How It Works
Bee Relocation
At Urban Bees, every colony matters. We don’t exterminate, ever. Each bee removal we perform is a full live relocation, and that process is far more involved than most people realize.
Relocations require careful planning, and every job starts with understanding the location of the colony and how long it’s been in residence. This helps us choose the most effective, least disruptive method. Most removals take place at night, when the bees are calm and inside the hive. Daytime relocations are only done in exceptional cases.
Importantly, bee relocation is not just beekeeping, it’s a highly specialized skillset that takes years to master. It requires deep knowledge of bee behavior, structural insight into buildings, and the ability to safely access difficult spaces without unnecessary damage. We often work in ceilings, walls, or confined roof cavities, and removals can be physically demanding and technically complex.
We use specialized low-pressure bee vacuums to gently collect the bees, while carefully removing comb, brood, and honey stores. Our goal is always to find and safely secure the queen, placing her and her colony into a hive box designed to mimic their original structure.
Understanding how a colony responds during the removal is critical. The queen can move quickly, and if she attempts to flee deeper into a roof or cavity, the entire colony may follow. Anticipating and managing this behavior takes experience – we read the buzz, movement, and tempo of the colony, making on-the-fly decisions to keep the bees calm and contained with as little stress as possible.
And relocation doesn’t end when we leave your property. The bees are then transported, often across long distances, to one of our managed apiary sites, away from residential areas. There, the real work begins: settling the colony, rehousing them with their comb, and monitoring their health over time.
Each colony is rehabilitated and supported, often requiring supplemental feeding, pest control, and ongoing checks to ensure there’s no disease or collapse. Only after a year or more, sometimes two, will a relocated hive begin producing enough surplus for small harvests of honey, propolis, or bee venom.
And Yes …
Our venom harvesting uses a specialized method and equipment that does not harm or kill the bees.