Bumble Bee Control in New Braunfels, TX
Bumble bees in New Braunfels usually come to light when someone sees large, fuzzy bees disappearing into an old burrow, a tuft of dead grass, the gap beneath a weathered shed or even a forgotten patio cushion. Note the spot and keep people back while you decide. A nest that bothers nobody can often wait until the colony dies out in late fall; one beside a door or path should be handled. To set that up, call or text (210) 281-1064 or book online.
Bumble bee or carpenter bee? #
- Bumble bee: a stout bee about 3/4 inch long, AgriLife's B-6118 says, with hair banded black and yellow or black and orange, covering the abdomen too. It moves into a hollow that already exists, usually low to the ground.
- Carpenter bee: close in size, but its abdomen is glossy and nearly hairless on top, and it chews perfectly round holes in wood. See carpenter bee control in New Braunfels.
Older lots and land past the city line #
Bumble bees don't dig. TAIS explains that they take over cavities other animals made (TAIS bumblebees). AgriLife's examples are former rodent burrows, tufts of dry grass, abandoned bird nests, old structures and thrown-out cushions, and Insects in the City adds rotting stumps, hollow logs and trash piles.
Two features of the New Braunfels area fit that list:
- Older properties. Census survey data shows that in ZIP 78130, 20.4% of homes went up before 1980. An older lot may have an aging shed or outbuilding, exactly the sort of old structure AgriLife mentions.
- Ground beyond the limits. Only 39.2% of ZIP 78130, and just 5.0% of ZIP 78132, lies inside the city, according to Census geography files (Census ZCTA file). If your address is out past the limits, look over brush piles, stumps and old rodent holes before you clear them.
Colonies are small compared with honey bees: under 2,000 bees by B-6118's count, and a few hundred workers by TAIS's.
A native bee in decline: where the rules stand #
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened a status review of the American bumble bee in September 2021, after finding that a listing may be warranted; Texas is within its range (Federal Register). A notice from January 2026 still treated the species as unlisted.
- On its species page, USFWS cites an IUCN estimate that the bee's abundance has fallen 89% relative to other bees sharing its habitat.
- A study paid for by Texas Parks and Wildlife reports that three Texas bumble bees, the American bumble bee among them, carry state conservation-need status.
- We found no Texas rule against removing bumble bees from your own land.
All of that is a fair reason to let an out-of-the-way nest finish its season.
Wait it out, or have it treated? #
A bumble bee colony lasts one season. A queen that survived winter founds it in spring, it builds through summer, and late in the summer it produces males and the next queens. Near the end of fall the workers and old queen die, and the young queens scatter to overwinter alone.
Let it run its course if the nest is in a back corner, a pasture edge or under a shed nobody uses. Have it handled if:
- It is next to a doorway, walkway, play area or dog run
- The bees have already stung someone
- Someone in the house is allergic to bee or wasp stings
B-6118 notes that a disturbed colony may attack as a group.
Leave the flowers out of it #
Insects in the City says spraying insecticide on flowers to control bumble bees is never appropriate. Bees working blossoms rarely sting and aren't the issue; the nest is. Anyone allergic to bee or wasp venom should not try to treat a nest. For a sting, wash and ice it and don't scratch, and get emergency care for signs of a severe reaction.
How Pest Trappers handles bumble bees in New Braunfels #
A technician confirms which bee you have, locates the nest entrance and discusses whether it can simply be left until fall. If it can't, you hear the options and how the product label directs any treatment, then get a price based on what was found. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) is a family-owned business holding a Texas Department of Agriculture license, and the office will confirm your appointment time. Read more in our bumble bee guide or on the New Braunfels service page.