Bees and wasps

Bee Hives

A bee hive is an enclosed structure where bees live. Being enclosed allows the bees and their honeycomb to be protected from predators. Hives can form in tree hollows, roof eaves and wall cavities.

Bee Swarms

Bee swarms occur in spring and early summer when a group of bees split from a hive in search of a new home. These bees form a large slowly drifting swarm, occasionally landing to form clusters on solid objects such as fence posts, tree branches, benches, and letterboxes. Bee swarms are generally not aggressive unless provoked, and will usually move on within a few days.

If you see a swarm of honey bees settling on your property:

• Don’t interfere with the swarm as this can aggravate the bees and makes it more difficult for removal
• Keep children and animals well away from the swarm
• Wear footwear to protect your feet in case bees have settled on the ground.

The Shire does not provide a bee removal service on private property.

European Wasps are an introduced pest species. They are about the same size as bees but have a bright yellow body with black v-shaped markings down their backs. They are attracted to food and drinks and can often become a pest at outdoor events.

These wasps can be especially dangerous with regard to cans of drink, as they can crawl inside unseen and then sting the throat when a drink is taken from the can. The resultant swelling in the throat can cause choking. They also have the ability to sting repeatedly and may trigger an allergic reaction.

European Wasps generally make their nests in sheltered areas around buildings, rocks, trees or shrubs. The nests look like grey cardboard and can be the size of a football. You can often locate them by the stream of wasps flying to and from the nest.

The best way to control European Wasps is to destroy the nest. The safest way to do this is to contact a pest control expert to treat the nest, as the wasps can become extremely aggressive if the nest is attacked. The Shire does not provide a wasp removal service on private property.

For more information on controlling European Wasps, visit the Agriculture Victoria wasp page and the Victorian Department of Health's wasp page.

The Shire does not provide bee or wasp removal services on private property.

To assist, the Shire has completed a formal expression of interest process to identify suitable local service providers able to assist with the safe removal of Honey Bees and European Wasps from private property. Property owners may contact the below providers to arrange bee or wasp removal at the cost of the property owner. Property owners should check on costs when contacting service providers, noting it may be necessary for the operator to inspect before providing a quote.

Identified bee or wasp removal service providers

Chris Daffy
Mobile: 0421 514 742
PO Box 100, Upper Beaconsfield VIC 3808
ABN: 18 732 970 224

Penpest Pty Ltd
Phone: (03) 59810256
50 Collins Road, Dromana VIC 3936
www.penpest.au
ABN:70 685 543 677

It can be difficult to tell the difference between a bee and wasp problem, so the above service providers are happy to cross refer as required. In most cases, Honey Bees removed from private property will be relocated to bee hives on the Peninsula where they are cared for by beekeeper association members, though there may be some instances where bees cannot be saved and may need to be destroyed. European Wasps are an introduced pest species and will be destroyed.

A person that wishes to keep bees on private property must be registered with the Agriculture Victoria and comply with the Apiary Code of Practice 2011. For more information on the requirements for keeping bees, please visit Agriculture Victoria's Beekeeping for Beginners page.