the hive to grow in the apiary.
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6/6/2020 – Another very small swarm was removed from a hedge at an Golden Gate City. The shrub branch was cut and dropped in to a nuc box.
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6/9/2020 – A very weak hive was removed from a fire pit grill in the back yard of a Kings Lake house. The hive was in very bad shape with lots of wax moth larvae making the comb not salvageable. The few removed bees will be combined with an apiary hive since no queen was recovered.
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6/10/2020 – A very small hive was removed from a water meter in Royal Harbor.
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6/19/2020 – Another very small hive was removed from a water meter in North Naples.
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6/22/2020 – Swarm removed from bush near our apiary.
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6/23/2020 – Medium size hive was removed from a water meter in the Orange Tree area.
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6/27/2020 – A fairly large hive was removed from a North Naples house roof. This removal was a group effort by the Bee Boyz and Girlz group and was an opportunity to hands on learn about the live removal process. The comb was removed and rubberband mounted in frames and the bees vacuumed up. Everybody participated and came away with a basic understanding of some techniques and equipment used. Roof removals are probably one of the most difficult types of removals because of access, especially in the 96 degree humid heat of Southwest Florida. Toward the end of the roof removal, a couple small swarms parked themselves on adjacent palm trees and were also removed.
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7/13/2020 – A good size swarm removed from bush near our apiary. The branch the swarm was on was cut and placed in a ProNuc box and fed sugar water and placed in the apiary.
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7/16/2020 – A water meter hive removal from a house on Pompei Lane, Naples was done this morning. We spotted the queen later after the hive was placed in the apiary. In just a few hours, the bees had started “welding” the removed comb to the brood box frames.
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7/18/2020 – A water meter hive removal from a house on Capri Blvd, Isles of Capri was done this morning. We spotted the queen and captured her. The nuc box was left overnight and all the bees moved in to the box where the caged queen was.
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7/23/2020 – A hive was removed from an old speaker box in the yard of a Pine Ridge house in Naples.
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8/4/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter on Berkeley Drive in Naples. A few of the combs broke loose when the lid was removed, but all the comb was able to be removed and mounted in frames.
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8/7/2020 – A large hive was removed from the roof overhang of a Marco Island house. The attempt to get the original swarm to move in to a box was tried for a few days with no success, probably because the bees had already started to build comb on the soffit. So the decision was made to vacuum up the bees, catch the queen and transport the bees to their new home at a Bee Boyz and GIrlz apiary in Golden Gate.
 Large hive located on the roof overhang. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
 In just a few days after the swarm landed they had already built comb and that is probably why they never moved in to the box. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
 Toward the end of the vacuuming process, the queen was spotted and caged. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
 The special crew that showed up was a big help to get the bees vacuumed up and look for the queen. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
8/19/2020 – A good size swarm was removed from some branches on a lot next to the NaplesBees apiary. The queen was captured and caged.
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8/27/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from the side of a house in Birkshire Lakes.
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 The hive was placed in a new beekeeper’s Golden Gate Estates apiary. Click on picture for a larger view. |
9/1/2020 – A small size hive was removed from a birdbath located in Willoughby Acres in North Naples. The comb was removed and the queen was captured.
 Birdbath with a small hole on the side of the base. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Small hive with 5 pieces of comb that were removed. Click on picture for larger view. |
 Captured queen. Click on picture for larger view. |
9/4/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from an old birdhouse type structure located in the backyard of a home in Naples. The comb was removed and the queen was captured.
 Bird house structure that bees made a home in. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Comb shown once the structure was tilted on its side. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Beautiful queen captured. Click on picture for a larger view. |
9/7/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from a roof overhang at a house in River Wood, Naples. The comb was removed and the queen was captured.
 Hive located on the overhang at a house in River Wood, Naples. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 A half dozen large pieces of comb were removed and the beevac was used. Click on picture for larger view |
9/8/2020 – A very large hive was removed from shed wall.
 The hive had very long combs that were two combs thick in most areas. The bees had obviously been there for some time. Click on the picture for a larger view. |
 The wall after all the comb and bees removed. Click on picture for a larger view. |
9/10/2020 – A very small hive was removed from a water meter at a house in Naples Park.
9/18/2020 – A small swarm was removed from a tree at a house on Marco Island. It was later moved to a BB&G apiary.
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9/20/2020 – A small swarm was removed from a pepper hedge next to our apiary. Was put in BB&G box #5
9/22/2020 – A hive was removed that was in a birdhouse on a pine tree. It was decided to place the whole birdhouse in the beevac box and move to the apiary. The birdhouse box can then be dismantled and any comb mounted in frames.
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9/24/2020 – A large hive was removed from a shed wall. This hive was so large and lighting was a problem, so no effort was made to find the queen. Comb was cut out and removed as the bees were vacuumed up.
 Bees and comb extending over 6 feet high in the shed wall. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Empty wall after all the comb and bees were removed. Click on picture for a larger view. |
9/28/2020 – Another good size hive established in a bird house box mounted on a pine tree was removed. Bees seem to really like these wooden bird houses!
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9/29/2020 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter on Barrett Ave in East Naples.
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9/30/2020 – Swarm catching…. a small swarm from #16 hive in our apiary landed on a pepper branch nearby. Trying to remove it by clipping some close branches disturbed the swarm and it took flight again and landed back on the outside of hive box #16. Close inspection of the newly located swarm revealed a queen and she was captured and caged and placed in another hive box along with most of the swarm bees.
10/1/2020 – A large size hive was removed from a big water meter on Linwood Ave in East Naples. The queen was eventually spotted and captured.
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10/6/2020 – A small hive in a planter bucket was picked up and placed in a hive box. The comb will be mounted in frames.
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10/6/2020 – A medium size swarm was removed from a cypress tree branch near the apiary.
10/8/2020 – A small hive was removed from the soffit roof area of a mobile home in Bonita Springs. The queen was chased around the beevac and bed of the truck before being captured…… I love this queen — pictured below !!!! Hive put in apiary at spot #15
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 After the removal of all the comb and bees. Click on picture for a larger view. |
 Too fat to fly far!! Click on picture for larger view. |
10/9/2020 – A good size swarm from a cypress tree was persuaded to set up shop in a nuc that was hoisted up near the branch the swarm was on. I call this tree my magic cypress tree because many swarms have made its branches the stopover point. After a few days the nuc is lowered and taken to the apiary.
 Shown is a couple nuc boxes hoisted by rope up into the branches. With a little luck a swarm will usually move in to a box. Click on picture for a larger view. |
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10/13/2020 – A very large hive was removed from the front entrance area of a Lady Palm Drive house in Naples.
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 After all the bees and comb have been removed. Click on picture for a larger view. |
10/29/2020 – A very small hive was removed from a water meter box at a house on Muir Woods Way in Naples.
10/31/2020 – Below is a short video of bees moving in to one of our new swarm traps put out just a few days ago. Play full screen to better see the bees going in to the trap through the one inch access hole.
11/3/2020 – Yet another birdhouse that bees had taken over at a house on Terracina Way in Naples.
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11/17/2020 – A small hive was removed from a water meter box located on Mustang Island Circle in Naples. The queen was spotted and caged.
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11/21/2020 – A beehive that took up residence inside an ornamental wooden lighthouse was transported to a beekeeper’s apiary and then disassembled. The comb and bees were then placed in a brood box set up in the apiary. During the removal, the queen was spotted and caged.
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12/8/2020 – A swarm at Sevilla Court, Naples, that settled on a branch was removed. It was a cool morning and the swarm was tightly clumped together which made removal by the beevac challenging.
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 Swarm after placing in a hive box in the NaplesBees apiary. Click on picture for a larger view |
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12/17/2020 – A swarm moved in to a water meter box on Pompei Lane and had built one small piece of comb (white spot on box entrance). It was decided to try to get the bees to move in to a brood box placed nearby. The brood box had frames and some comb and the bees started marching in right away. We’ll go back in a day to pick up the box.
Update 12/18/2020: Returned in the morning and all the bees had moved in and the box was transported and set up in the apiary.
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12/24/2020 – Yesterday, a small hive was removed from a water meter box at a house on Lely Island Circle. The comb was mounted in frames and the box left overnight for them to move in to and then picked up today. Picture below is of the hive in the transition apiary getting a little sugar water.
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12/24/2020 – This morning, a swarm probably from the apiary, was spotted moving in to one of the swarm boxes placed nearby. The queen was captured, caged, and marked.
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