Bumblebees can accidentally enter your property or look for a permanent residence to spend their winter.
If they enter accidentally, their stay will be temporary, and soon they will find an exit.
If they find your house suitable for their hive, they can permanently reside without paying rent.
However, they could enter your home through various spaces. Please read the article to get informed about them.
Bumblebees live in colonies, so their queen always searches for a perfect cavity for their nest. This makes their invasion into your home.
The bumblebees are attracted to houses due to their colors, scents, availability of food, and convenient entries.
Bumblebees can enter your house through various points. These vents include attic vent holes, pipes, bathroom and stove vents, holes in the wall, and the chimney’s exterior, to name a few.
However, if you do not like their presence in your home, you can practice various approaches to ban their entry and dispel them away from home.
The next sections of the article will explain the different attractions for bumblebees and how they can enter your house.
Then there will be a discussion about approaches you can opt to get rid of bumblebees.
Last, there will be a summary and frequently asked questions about bumblebees.
Attractions for Bumblebees
Safe shelter and easy access to food could be an attraction for anyone, and the same goes for bumblebees. Generally, the queen finds darker cavities to establish their hives so they can reside safely with their colony.
So the queens are usually attracted to dark spaces with less human activity, easy entry and exit points, and safe access to water and food.
Being herbivores, nectar and pollen plants are primary food sources for bumblebees. So the flowering plants in your home garden and water availability are also a big attraction for them.
Like other bees, bumblebees also feed on sweets. You can find their activity on sugar, fruits, juices, and sodas. The sweet smells attract them, and areas abundant with these smells sound best for their hives.
How Can Bumblebees Enter Your Home
Bumblebees are very small creatures. They can enter your home by any small vent and establish their hive.
The most probable places for their entry points and hives could be:
Attic Vent Holes
These holes are designed to escape the heat from attics but could be easy entry points for bumblebees.
The normal size of attic vent holes is 1/4 inch, thus providing enough space for bumblebees to squeeze through.
Attics are usually dark spaces. So once they gain entry, chances for them to make their hives under the roof are maximum.
Initially, you would not be able to detect them. But after they established their hives, you can notice them while going in and out through vent holes.
Stove and Bathroom Vents
If you are hearing the buzzing and looking for possible entries of bumblebees, consider an analysis of these vents. Bumblebees can enter through these vents and make their hive inside the walls.
You would only notice some bees flying, but upon a detailed investigation, you can find their hive or swarms inside the walls or stove vents.
Wall Holes
These areas include spaces under the eaves and entry points of electrical wires through walls in the house.
Quite often, the wall holes are not closed with silicone. Thus providing gaps for bumblebees to enter your home.
Drains, Pipes, and Chimney Exterior
Check the entrance of gas pipes and drains into your home. They could be a possible entry mean for bumblebees.
You can also find swarms of bumblebees in the chimney exteriors that have not been used for fire for a long time.
Essentially you have to inspect any little space to find their entrance.
Again you have to search for their activity. You can easily notice a dozen bumblebees going in and out of their hive.
How To Get Rid of Bumblebees Around the House
Having a bumblebee’s nest in your home could be both a curse and a blessing.
Talking about their benefits, they are vital for pollination, but their stings can be dangerous. People with sting allergies are more vulnerable to health risks associated with bumblebee stings.
Homeowners usually ignore small numbers of bumblebees, but their presence in the masses could be risky.
Their buzzing indicates their presence. On a close inspection, you can easily find their hive.
Now, this is the time to come into action. You can choose various approaches, but the most effective and safe include the following:
Change the Nest Position
If the only reason you want to get rid of bumblebees is their nest location, you can relocate the nest.
However, this change in position is easy for a nest above the ground, like in birdboxes, and difficult for an underground one.
The overall relocation process could be dangerous, and you could end up with multiple bitings if done without precautions. Follow these steps for a safe relocation:
- Choose the best time for changing the position, which could be after sunset.
- Wear protective clothing and ensure no part of your skin is open.
- Shift the hive into the box and close all the possible openings of the box.
- Do not leave your breath directly on the nest, as bumblebees can detect human breaths.
The best option while changing the nest is to ask for help from a beekeeper, as they know how to do this properly.
Use of Natural Bee Repellents
The use of natural bee repellents is a good option. These substances repel bees due to their smells, and they are mostly natural. The most common natural bumblebee repellents include garlic, cinnamon, citrus, and clove.
To repel bees, you can also use natural oils like Citronella, peppermint, tea tree, lavender, and lemongrass oil.
The use of these repellents is very simple. Sprinkle the oil and the solutions, as mentioned earlier, in the garden and around the home. They will be effective as long as their smell lasts.
Other than sprays, Marigold flowers are also effective bee repellers. Plant them among other flowers and get rid of bumblebees.
Using Apple Vinegar Spray
The spray of apple vinegar solution with water is a good control method.
This spray works by suffocating them from getting in contact with their skin.
The more apple vinegar is in water, the more effective control is.
Apple vinegar is directly sprayed on the nest. So it is necessary to take precautionary measures before spraying. The procedure is simple.
Make the 1:1 solution of water and apple vinegar. Wear protective gear and make sure every skin part is covered. Now spray effectively on the nest and surrounding to ban further re-infestation.
Other Methods To Stop Bumblebee Infestation in Your House
Knowledge about bumblebee attractions is very helpful in setting preventive measures. Depending on the nature of these insects, here are some practices you can opt to ban their entry into the house further.
- Bumblebees are attracted to sweets. Properly clean the leftovers in sweet food boxes like juices, foods, and soda.
- Ensure the effective disposal of wastes in lid-tight recycle bins.
- Remove the stagnant water sources in your surroundings.
- Inspect your house and close all vents that could be their expected entry points in the home.
Conclusion
In general, bumblebees avoid contact with animals and humans. But if provoked, results could be dangerous.
Even though bumblebees have a vital role in balancing our ecosystem, they can lead to severe consequences.
However, the article has briefly explained the attractions, how they infest and how to get rid of them.
While dealing with bumblebees, choose your actions prudently, as they are already endangered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Bumblebees Dangerous?
Bumblebees are usually docile. They are not aggressive until provoked. The male bees do not sting, while females do when they feel danger.
However, unlike the other wasps, their sting can only result in swelling, pain, and itching for a few hours.
What Are Bumblebees Good For?
Generally, bumblebees are not the producers of any useful product but have a very important role in the ecosystem. They are pollinators.
They fly from flower to flower, transfer pollens, and help in pollination.
