I wanted to write about this something very important.  It’s the subject of hiring a State Licensed company to do your bee removal.  We have noticed over the last few years there are emerging companies that are claiming that they perform live bee removal, and that are licensed.  Please beware, most companies in Southern California do not do live bee removal, and on top of that these companies are unlicensed to do this type of work.  They claim many things but at the time of work, they often kill off the bees and use harmful chemicals against practice laws and standards.  I am not meaning a simple business license from the registrars’ office for tax purposes (which most also don’t have), I mean a license from the Structural Pest Control Board.  Companies that are state licensed are required to have proper limits of liability insurance, as well as the requirement to be bonded.

Companies that are unlicensed mean that they are not monitored by any state agency, and that they are not required to submit monthly activity reports to each county in which they work.  The Agricultural Commissioner should know the company in which you plan to hire.  There is a very easy was to see if a company is licensed through the Structural Pest Control.  Simply go to: http://www.pestboard.ca.gov/and on the left hand side look for a tab that says “License Lookup”, click on that, and then type in the name of the business.  If the query provides no results, then the company is unlicensed.  Easy as that!

Providing live quality bee removal is a specialized trade, and homeowners should be sure that the company they hire will offer them a good warranty and they will be around in the coming years should they have a problem again, or even concerns about the job performed.  Companies that are unlicensed can offer very cheap prices because they have no overhead, no insurance, and no licenses.  Some people may think great, I am getting a real deal!  I am afraid to tell you that it is just the opposite.  These companies do shoddy work, and the bees will usually return.  If work is being performed on a structural wall of roof, then please, by all means, make sure you do your homework!  There have been far too many jobs that Bee Catchers has had to fix over the years because other companies have done the homeowner an injustice.

Another concern that we are seeing is that there are companies that are advertising in California, but that are not actually in California.  Unlicensed companies are partnering together in different states looking for leads.  So, you could call a company that you find online that you think is local, but in actuality they are several states away, outsourcing their work to some company back in California.  The majority of these companies that are working together have no idea about one another, except for the basics.  These are not quality companies giving out referrals.  Again, please beware!!!

The only company that I would refer anyone to in another state would be Willie the Bee Man in Florida.  Great company, great man, great prices.

Good luck and bee happy!