Bees in Your Chimney: Do’s and Don’ts | Nexus Chimney Services

September 9, 2019

Bee-lieve it or not, late summer and early fall are prime time for bee activity. The shortening days and dropping temperature send a signal to these buzzy critters that it’s time to collect as much food as possible and find a cozy place to hunker down for the winter. Unfortunately, if that cozy place is your chimney, you probably don’t want them hanging around cluttering up your flue, damaging your masonry and possibly even causing a chimney fire.

If you’re concerned about bees nesting in your chimney this fall, here are some “dos” and “don’ts” from an experienced Apex chimney contractor.

Do: Close your Damper

First of all, if you haven’t already, close your damper. This will prevent the bees from making their way down the chimney into your home.

Do: React as Quickly as Possible

If you notice that there are bees nesting in your chimney, don’t wait a second longer than you have to in order to call a bee removal specialist. A new bee swarm contains thousands of bees, and it doesn’t take them long to make honey and honeycomb. Both of these items are flammable and can cause significant damage to your chimney.

Don’t: Light a Fire

Many homeowners make the mistake of lighting a fire to try to “smoke them out.” But if the nest does contain wax and honey, the substances will melt and run down the walls of the chimney, causing a terrible mess in the best-case scenario, and reaching a flash point and igniting in the worst case. It’s far better to err on the side of caution and call a bee removal specialist to take care of the problem.

Do: Call a Professional Exterminator or Bee Remover

You have two options for getting rid of bees in your chimney, live removal or extermination. As a professional chimney company, we generally recommend live removal, as we do not like the idea of flammable/toxic chemicals going into a space that will later contain fire and smoke. (Plus, honey bees are good for the environment!) However, if there are no live bee removal options near you, extermination can be just as effective, although it often requires the drywall and masonry to be removed to allow access.

Do: Call a Chimney Cleaning Company

Getting rid of the bees themselves is just the first step. It’s also important to ensure they did not cause any lasting damage, and remove all traces of honey, wax, and related scents that might attract their interest next year. A CSIA certified chimney sweep can thoroughly remove all traces of the beehive, as well as creosote buildup and debris, and perform a chimney inspection to discover how they entered the chimney. Finally, they can prevent the problem from occurring again by repairing any holes or cracks and fitting a protective screen and chimney cap on top of the chimney.

If you need chimney services in Apex NC, call Nexus chimney services! We’ll get the job done right, and we will be happy to take care of any and all of your fireplace or chimney needs down the line.