# Effing bees! IN MY APARTMENT! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490 "2009-06-21T17:05:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/1 "2009-06-21T17:05:35Z")
Gah!!!11!!!1!!! In the kitchen earlier, I heard a strange buzzing and rustling from the direction of the window. Upon closer inspection, there was a bee trying desperately to escape out the closed window. :eek: Not cool, and I don’t have any bee or wasp spray, so I grabbed a bottle of Febreeze because I figured any chemical sprayed onto an insect will at least temporarily incapacitate them, especially the flying types. So I sprayed the crap out of the window, hoping the fumes would get through the partially open blinds. Then I went to the bathroom. More buzzing. :eek::eek::eek::eek: More spraying, then a quick run out the door in case I’d angered anyone. Got lunch. Came back. Still buzzing at the kitchen window. More spraying, bee falls to floor, I step on it, then notice the other bee that I’d obviously killed with the earlier spraying. And there’s still buzzing in the bathroom, I tried spraying some more while calling my landlord and the bee didn’t die so now the bathroom door is closed pending another attack. And I have to poop. Seriously, I love this apartment, but things keep going wrong here. I am not ok with sharing my space with bees. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/2 "2009-06-21T17:09:23Z")
Bees don’t bug you if you don’t bug them. Why don’t you follow them back to the hole they used to come into your appartment? Then stuff it with a wad of wet newspaper. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/3 "2009-06-21T17:21:13Z")
☹ I would have just caught the bees and thrown them outside. Seriously, three bees? It’s not like you had a swarm in there or anything. I catch bees that are on the flowers in front of my house all the time just so I can look at them close up while they crawl on my hand. It’s not like they sting on sight. They’re cute and fuzzy, not something to go into a frenzied panic over. They didn’t deserve to die just because they accidentally got trapped in your apartment ☹ I do agree your landlord needs to figure out how they got in and fix it, though. Mainly to protect the bees. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/4 "2009-06-21T17:25:33Z")
This is gods way of telling you not to go on extended long distance booty calls 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/5 "2009-06-21T17:29:32Z")
Sorry, guys, I have an irrational fear of bees. I’m not allergic, I don’t think, because I got stung by a wasp? bee? when I was younger and didn’t die. But I am not ok with trapping them and putting them outside. I don’t freak out about roaches, but bees? _shudder_ And unfortunately the final count is now 6. I also left a message on the emergency line with my landlord, I want somebody out here today. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/6 "2009-06-21T17:35:39Z")
Are they bees or yellow jackets? It seems strange to me that you would get a lot of bees in your apartment, but I have seen yellow jackets build nests in walls of buildings and then get confused and go in instead of out. ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/7 "2009-06-21T17:37:50Z")
Definitely bees. I don’t even think we have yellow jackets here in Florida, at least I don’t see them. If I work up the courage I might go check outside to see where they’re coming from, but my imagination is running wild and I’m afraid I’ll die in a storm of bees. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/8 "2009-06-21T17:40:34Z")
> [@](#): > > but my imagination is running wild and I’m afraid I’ll die in a storm of bees. I think you’ll be okay. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/9 "2009-06-21T17:45:40Z")
But… But… don’t we have killer bees here in Florida? OK, now I know these aren’t killer bees because they didn’t all swarm me. But still, ack! And I went outside, ascertained that there was at least one bee flying around the foliage under my windows, and ran inside like a scared little girl. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/10 "2009-06-21T17:46:12Z")
> [@RedRosesForMe](#): > > Sorry, guys, I have an irrational fear of bees. I’m not allergic, I don’t think, because I got stung by a wasp? bee? when I was younger and didn’t die. > > But I am not ok with trapping them and putting them outside. I don’t freak out about roaches, but bees? _shudder_ > > And unfortunately the final count is now 6. I also left a message on the emergency line with my landlord, I want somebody out here today. Listen…I had a problem that started with two or three bees…then a half dozen…then a dozen…then when we turned off the TV, we could hear the house buzzing. We called an exterminator and they found a hive four layers deep and 12 feet high inside the wall! They removed BUCKETFULS of bees from the wall. Try to locate where they are and get your landlord to take care of it. ☹ Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/11 "2009-06-21T18:02:51Z")
Gee thanks **Kalhoun**. Made myself a cup of tea so I can calm down, now I’m all anxious again. When I went outside, before I ran away from the singe bee I saw, I noticed a spot where the bricks were loose and the mortar degraded. Hoping the bees aren’t hanging out there. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/12 "2009-06-21T18:06:38Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > It’s not like they sting on sight. They’re cute and fuzzy, not something to go into a frenzied panic over. I can see how someone would be nervous about bees (I once had a wasp get into my apartment and even though I did manage to catch it in a jar, I was very nervous until I got it back outside). However, the nice thing about honeybees is that you can try calling a beekeeper and seeing if they can remove the colony. A lot of beekeepers would like to be able to have free bees. If it’s possible, it would be nicer if they could be put in a beekeeper’s colony rather than killed. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/13 "2009-06-21T18:37:44Z")
> [@RedRosesForMe](#): > > Gee thanks **Kalhoun**. Made myself a cup of tea so I can calm down, now I’m all anxious again. > > When I went outside, before I ran away from the singe bee I saw, I noticed a spot where the bricks were loose and the mortar degraded. Hoping the bees aren’t hanging out there. I hate to tell this but…bees are attracted to the smell of tea. They are also attracted to the sounds of keyboard clicking (and it makes them irrate to boot) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/14 "2009-06-21T19:49:37Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > However, the nice thing about honeybees is that you can try calling a beekeeper and seeing if they can remove the colony. That’s a GREAT idea. Why don’t you call a couple bee keepers? Google for a bee keepers club or somthing near you. Most bee keepers are amateurs, not professionals, so they will hardly be in the yellow pages. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/15 "2009-06-21T20:00:55Z")
This is the fourth thread lately about bees turning up where they don’t belong. I think **Covered\_With\_Bees** is starting to shed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/16 "2009-06-21T20:06:10Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > This is the fourth thread lately about bees turning up where they don’t belong. > > I think **Covered\_With\_Bees** is starting to shed. 😃 It’s either that or that the swarm of bees I was hoarding has grown too large for me to control and has now become sentient and is operating with the power I gave it, but with its own willpower. Like so many villains in sci-fi/horror flicks. _rubs goatee and looks just generally shady_ ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/17 "2009-06-21T20:15:30Z")
The may well be “killer bees”, just so you know. Africanized bees no account for a large percentage of wild hives. The last time I had more than one bee in my house, I found that there was a hive in the outside walls of the house - you might want to do a walk around the house and see if you notice bees flying towards any holes in the house. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/18 "2009-06-21T20:21:18Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > That’s a GREAT idea. Why don’t you call a couple bee keepers? Google for a bee keepers club or somthing near you. Most bee keepers are amateurs, not professionals, so they will hardly be in the yellow pages. When I had a major bee problem (I thought), an exterminator I talked to told me to contact a beekeeper through the Department of Agriculture. Apparently, even hobbyists are required to be licensed. (BTW, the colony moved on a day later and I haven’t seen a bee since.) ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/19 "2009-06-21T20:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t have any bee or wasp spray, so I grabbed a bottle of Febreeze because I figured any chemical sprayed onto an insect will at least temporarily incapacitate them Hairspray is the chemical-of-choice vs. Bees, ime. You want to find out where they’re coming from ASAP before they move in permanently and start nesting. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490/20 "2009-06-22T01:59:40Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Listen…I had a problem that started with two or three bees…then a half dozen…then a dozen…then when we turned off the TV, we could hear the house buzzing. We called an exterminator and they found a hive four layers deep and 12 feet high inside the wall! They removed BUCKETFULS of bees from the wall. > > Try to locate where they are and get your landlord to take care of it. ☹ Good luck! My thoughts exactly. A friend of ours had a wet looking spot on her second floor ceiling of a newly built construction house. She stuck her finger into the wet spot and yellow jackets came swarming out. The nest was huge and they’d only been in the house for three years. We had an infestation of yellow jackets ( nasty fuckers) in our chimney wall. Regular store bought killer spray doesn’t take care of them. You have to call an exterminator and it is worth every farking penny for them to handle it all with their higher grade poisons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effing-bees-in-my-apartment/500490.md?page=2)