Bees bugging you? Try these pro tips to keep bees away.
How to Keep Bees Away From Every Area
Updated on Aug. 08, 2024
Bees are amazing little powerhouses. They pollinate our crops, make honey and contribute to ecosystem diversity in our gardens and the world at large. But sometimes, we don’t want them buzzing around while we’re just trying to have a nice dinner on the patio, am I right? Even if you appreciate bees, it’s a good thing to know how to keep bees away when you want to.
That’s especially important if you or a member of your family has a bee allergy, says Shannon Harlow-Ellis, an associate certified entomologist (ACE) and manager of technical services with Mosquito Joe: “Most bees are beneficial in some way to the environment. However, if you are allergic to bee stings, have a colony intruding on your living space, or even see an aggressive group of bees” in your yard, near your pool or on your deck, it’s a good idea to know how to keep them away.
For major infestations, Harlow-Ellis stresses calling a pro. But first, try these entomologist-endorsed natural solutions. Ahead, Harlow-Ellis and colleague David Price, ACE, Mosquito Joe’s director of technical services, discuss how to keep bees away from every area of your home and yard.
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How to Keep Bees Away From the House
Screens on windows and doors will keep out most bees, and luckily, bees are generally not aggressive. “Honeybees and other species of wild bees will not sting unless they feel threatened, such as stepped on or smacked,” Price says. Still, it’s better to keep them outside. Here’s how to keep bees away from your house:
Seal up cracks
This perennial advice applies to ants, mosquitos, mice, and you guessed it, bees — especially honeybees. When honeybee hives get too big, the queen takes half the hive and hits the road, looking for a new place to live. (That’s what’s happening when you see those viral pictures of swarms hanging out on random objects.) As the queen and worker bees rest, scouts take off to find a suitable location for the new hive.
If that suitable location is an exterior wall of your home, you’re in trouble. Yellowjackets, while not bees, have been known to nest in walls, too. Seal up cracks around windows, doors, chimneys, pipes and cables to keep bees away from your house.
Fix leaks
“Bees, like most other animals, need water, especially when it is warm outside,” Harlow-Ellis says. Fix dripping pipes, leaky hose bibbs and other water sources that might attract bees. Bees return to the same water source over and over again, so it may take a few days for the bees to get the message after fixing the leak.
Keep trash covered
Garbage, especially sugary to-go cups and discarded soda cans, often attracts bees. Keep your trash cans tightly covered. Better yet, rinse food containers, cups and soda cans before throwing them away or putting them in the recycling bin. Bonus: Covering your bins keeps other insects and animals out, too.
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How to Keep Bees Away From the Deck
It will be more difficult to keep bees away from your deck than your house. “You can, however, use some simple solutions to reduce that number,” Harlow-Ellis says. It’s all about making your deck less inviting to bees) and tempting them with something better.
Keep flowering plants off your deck
When you see a bee flying around your plants, they “are foraging for nectar to take back to the hive,” Price says. “While foraging, they are picking up pollen and dropping some off to another flower or plant.” Their journey could be a few hundred feet or up to two miles, Price says. “If food is scarce, they can extend that distance.”
After such a long trip, your daisies and hibiscus look pretty inviting to a bee. Harlow-Ellis says to move any existing flowering plants off the deck and not plant any within ten feet of the deck.
Plant a pollinator garden
Another idea is luring bees away with pollinator gardens in an area far from the deck, Harlow-Ellis says. “I suggest planting butterfly gardens that will attract pollinators other than bees,” Harlow-Ellis says. Find plants that specifically attract butterflies and other beneficial insects (but not bees!) through your university extension or a conservation organization like Xerces, which offers granular information specific to your location.
Avoid leaving food and drinks out
Just like keeping your trash covered, keeping bee-attracting food and drinks off bees’ radar will help keep them away from your deck. If you’re having a party on the patio, clean up before heading to the pool or the backyard for a game. Consider pouring cokes (aka pop or soda for those in other regions) into covered beverage containers rather than enjoying out of the can.
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How to Keep Bees Away From the Pool
Stepping on a bee while climbing out of the pool or swatting at a mini-swarm while playing Marco Polo can turn your pool day south in an instant. Bees need water just like the rest of us, and your pool is a giant beacon. “Keeping them away from the pool may be a challenge,” Harlow-Ellis says, so here are some ideas to help.
Remove flowering plants
If bees are stopping by your pool for a sip of water, flowers might make them want to hang around even longer. Keep flowering plants at least ten feet away from your pool area, just like you do with decks, Harlow-Ellis says. Plant desirable species like clover and lavender, or do a full-fledged pollinator garden, elsewhere in your yard to encourage bees to go there instead.
Provide an alternative water source
Once bees find a water source, they stick with it, so this one might take some long-term planning. Beekeepers often set up a simple birdbath or shallow dish with rocks for their bees, but there’s no reason you couldn’t either — far from your pool, of course. Be aware that you might have to cover or drain your pool for several days to redirect their imprinted instinct.
Keep pool area clean
The same advice for houses, decks and everywhere else around your home applies here: Keep trash picked up and drinks covered. No one wants a mouthful of angry bee instead of a nice cool drink of lemonade. When you pack it in for the day or head inside for lunch, clean up the pool area of drinks, fruit peels and empty candy wrappers that bees find attractive.
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How to Keep Bees Away From the Backyard
Honeybees, wild bees and ground bees, which live in holes in the ground, are all looking for the same thing: nectar and pollen. Reducing sources of these essential food items is key, but unless you pave over your entire yard, you’re unlikely to eliminate all bees. “Mother nature is ever-changing, so you may still have bees on the property,” Harlow-Price says.
Change your landscaping
In addition to removing flowering plants that attract bees, redirecting the bees is an option. “I encourage people to leave a section of their yard with clover and flowers,” Price says. “The bees will be drawn to that area and will reduce the chance of a person being stung.”
Water your lawn
Ground bees are solitary bees that nest in holes in the ground. Because they prefer dry environments, simply watering your lawn can help get them to move on. Or you can leave them alone because they only live a few weeks in early to mid-spring. Not only that, females are docile, males don’t have stingers, and they don’t harm your lawn, according to the University of Minnesota extension.
Remove rotted trees
Creepy old dead trees might come in handy for your Halloween decorations, but they’re also prime real estate for a bee colony. When the queen and workers separate from an existing hive, a hollow tree is exactly the type of home they’re looking for. Don’t let scout bees find one in your yard! Chop down and remove dead or diseased trees.
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How to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders
Quick, pretty, gravity-defying hummingbirds are endlessly entertaining. They expend a ton of energy flitting about, too, so people often supplement their bugs-and-nectar diet by putting out hummingbird feeders filled with sugar water. If you love watching hummingbirds but don’t love the bees seeking out their sticky-sweet contents, here are some expert-approved tips.
Install a bee guard
Price says you should bee-proof your hummingbird feeders with bee guards. These small, snap-on devices go right over the nectar ports. They don’t harm hummingbirds or make it too hard for them to drink. Instead, bee guards sit over the openings like a cage, making the entry holes smaller so bees are less likely to squeeze in.
Clean feeders frequently
Even if bees can’t get inside a hummingbird feeder, if there’s a bunch of sugar clinging to the outside, they won’t need to. “Clean the feeder frequently, [to] reduce the sugary solution on the outside of the feeder,” Price says. The Audubon Society recommends cleaning your feeders twice a week in hot weather and once a week the rest of the year. Run it under hot tap water only, or mix in a little vinegar. Don’t use dish soap because the residue can harm the birds.
Plant a pollinator garden
You probably like “the real thing” over something artificial, and bees do, too. “Planting a pollinator garden away from the feeder will draw them from the feeder,” Price says. Look for bee-friendly, native plants that have not been grown or treated with pesticides or other chemicals.
Keep feeders empty for a few days
As with water sources, bees return to reliable food stops. Experts at Oregon State University extension recommend discouraging bees by periodically emptying feeders and leaving them empty for three or four days to disrupt the bees’ habits. Once they’ve moved on you can refill.
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How to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Flower Garden
A hummingbird flower garden provides not just nectar-producing flowers but also insect and hummingbird habitat. A good hummingbird garden will consist of shade trees, shrubs, native wildflowers and vines, and a water source, all things that bees find attractive, too. If you have room, plant a separate bee garden. Or use Price’s suggestion to keep a patch of clover and wildflowers in your lawn, to entice bees away from your hummingbirds.
FAQ
Will keeping bees away from my garden harm my plants?
Not necessarily. As long as you have a variety of plants, other pollinators like butterflies, wasps, flies and beetles should pick up the slack. “We do need all types of pollinators,” Harlow-Ellis says, and “each species of pollinator may be attracted to a different type of plant.”
About the Experts
- Shannon Harlow-Ellis is an associate certified entomologist and technical services manager at Mosquito Joe pest control experts. A lifelong bug enthusiast, Harlow-Ellis is also the vice president of the Virginia Pest Management Association.
- David Price, ACE, is the director of technical services at Mosquito Joe. Price is an associate-certified entomologist and a previous vice president of the Central Virginia Pest Management Association.
Sources
- Audubon Society. “Hummingbird Feeding FAQs.”
- Gibb, Tim. Department of Entomology, Purdue University. “Seeing Swarms of Honey Bees is a Good Thing” (2022).
- Mississippi State University Extension. “Prevention and Treatment of Nuisance Honey Bees Around Your Home.”
- Oregon State University Extension. “How Can I Keep Bees Away From My Hummingbird Feeder?”
- Texas Parks and Wildlife. “So You Want a Hummingbird Garden.”
- University of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences. “Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas: Sesbania grandiflora.”
- University of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences. “Water Source for Bees, Not Mosquitos.”
- University of Minnesota Extension. “Planting and Maintaining a Bee Lawn.”
- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists”
