Sticky issue - Honey Bee infestation in Houston

[Doug McLeod]

I'd like to give a shout out to two local companies in Houston that helped me out.  I had a honey bee infestation at one of my rent houses.  I called an exterminating company I had used before who had great service (Bullseye Pest and Termite Control) and they referred me to an apiary (bee people!) in case I wanted to preserve the hive, since you may know that the honey bee population nationally has been in decline.  Beam Apiary (run by Jim Beam - no, not that one - no liquor, but they do have local honey) just removed over 100 lbs of hive and honey from one of my rentals with zero damage to my property and zero repairs after their service.  

They used heat sensors to locate the center of the hive under the subfloor, pulled back the carpet and pad, cut a smallish hole in the subfloor and then removed the queen and the hive.  After they were done, they repaired the subfloor and put the pad and carpet back down.  They didn't even drip honey on the carpet.

This is not cheap, but don't be afraid to negotiate a bit.  By using an exterminator alone, I would would have saved money in the short run, but with this size hive, it probably would not have worked. And even if it did, 100 lbs of rotting hive and honey and dead bees would likely fall through the downstairs ceiling in a few months creating quite a mess for some unhappy tenants.

Thank you Cassie and Jim at Beam Apiary of Houston!  (no affiliation - just a happy landlord)