re: whats the best spray for killing a hive of bees? (update page 2)

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Sometimes it necessary to kill honeybees, particularly now that Africanized Honeybees (AHB) are in the Southern tier of states.

The safest way to kill a swarm or cloud of honeybees is with very warm water, detergent, and a pressure sprayer, the same way professionals kill bees when a tractor trailer of migratory bee hives overturns or a colony of Africanized bees is encountered.

VERY WARM WATER

Most of the pressure sprayers on the market have plastic components, so using boiling water is not advisable.  The hottest tap water you can manage is sufficient for this purpose.

DETERGENT

Any type of grease cutting detergent (not soap!) will work - laundry detergent, automotive degreaser, etc.



 

PRESSURE SPRAYER

A pressure sprayer is used to give yourself some room from the colony by being able to spray up to 20 feet away. 

WHY IT WORKS

Honeybees have exoskeletons, hard plates on their bodies which must move into or against another plate, as opposed to skin as we have.  To keep the plates supple, they are coated with a waxy substance that keeps moisture in the bee and literally prevents the bee from bleeding to death.  The spray of hot detergent water knocks any bees out of the air, as it saturates their wings and body, so they can no longer fly.  It also quickly cuts through the waxy coating, thus all the plate joints "leak" bodily fluids and the bees die quickly.

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