Signs You Have Bees in Your Walls: What to Look Out For

Everyone knows bees are essential pollinators for our ecosystem and help flowers turn into fruit and pollen into honey, but a bee infestation in your walls can be quite a challenging and potentially dangerous situation if not dealt with properly.

Most people are happy to see bees buzzing around in their garden, but when they start invading your home and living in your walls, that’s when most people will look for the help of a professional pest control company to take care of the problem for them.

Before you pick up the phone, let’s take a look at the various signs that indicate you may have a bee infestation in your walls and what you can do about it.

Can you hear audible buzzing sounds?
This might sound a bit daft, but one of the most significant signs of bees making their home in your walls is an audible buzzing sound. Remember you may not always see the bees as they could be accessing your walls from the outside of your home so a buzzing sound might be the only indication you have a problem.

The buzzing can vary in intensity and is sometimes mistaken for other insects or pests. If you consistently hear a buzzing noise coming from your inside walls, there’s a pretty good chance bees have built a cosy little nest inside your walls.

You see bees around your home
As obvious as this may sound, seeing bees in and around your home, instead of in and around your garden, is usually a pretty good sign they’re hanging around, looking for a place to nest. Keep an eye out for bees flying and landing near cracks, crevices or gaps in your walls. They could be entering or exiting through the different small openings homes often have, giving you a visual clue as to where their nest could be located.

You’re seeing little piles of sawdust-like material around your home
Many species of bees, such as carpenter bees, will create their nests by burrowing into wood. If you happen to notice little piles of sawdust-like material accumulating near the exterior of your walls or on the ground around them, this is usually a sign of carpenter bees at work making a home in your walls.

They tend to push the wood shavings out of their nesting sites as they excavate, which will leave little piles as a telltale sign they’re setting up home in your walls.

You see stains or discolouration on your exterior walls
As bees come in and out of their nests, they often leave behind stains or discolouration on the outside walls of your home. Keep an eye out for yellowish-brown-looking streaks, residue or droppings near any potential entry points. These markings can often help you figure out where the bees are getting in.

You see an increase in activity during the warmer months
Bees are typically most active during the warmer months of the year, so you might notice an increase in bee activity around your home during spring and summer, which is totally normal. You will want to keep track of whether this activity is concentrated in and around specific areas, usually around cracks or crevices on the outside walls of your home.

You find pollen and honey
We’re not talking about honey dripping from the walls. In some cases, bees can leave traces of pollen and honey near their nest entrances. This usually looks like a sticky, yellowish substance on the walls or around any entry points the bees are using. Remember, be a little cautious when approaching these areas, as disturbing the nest can provoke the bees and you’ll be doing the crazy spider web dance to get away from them.

You have cranky bees
Whilst not always the case, bee colonies in walls can sometimes exhibit aggressive behaviour if they feel threatened. If you, your family or your pets experience an unusually high number of bee stings near your home, it's important to have a good look around and locate the source to see if it’s in your walls.

It’s true that discovering signs of bees in your walls can be a little concerning, but early detection is key to addressing the issue. If you suspect a bee infestation, your best bet is to contact a professional pest control company experienced in bee removal.

Please don’t attempt to remove bees from your walls as without the proper knowledge and protective equipment, it can lead to dangerous situations for yourself and also harm these essential pollinators.