The best way to get rid of bees naturally depends on what type of bee you’re dealing with and where they’ve set up. Honeybee swarms can often be relocated for free by a local beekeeper. Carpenter bees respond well to wood treatments and citrus-based repellents. Ground-nesting bees will move on their own if you simply water the area. Before you take action, identifying the bee is the single most important step, because the wrong approach wastes your time and could get you stung.
Identify the Bee First
Three types of bees account for most residential encounters, and each one nests differently.
Carpenter bees are solitary bees with smooth, shiny bodies. You’ll spot them near wood structures: decks, eaves, fences, and barns. Females bore perfectly round entrance holes into bare wood, and their nesting galleries can extend more than a foot deep. Males have white faces and no stinger. They hover aggressively but are completely harmless. Females can sting but rarely do.
Bumblebees are large and fuzzy, with black-and-yellow or black-and-white hair covering their bodies. They nest in the ground, sometimes in abandoned rodent burrows, and colonies can house dozens of bees. Bumblebees can sting repeatedly, and dozens may attack if they sense a threat to the nest.
Honeybees form visible swarms, typically a dense cluster of insects gathered around a branch, pole, or roofline. A true swarm has no papery structure and no wax comb. If you see a papery nest, you’re looking at wasps or hornets, not bees.
Honeybee Swarms: Call a Beekeeper
A honeybee swarm hanging from a tree or structure is the easiest scenario. Swarms are temporary. The colony is between homes and usually calm because the bees have no brood or honey to defend. Most local beekeeping clubs maintain lists of members who will collect swarms at no charge. Search for your county’s bee club online, or contact your state’s beekeeping association.
Before calling, confirm what you have. A true swarm is a free-hanging cluster of bees with no wax and no paper. If the bees have already moved inside a wall, soffit, or other structure and built ribbons of wax comb, they’re an established colony rather than a swarm. Some beekeepers will still remove an established colony, but many won’t because the extraction is far more involved. Let them know the situation upfront so they can decide.
If the insects are in the ground, they’re likely bumblebees. If they’re boring into wood, they’re carpenter bees. Beekeepers generally don’t handle either of those. You’ll need a different approach.
Getting Rid of Carpenter Bees Naturally
Carpenter bees strongly prefer bare, unfinished wood. The single most effective long-term deterrent is coating all exposed wood surfaces with oil-based paint, polyurethane, or exterior stain. A fresh coat of paint makes wood far less attractive to nesting females. Pay special attention to the undersides of decks, windowsills, and railings, since bees target unfinished surfaces first.
For existing activity, a citrus spray repellent applied directly to entrance holes and surrounding wood can drive carpenter bees away. Citrus is one of the scents carpenter bees dislike most. You can make a simple version at home by boiling citrus peels in water, straining the liquid, and spraying it on affected areas. Commercial citrus-based carpenter bee repellents are also widely available.
When to Seal the Holes
Timing matters. Plugging entrance holes too early traps bees inside, and they’ll simply chew new openings elsewhere. The safest window to seal holes is early fall, after the season’s bees have emerged. Carpenter bees reuse nesting galleries from previous years, so caulking old holes in the fall prevents next spring’s generation from moving back in. Use wood putty, caulk, or a wooden dowel to fill each hole, then paint over the repair.
Discouraging Ground-Nesting Bees
Bumblebees and many solitary bee species nest underground, often in dry, sandy, or sparsely vegetated patches of lawn. The simplest natural fix is water. Ground-nesting bees prefer dry soil, and running a sprinkler over the nesting area will encourage them to relocate. No digging, no chemicals, no confrontation.
If ground bees return to the same spot year after year, start watering that area in early spring before nesting season begins. Bees scouting for nest sites will find the damp soil unappealing and look elsewhere. Thickening your lawn with dense grass or ground cover also helps, since bare or thin patches of soil are what attract them in the first place.
Keep in mind that most ground-nesting solitary bees are gentle, rarely sting, and are active for only a few weeks each year. If the nest isn’t in a high-traffic area, leaving them alone is a perfectly reasonable option. They’ll finish their cycle and disappear on their own.
Staying Safe During Removal
Any time you’re working near an active nest, wear protective clothing. At minimum, cover your arms and legs completely, tuck pants into socks, and wear gloves. Light-colored clothing is less likely to provoke bees than dark colors. A hat with a veil or mesh face covering adds important protection, especially around bumblebee nests where dozens of bees may respond aggressively.
Work at dusk or dawn when bees are least active. Avoid swatting, which releases alarm signals that recruit more bees. Move slowly and deliberately. If you have a known allergy to bee stings, don’t attempt any removal yourself. Even people without a history of allergic reactions should have someone nearby in case of an unexpected reaction.
For large or hard-to-reach nests, particularly bumblebee colonies or established honeybee hives inside walls, a professional is worth the call. Bumblebee nests can contain dozens of bees capable of stinging multiple times, and disturbing them without proper protection risks a serious defensive response.
Why Natural Methods Matter
Bees pollinate roughly one-third of the food crops humans depend on, and many species are in decline. Honeybees and bumblebees are especially valuable pollinators. Killing a colony with pesticides eliminates insects that were likely helping your garden and your neighbors’ gardens thrive. Natural deterrence, relocation, and prevention accomplish the same goal of moving bees away from your living space without removing them from the ecosystem entirely.
In most cases, the bees aren’t trying to stay forever. Swarms move on within days. Solitary ground nesters finish their season in weeks. Carpenter bees cause cosmetic wood damage that’s manageable with paint and caulk. Matching your response to the actual problem almost always means you can solve it without chemicals.