What should I do about a bee or wasp nest at home?

Bee hive removal: first steps

Finding a hive is not the moment to act fast. Back away slowly and keep children, your helper and any pets out of that part of the house until you know what is there. Only close a nearby window or door if you can reach it without passing the nest.

Then make one phone call. NParks advises leaving a hive alone and, for a hive, calling NParks' Helpline at 1800-471-7300. Tell them where the nest is, for example a balcony planter, the eaves over a landed home's porch or a tree in a condo garden. Say roughly how big it looks and whether people walk past it every day.

Put away the insect spray, the broom handle and the hose. Any one of them turns a quiet nest into a threatened one. If you are wondering whether a pest firm deals with hives, our pest control FAQ answers the wider questions about pest services. For bees and hornets, though, call the helpline before anyone else.

Bees, hornets or wasps?

What you have decides how careful you need to be. NParks says Singapore has over 130 bee species and the Asian Honey Bee is the most common. Honey bees are docile while foraging among your plants, but they will defend a hive they see as threatened. Stingless bees have no sting and are harmless.

Hornets and paper wasps are less forgiving. NParks notes that both defend their nests aggressively, so any wasp nest Singapore residents find under a gate pillar, an awning or an aircon ledge is the one to stay furthest from. NParks also says dwarf honey bees often abandon a hive within three to six months, so sometimes the answer is simply patience.

Not sure which one you are looking at? Describe it from where you are standing when you call, rather than stepping closer for a better view. Our pest control vs DIY comparison looks at which household pest jobs you can handle yourself. A live nest is not one of them.

Where nests turn up at home

According to NParks, the Asian Honey Bee builds hives in sheltered spaces such as tree holes, upturned pots and building eaves. Around Singapore homes, that often means:

• HDB flats: a stack of upturned flower pots in the corridor or on a service yard ledge.
• Condos: balcony planters, or a hollow in a mature tree in the grounds. If the nest is in a common area, let the management office know as well.
• Landed homes: the eaves above a porch or car porch, and old trees in the garden.

Landed homes have the longest rooflines to watch. Add the eaves to your landed home maintenance checklist so you spot a new colony while it is still small. Check from the ground, never from a ladder.

If you are attacked

If bees or hornets come after you, you will not have time to think it through. NParks gives four plain rules:

• Cover your head, with a shirt, towel or bag if that is all you have.
• Move away from the hive and keep going.
• Do not swat at the insects.
• Do not jump into water, even if a pool or fish pond is close by.

Once you are well clear, check everyone for stings and go through the steps below. For other urgent problems at home, keep our home emergencies FAQ bookmarked.

Bee sting what to do

Honey bee stings leave a stinger in the skin. NParks sets out what to do next:

1. Scrape the stinger out. Use the edge of a card, such as an EZ-Link or bank card. Do not pinch it.
2. Wash the area. Clean the sting with soap and water.
3. Apply ice. Hold ice against the spot.
4. Watch for allergic reactions. Keep watching the person who was stung, especially a young child or an older relative.
5. Get medical attention. Seek immediate medical attention for any allergic signs or for multiple stings.

If you are unsure whether a reaction is serious, take that doubt as your cue to get medical help. Once everyone is safe, the nest is still there. Our guide to hiring a pest control company explains what to ask any firm. For a hive, ask NParks first, and do not assume a pest company will take one on.

Preventing new nests

Bees look for sheltered gaps, so take away the easy ones. Turn spare flower pots the right way up or keep them in a closed store. Clear stacked boxes and old furniture from yards and service balconies, and look along the eaves every few weeks. A handyman can help you clear a cluttered store room or yard, but a live nest is not a job for them.

If you book roof gutter cleaning for a landed home, ask the crew to tell you about any nest they see under the eaves and to stop work near it rather than disturb it.

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