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Bees are vital pollinators and any homesteader knows its important not to harm them. If somebody in your household is allergic to bees you already know what to have on hand in case they get stung. But is there something else you should have on hand? Maybe to prevent getting stung in the first place?
I found out today: Yes. Bitter Almond oil and a small sprayer to disperse it.
We had honey bees swarming our house today. This has happened before but they have always moved on. But today their numbers just kept growing and we could see them going through the vents and into the attic. We have a person and a dog in the household that are allergic to bees so it quickly became an issue when despite our window screens etc, some bees were getting inside the house.
A friend of ours is a beekeeper, and is allergic to bees (yeah I know, a strange combination) and a few years ago gave us a small sprayer of bitter almond oil and told us if bees were a problem, spritz that a few times around the area you don't want them and they would disappear.
Holy chit this stuff works! A couple of spritzes around the house exterior and the bees immediately left. No dead bees, no insecticides, nothing but a really strong amaretto type smell and the bees disappeared like magic. The amazing part was not just how well and fast it worked, it was the tiny amount required. The spritzes were no more than what would come out of a cologne or perfume bottle.
I don't know what the shelf life of bitter almond oil is, but my best guestimate is that she gave this to us at least 3 years ago and it's obviously still very effective.
Warning: do not use around people with nut allergies. Also, avoid getting it on your skin (bitter almond oil is not the same kind of almond oil people eat and sometimes used in skin products). Do not inhale, eat, or drink.
Last edited by terracore; 06-10-2023 at 12:26 AM..
As you can tell, I am curious if the beekeeper had made or had a source to the complete bitter almond, or had a commercially produced (and cyanide-free) bitter almond oil. If it was the complete oil, it would in fact be an insecticide. Or... it is possible the bees have an inherent genetic aversion to the smell of the oil.
As you can tell, I am curious if the beekeeper had made or had a source to the complete bitter almond, or had a commercially produced (and cyanide-free) bitter almond oil. If it was the complete oil, it would in fact be an insecticide. Or... it is possible the bees have an inherent genetic aversion to the smell of the oil.
It's the smell. Tea tree also works. I don't use bitter almond with my bees but have friends who swear by it.
That makes sense. Humans have a pretty clumsy sense of smell. Bees can smell subtle things from miles away.
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