Is there a Relocate bees nest service? Is this a bee’s nest! - Ask Extension
I have what might be a very large bees nest in the bushes in my back yard. The man who mows the grass wants to destroy it next week so that he won’...
Knowledgebase
Is there a Relocate bees nest service? Is this a bee’s nest! #914053
Asked August 14, 2025, 4:18 PM EDT
I have what might be a very large bees nest in the bushes in my back yard. The man who mows the grass wants to destroy it next week so that he won’t get stung. Do you have a relocation service for bees nests? I’m attaching a photograph of the nest. Idk for certain that it is a bees nest rather than a wasp nest.
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
The pictured nest does not belong to bees but instead is a Baldfaced Hornet nest (hornets are a type of wasp), and they are quite commonly seen this time of year, when the nest is at its physical largest size and the population of worker wasps are high. (Each nest is started from scratch in spring, as the wasps do not re-use nests from year to year, and most of the colony members die out by winter.)
You can learn more about their life cycle and behavior and management on our social wasps web page, but essentially: no, these nests cannot be relocated, and beekeepers that work with honey bees generally do not work with wasps. If needed, a pest control professional that does deal with wasps can remove the nest for you, probably using wasp spray (and sting-resistant clothing) and then cutting it off the tree, or just letting it disintegrate on its own as wildlife and weather tear the paper-like material apart. You can use wasp spray yourself if you don't want to hire someone; follow all directions on the can, which is pressurized enough to be used at a distance less likely to have the user stung before you can retreat after spraying.
Since this nest has been in this location since sometime in late spring, presumably the wasps are not defensive enough to have bothered anyone so far if mowing has occurred near it before now. The temperament of the workers can vary from nest to nest, with some being easier to trigger into defending the nest with stings and others being fairly docile as long as the nest isn't perceived to be under threat. The vibrations and noise of a mower run directly under a nest would put the person at a higher risk of stings (as would trying to swat any wasps that approach), but even then, wasp agitation isn't a given and some may simply ignore people, especially if the nest is on a higher branch and not close to a person's height. It's up to you if you want to have it removed; by sometime in autumn when the nights approach freezing, all or most of the nest workers will be dead, so the colony only has about two months left to live even if you do nothing. (The nest might empty out even sooner, it's hard to predict.)
Miri
You can learn more about their life cycle and behavior and management on our social wasps web page, but essentially: no, these nests cannot be relocated, and beekeepers that work with honey bees generally do not work with wasps. If needed, a pest control professional that does deal with wasps can remove the nest for you, probably using wasp spray (and sting-resistant clothing) and then cutting it off the tree, or just letting it disintegrate on its own as wildlife and weather tear the paper-like material apart. You can use wasp spray yourself if you don't want to hire someone; follow all directions on the can, which is pressurized enough to be used at a distance less likely to have the user stung before you can retreat after spraying.
Since this nest has been in this location since sometime in late spring, presumably the wasps are not defensive enough to have bothered anyone so far if mowing has occurred near it before now. The temperament of the workers can vary from nest to nest, with some being easier to trigger into defending the nest with stings and others being fairly docile as long as the nest isn't perceived to be under threat. The vibrations and noise of a mower run directly under a nest would put the person at a higher risk of stings (as would trying to swat any wasps that approach), but even then, wasp agitation isn't a given and some may simply ignore people, especially if the nest is on a higher branch and not close to a person's height. It's up to you if you want to have it removed; by sometime in autumn when the nights approach freezing, all or most of the nest workers will be dead, so the colony only has about two months left to live even if you do nothing. (The nest might empty out even sooner, it's hard to predict.)
Miri
