Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions not answered here, or would like more information on any topic mentioned, please feel free to contact us!

What is a bee removal and how do you do that?

A bee removal is a typically safe method of relocating bees from a property or structure. This is different from extermination because the bees are kept alive and the whole have is transported away. R9 Hive&Honey uses special bee vacuums to collect all the bees inside a sealed container. The comb with eggs and larva (brood comb) are removed and then we use rubber bands to secure the comb inside of a frame. All the brood comb is put in the hive box along with any bees that decide to fly to their new hive. Honey and empty comb is collected in buckets and removed as well. Once we leave the property, we flip the bees from the vacuum to inside the hive. If the queen bee is captured (generally she gets vacuumed up instead of manually caged), she is also placed inside the hive to encourage the other bees to come and stay.

Can I have the honey from my house?

While honey is delicious, it is not safe for people to eat! We encounter hives in all sorts of unsavory spaces and often find rodent feces, cockroaches, and other bugs living in and around the hive. Additionally, we can never be sure if a house is made with asbestos or lead based products. It’s not safe to eat and can make you sick.

We plan to have a more detailed blog post about this soon!

What do you do with the honey?

Because the honey is not fit for human consumption, we always feed the honey directly back to weaker hives or other rescued hives in our recovery apiary. Sometimes we save the honey in a freezer and feed it back during winter, but generally we feed the honey back the same day we get it.

What happens to the rescued bees?

These bees will go back to our recovery apiary in Lyford, Tx where we will monitor their health for the next year. After they have had 2 or 3 months to recover, we requeen them with a more gentle, non-africanized Italian queen bees. This will ensure they have strong genetic stock, but more importantly it will ensure that these hives are very calm.

After a year of recovery we can use these bees for pollination contracts or to produce honey.

How does pollination services work?

If you have a crop such as watermelon that you need bees for pollination for please contact us with the acreage you need covered and how many hives you think you need. We can negotiate a contract that is ideal for your needs and budget.

If you have a garden that could benefit from pollination, please contact us! Even small personal gardens will perform better from honeybee pollination and we are happy to put a hive of very calm Italian bees on your property. We will maintain the hive for you, so there is no work and worrying about having proper equipment while still reaping the benefits of a beehive.

Do you sell honey?

Not yet! Our bees are not strong enough to make honey yet but we should do our first harvests in fall 2021. Keep an eye on our honey page for updates, information on what products we will have, and prices.

Do you sell bees or queen bees?

Not yet but we hope to sell nucs (nucleus hives) starting in spring 2022.

Do bees count for an agricultural tax exemption?

Yes! Bees count for getting an agricultural tax exemption on your land that isn’t otherwise used for farming or ranching. Each county is a bit different in determining ag valuation so you will have to contact your local ag extension services with your county to get the complete details. Often you need a certain number of colonies per acre. For a fee, we can put out bees on your property so you can get the tax exemption.

We look for properties that have enough forage around for bees, but if you are interested in hiring bees to get the exemption please contact us so we can inspect the area and negotiate a deal.