People often assume that if bees move into something small, like a cooler box, getting them out is easy: leave the lid open and they’ll leave on their own. With African honeybees, it rarely works that way.

We were on site for another removal when a homeowner in the same complex showed us a polystyrene cooler box that a colony of Apis mellifera scutellata (the African honeybee) had taken over. With dark clouds gathering and the wind picking up, we decided to catch the queen by hand before the storm broke.

Why the “Open Lid” Trick Didn’t Work

The homeowner had already tried propping the lid open, but the bees didn’t budge. African honeybees won’t give up a premium cavity just because of a draft. A cooler box is built to keep the temperature steady, so to a colony it’s a perfectly insulated luxury apartment.

Going Hands-On

For larger colonies we’d normally use a bee vac. This was a small swarm, though, so we went completely by hand, moving slowly and deliberately, because sudden movements can quickly trigger a defensive response.

We also prefer to work in the evening. As it gets dark, the bees stop flying and cluster in the space they know, which makes them easier to handle. Working at night also means fewer neighbours and passers-by are put at risk.

Finding the Queen

A hand removal succeeds or fails on one bee: the queen. Here’s how to tell her apart from the rest:

• Workers: The smallest bees, with rounded abdomens.
• Drones (males): Bigger and bulkier, with even rounder bodies.
• The Queen: Similar in size to a drone, but with a long, slender abdomen that ends in a point.

The Clock Is Ticking

As the wind picked up, things got tense. When the weather turns, the queen tends to hide in the darkest corners of the cluster. Then we spotted her long abdomen in a clump of bees. We gently brushed the whole clump into the catch box, keeping her surrounded by her workers.

Once the queen is in the box, the rest of the colony smells her pheromones and settles in around her.

Pro Tip: The scent of wax and pheromones stays behind and attracts future swarms. We recommended that the homeowner throw the cooler box away.

Beating the Rain

We sealed the box just as the weather was about to break. These bees are now heading to a new home where they can pollinate and make honey somewhere other than someone’s patio.

Think you might have bees moving into your cooler box, wall, or roof? Get in touch with Bee Sanctuary, and we’ll relocate them safely and humanely.