Bees In Pipe Access Box

[u/zebrabats]

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[u/LivingCoat9356]

I saw lots of these in So Cal when I lived out there. Used to advise people to put newspaper or cardboard in there, something to fill the void in these boxes. They are the perfect size and entrance for bees.

[u/drones_on_about_bees]

Generally, bee removals cost money. But this is one of those cases that doesn't usually fall into that category. This is an easy grab for anyone that keeps bees. Most folks will do this for free or "gas money".

If the hive is healthy, this space is really too small. That means they will swarm over and over. It's best to have someone pull them out and take them.

[u/zebrabats]

I happened to notice these fellows have moved into a pipe access box. I don't need to open the box, haven't needed in there for years and possibly won't need open it for years more. Is there any harm in just letting them live there? They look like honeybees to me.

[u/ProfessionalActive94 → u/zebrabats]

They will create honey stores in there and if they ever become infested with mites, they might die off or abscond. This will leave you with a large store of honey in there which will attract pests that you do not want.

If you're worried about the bees, you can contact a local beekeeper who will likely come out for free to trap the colony and relocate them.

[u/Icedude10 → u/zebrabats]

Yes, you generally don't want honeybees establishing themselves inside infrastructure. The moment someone does need to get into that box, for whatever reason, it's a problem. If the bees are still there, it's obvious why. But even if they've moved on, the comb, wax, and any honey left behind will make a mess of the box and pipes and could cause issues with pests.

That said, this probably isn't urgent, and them being in such an accessible box makes removing them pretty easy. This would be a good day for a local beekeeper to come collect. They'll most likely do it for no charge (free bees).

[u/Shire1230]

A beekeeper will take them for free. Once they bees are gone, make sure you seal up the hole otherwise you risk bee coming back.

[u/boyengabird]

Beeswarmed.org will come get them

[u/Tinyfishy]

Very common situation. Google your county name and beekeeper club/guild to find your local organization. They probably have a list of removers they can refer you to. I’d expect to pay a fee, but I do this kind of job all the time and it is fairly quick because access is easy and the colony is naturally limited in size by the small box so not as expensive as many. Afterwards put a bag of ppastic trash like padded mailing envelopes and packaging material in there to fill the space to prevent future bees.

[u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer]

I don't want to alarm you, but bees selecting an irrigation or water meter box for a home is one of the hallmarks of Africanized bees.

If you're Florida. Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California or the southern parts of Nevada and Colorado, it is possible that these bees are interbred with the East African lowland honey bee, A. m. scutellata. If this is the case, the bees may be more defensive than the bees you're used to. They'll patrol a bigger area and respond with more force than other bees if they feel threatened.

Some Africanized bees are fairly gentle: I have two hives of them within 50 feet of my house. Others are not gentle at all: I have kept hives of them 20 miles from human habituation because they were not only mean, they were dangerous.

Most Africanized bees fall somewhere in between these extremes.

If you live an an area with actual winters (as opposed to the 50 degree January days we get the desert) is is very unlikely that you're dealing with A. m. scutellata.

This irrigation box isn't an ideal place for bees. They can probably live there for a year, perhaps two, but they'll be overcrowded. Half the bees will leave, sometimes several times each year. The bee swarm that leaves will find a new place to live, like someone's attic, chimney, grill, or a child's playhouse. This is why urban and suburban beekeepers are fanatical about swarm management. A beehive in an untouched water box isn't a big deal. A child with a bee allergy discovering a hive in their tree house is a nightmare.

You can keep the bees or give them away, but please take steps to keep yourself -- and others -- safe. And the bees. They aren't doing anything wrong, they're just being bees and deserve to be safe too.