Bee Nests and Beehives

Serving Las Vegas | Henderson | North Las Vegas

When you see a few bees flying around your property, it’s one thing. When you spot an entire nest, the risk takes on a greater degree of urgency. Having a bee’s nest or beehive on your property puts you in potential conflict with a large group of stinging insects who may be willing to defend their colony aggressively.

If you’re dealing with bees, wasps, or hornets building a nest on your property, the bee and wasp nest experts at Pest Control Inc can help. Call us today for stinging insect nest removal in Clark County NV.

How Worried Should You Be About a Bee’s Nest Near Your House?

Should you be concerned when bees nest near your house? These are the two most important factors you should consider.

• While honeybees are not considered aggressive in many parts of the world, most honeybees in Clark County NV and the surrounding area have Africanized honeybee DNA. In fact, Nevada is an “AHB quarantine zone,” which means you should assume that any honeybees you find here do have this mutation. This makes them far more aggressive than their more docile cousins.
• If you or a loved one is allergic to bees, it’s not worth the risk. One sting could trigger a life-threatening reaction.

If you notice a bee’s nest on your property, we recommend being cautious but not panicking. If you or someone you know has a risk of allergic reaction, call a professional as soon as possible.

Where Do Bees Like to Build Their Nests?

To answer this question, let’s break it down into two categories: social bees and solitary bees. Social bees include honeybees and bumblebees, and they’re probably what you think of when you think about bees.

Most bee species, however, are solitary. They don’t build nests at all. They typically live underground.

Social Bee Nest Locations

• Hollow Trees: Cavities inside living or dead trunks.
• Abandoned Rodent Burrows: Disused holes from mice or voles.
• Wall Voids: The empty space inside building walls.
• Under Structures: Dry gaps beneath sheds, decks, or porches.
• Attics & Roof Eaves: Undisturbed upper levels of buildings.
• Thick Vegetation: Dense clumps of grass or overgrown gardens.
• Chimneys: Disused flues or vents.
• Compost Piles: Warm, loose organic matter.
• Rock Crevices or Piles: Deep cracks in cliffs or gaps in stone heaps.
• Bird Houses: Especially those with old nesting material.
• Overturned Containers: Buckets, barrels, or large flower pots.
• Utility Boxes: Electrical or irrigation valve boxes.
• Woodpiles: Gaps between stacked logs or timber.
• Tree Branches: Rare, exposed wax combs.

Solitary Bee Nesting Locations

• Bare Soil: Underground tunnels dug into patches of exposed, sunny earth.
• Soft Wood: Perfectly circular tunnels bored into untreated lumber, decks, or dead logs.
• Hollow Plant Stems: The pithy centers of broken or pruned stems like raspberry, sumac, or elderberry.
• Beetle Boreholes: Abandoned tunnels left behind in wood by wood-boring beetles.
• Snail Shells: Empty shells found on the ground used as small, protective chambers.
• Rock Fissures: Tiny cracks or holes in stone walls and cliffs.
• Sandy Banks: Vertical faces of sand or clay where bees can burrow horizontally.

What About a Nest Hanging from a Tree Branch?

This is a paper wasp nest. They often build them along the rooflines of homes.

Due to movies and TV shows like Looney Tunes and Winnie the Pooh, many people have been conditioned to expecting a bee’s nest will be found dangling from a tree branch, maybe dripping with scrumptious yellow honey.

In reality, you’ll never find a bee’s nest like this. These “dangling” acorn-shaped nests are much more likely to be wasps’ nests – and there’s no honey inside.

So, if you see a nest like this, beware. It’s much more likely to be filled with grumpy wasps and hornets than docile bees.

What’s the Difference Between a Bees’ Nest and a Wasps’ Nest?

How Do You Tell If a Bee or Wasp Nest Is Forming on Your Property?

Let’s focus on the signs that a nest is growing on your property. Different species leave different types of evidence, so pay careful attention to the behavior you’re seeing or the structures being built. These are the signs a nest is growing on your property:

• Consistent Flight Paths: Insects flying in a straight, repeated line to and from the same hole or gap.
• Scrape Marks: Tiny, light-colored lines on weathered wood or fences where insects are harvesting pulp.
• Wall Hovering: Bees or wasps persistently hovering around a specific crack in siding, brickwork, or shutters.
• Audible Buzzing: A faint, low-frequency hum or scratching sound coming from inside a wall or ceiling.
• Queen Activity: A single, unusually large bee or wasp repeatedly investigating the same nook or cavity in early spring.
• Soil Mounds: Mining bees create dirt mounds – small “volcanoes” of loose dirt appearing in patches of bare or thin grass.

Species-Specific Signs of Nests

• The “Golf Ball” Structure: Wasps and yellowjackets leave small grey, papery spheres appearing under eaves or on branches.
• The “Umbrella” Comb: Paper wasps create small, open-faced hexagonal honeycombs hanging from a single stalk.
• Fresh Sawdust: Carpenter bees leave behind small piles of wood dust (frass) appearing on the ground or window sills.

What’s the Difference Between a Bee’s Nest and a Beehive?

This is a wasp nest in the early stages. Notice the classic comb structure.

You often hear these terms used interchangeably, but are they the same? Technically, no. “Beehive” refers to a man-made structure for bees that’s managed by beekeepers. A bee’s nest is a natural structure that the bees make themselves.

However, “beehive” is also sometimes used to describe the social structure of bees and their collective hierarchy. In other words, people sometimes use “beehive” to mean the entire group of bees in a given nest.

So, while there is technically a difference, for most people, they mean the same thing. No matter what you call it, don’t worry – we’ll know what you’re talking about.

Can You Remove a Bee or Wasp Nest on Your Own?

Removing a stinging insect nest on your own is risky. We don’t recommend it, but there are certain cases where you can attempt it on your own. However, there are other situations where you should definitely call a professional.

When DIY Nest Removal Is Safe

• Small “Starter” Nests: If a wasp or hornet nest is smaller than a tennis ball and just beginning to form.
• Exposed Paper Wasp Nests: These are the open-faced “umbrella” nests where you can see the cells. Because they aren’t enclosed in a shell, sprays are very effective from a distance.
• Solitary Bees: Ground-nesting bees or carpenter bees are generally non-aggressive. You can usually leave them alone or gently discourage them by plugging holes after they leave.
• Late Autumn: If you can wait until after two hard frosts, most wasp and hornet colonies will die off naturally, leaving the nest empty and safe to knock down.

When You MUST Call for Professional Nest Removal

• Honey Bees: Honeybees are federally protected, but extermination is not strictly illegal if the nest poses a threat. This is because Nevada is an Africanized honeybee quarantine zone, and most honeybees are presumed to be mutated and aggressive. Don’t try to deal with them yourself – call us and we will remove the colony.
• Inside Walls or Attics: If you spray a nest inside a wall and kill the bees, the leftover honey and larvae will rot, causing structural damage, terrible smells, and attracting other pests (like carpet beetles or rodents).
• Large Enclosed Nests: If a hornet or yellowjacket nest is larger than a grapefruit, the sheer number of insects makes a DIY attempt dangerous.
• Ground Nests (Yellowjackets): These are notorious for having multiple “back exits” and being extremely aggressive. Stepping near one can trigger a swarm.
• Height Issues: Never use a ladder to reach a nest. If you get swarmed while on a ladder, the fall is often more dangerous than the stings.

DIY Nest Removal Safety Tips

• Only act at dusk or dawn. Wasps are least active and most likely to all be “home” during these times.
• Wear thick layers, gloves, and eye protection. Tuck your pants into your socks.
• Wasps will fly toward light sources. If you need light, use a red filter or a dim light placed away from your body.
• Know exactly where you are going to run before you start spraying.
• If you are allergic to stings, or if anyone in your household is, zero DIY removal is safe. The risk of anaphylaxis is not worth the cost of an exterminator.

When Should You Call a Bee or Wasp Control Professional?

You should call a professional bee control specialist or wasp exterminator the moment you notice signs of an established colony, such as a consistent “flight path” of insects entering a single hole, audible buzzing inside your walls, or a visible nest larger than a golf ball. Expert intervention is non-negotiable if the nest is located in a high-traffic area, hidden within your home’s structure, or if any inhabitants have known stings allergies. Attempting to DIY a large or inaccessible nest—especially with aggressive species like yellowjackets or Africanized honey bees—risks dangerous swarming, structural rot from abandoned honey, and potential falls from ladders.

Don’t risk a swarm or a fall. Protect your home and family – call us today for a safe, professional removal!

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