Are honey bees protected in Australia?

Honey bees are not native and are not protected as wildlife, but they are valuable and swarm collection is widely available at low or no cost, so destroying them is usually the worse choice on every measure. Registered beekeepers are the people to call, and local associations maintain swarm lists.

What happens if bees are left in a wall?

The colony builds comb and stores honey inside the cavity. If the bees are killed and the comb is left, the honey ferments and leaks through plaster, and the wax and remaining honey attract other pests. Proper removal of an established wall hive involves opening up the cavity, which is why it costs more than spraying and why it is the right thing to do.

Who to hire for a wasp or bee nest

Short answer

For wasps, a licensed pest manager. For honey bees, a beekeeper or a swarm collector — many will remove a swarm at no cost or a small one, and destroying honey bees is both unnecessary and, where a hive is left in a wall, a cause of later problems with wax, honey and the pests that follow it.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Pest Controller.

a local beekeeping association
it is a swarm of honey bees hanging in a cluster. Swarm collection lists exist in most regions and this is often free.
a builder
a hive is established inside a wall or roof. The comb and honey have to come out or they melt, stain and attract pests for years afterwards.

What to do before anyone arrives

Photograph from a distance and identify. Honey bees are furry and brown; European wasps are hairless with bright yellow and black bands and fold their wings along the body at rest; paper wasps hang a small open comb under an eave.
Keep people and pets away and close nearby windows.
Do not spray a nest yourself and do not block the entrance — both provoke a defensive response, and European wasps in particular can sting repeatedly.
Note whether anyone in the household has a known allergy, and make sure any prescribed adrenaline autoinjector is accessible.

What to ask when you book

Is this a wasp or a bee, and does that change who should do this?
For a wall hive: is the comb being removed, or only the bees?
When will you treat it — evening treatment is standard for good reason.
How long until the area is safe?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

Species and nest location.
Height and accessibility.
Whether a structure has to be opened to remove a hive.
Whether comb and honey removal and cleanup are included.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Pest management is licensed in every state. European wasps are a declared pest in several states with reporting arrangements. Beekeepers are generally required to be registered, which is a useful thing to ask about.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a wasp or bee nest: For wasps, a licensed pest manager. For honey bees, a beekeeper or a swarm collector — many will remove a swarm at no cost or a small one, and destroying honey bees is both unnecessary and, where a hive is left in a wall, a cause of later problems with wax, honey and the pests that follow it.
Are honey bees protected in Australia?: Honey bees are not native and are not protected as wildlife, but they are valuable and swarm collection is widely available at low or no cost, so destroying them is usually the worse choice on every measure. Registered beekeepers are the people to call, and local associations maintain swarm lists.
What happens if bees are left in a wall?: The colony builds comb and stores honey inside the cavity. If the bees are killed and the comb is left, the honey ferments and leaks through plaster, and the wax and remaining honey attract other pests. Proper removal of an established wall hive involves opening up the cavity, which is why it costs more than spraying and why it is the right thing to do.

Find a Pest Controller near you

1,396 pest controllers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.