How to Capture Bees Loose in a Sorority House

How to Capture Bees Loose in a Sorority House

Missouri S&T students are moving back to campus. In the process, bees are also moving, although not by their own choice. In the case of this bee call, honeybees had moved into a sorority house room and the tenant was "very afraid" of bees.

After looking at the room and making sure the door stayed closed, we went outside to see where the bees might be coming in. At the bottom of the corner of the deck, on the right side, a few bees were going in and out of a small hole.

The house manager did not want to remove the many layers of siding to get to the bees so that hole will be closed up at dusk, trapping bees inside.

Back inside the room, there were about 45 bees flying around the bedroom closed off from a study room by a door. I individually caught the bees in a tissue, then moved them to a plastic cup before grabbing the next. one. Most bees were gravitating to the windows so we checked each one, then went back to double check. During the process, we discussed how bees set up their homes, why they fly towards light and how they sting.

Once bedroom was cleared, I tackled the bees in the study area. Bees in that windowless area were attracted to the overhead light.

With all those bees cleared out, the room tenant came back in and the mystery of how they were getting in was solved. She said she had left the door above the deck open this morning so bees had not found another entrance.

Captured honeybees wait for me to put on my bee suit before I released them in my garden.

Bees are now released in my bee garden; I put on my bee suit first before I released them. Good thing because they were none too happy to be here and let me know what they thought by dive-bombing me.

They won't make it but at least the sorority room was cleared for the new tenant, she's here for one more semester.

Welcome back, Missouri S&T students!

Charlotte