Bee Control in Wimberley, TX
In Wimberley, the bees that end up needing attention fall into three groups: honey bees that have moved into a wall, a tree or a meter box; bumble bees nesting in a brush pile or old burrow; and carpenter bees drilling into eaves and decks. What the bees are doing tells you which one you have far faster than a close look at the bee. Keep your distance, don't spray or seal anything yet, and when you want a technician's opinion, phone or text (210) 281-1064 or request a visit online.
What are the bees doing? #
Hanging together in a ball on a branch, fence or eave: that is a honey bee swarm, resting while scouts look for a permanent home. Swarms are most common from March through July in Texas and often move on within hours to about two days. Leave it alone and keep people back. See the honey bee page.
Flying in and out of one gap in the siding, soffit, chimney or a hollow tree, all day, every day: an established honey bee colony with wax comb inside. It won't leave on its own, and the job gets harder the longer it waits.
Pouring out to sting when a mower, trimmer or dog comes near a meter box, junk pile or the ground under a building: a defensive honey bee colony. Get inside first, then read the Africanized honey bee page.
Large, fuzzy black-and-yellow bees slipping into a brush pile, old burrow or shed cushion: bumble bees. Small colonies that die off in late fall. See the bumble bee page.
A big, shiny bee hovering at the fascia or deck rail, with round holes and sawdust below: carpenter bees, which nest alone in wood. See the carpenter bee page.
A few bees sipping at the pool, birdbath or dripping tap in late summer: foragers collecting water, which Texas A&M AgriLife says is normal. They leave once they've had their fill.
Is it even a bee? #
Two common mix-ups:
- Yellowjackets are smooth, shiny and black and yellow, with no pollen on their legs, and are often taken for honey bees. They nest in the ground or in walls inside paper. See the yellowjacket page.
- Mexican honey wasps make and store honey, but they are wasps that build a gray paper ball in a tree. AgriLife says honey bees build wax comb, while social wasps build with paper (AgriLife ENTO-080). See the Mexican honey wasp page.
Honey bees themselves are about 1/2 inch and hairy, with flattened hind legs for carrying pollen.
"European" or "Africanized"? Nobody can tell by eye #
The two kinds of honey bee look the same without lab equipment, AgriLife says, and Texas formally stopped tracking their spread county by county in 2006. AgriLife assumes most wild Texas colonies carry some African genes and may be defensive. For a homeowner, that means every feral honey bee colony in Wimberley gets the same careful handling.
City limits or county road: the same rules apply #
Wimberley is a small city inside a much bigger postal area. The Census Bureau put the city's population at 2,889 in July 2024 (Census estimates), while the 78676 ZIP it shares with Woodcreek and county land holds roughly 15,800 people and the city covers only 5.3% of the ZIP's land. Whichever part of that area you live in, the same state rules apply, and Hays County is the county to look under:
- In Texas, only a registered beekeeper or a licensed pest control professional may be paid to remove a honey bee nest, and beekeepers without that license can't use pesticides.
- Texas has no separate "bee removal license."
- The Texas Apiary Inspection Service lists beekeepers who do removals by county, without endorsing them.
- Where it is practical, a beekeeper may be able to remove a swarm or colony alive.
- The beekeeper provision in state law is written for honey bees. Bumble bee and carpenter bee nests that have to go are a job for a licensed pest control company.
What not to do with any bee nest #
- Don't spray into a wall entrance; the comb may sit several yards away inside.
- Don't caulk or plug a hole bees are using.
- Don't hose down a swarm.
- Don't use gasoline or other flammables.
- Don't eat honey or wax from a treated nest.
How Pest Trappers helps with bees in Wimberley #
A technician identifies the bee, traces where the nest actually sits, and explains the choices, including whether a beekeeper removal is realistic for a honey bee colony. Any treatment follows the product label, and for colonies in walls the comb has to come out afterward so it doesn't ferment, stain or attract other pests. You get a price after the inspection. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549), a family-owned company, is licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. The Wimberley service page covers the rest of what we do in town.