How do you kill a nest of bees in your water meter box?

Answer 1

Typically, the bees found in meter boxes are Africanized Honey Bees. They have earned the nickname of "killer bees" due to their aggressive behavior. You want to be very careful with these bees. Keep in mind that if they are disturbed and begin to sting, they could continue to sting their victim until death occurs if possible. They could chase a victim up to 3 football fields distance, remain on the attack for up to 24 hours and attack any people or animals within their attack zone. Take a moment to view a video of a bee attack on our website. If found inside your meter box, the first step to take should be to contact your utility provider to see if they will have them removed. If they refuse, the next suggestion would be to call a professional bee removal service. They will charge a fee and you can expect it to run at least a couple hundred dollars. If you decide to try to tackle it on your own, DO NOT attempt to do it during the daytime. Bees are actively foraging during the day and more bees are continually returning to the hive. If you disturb the hive during the daytime you are putting yourself and others at risk. After dark the bees are all in the hive. The bees also don't see well in the dark. Dropping a can of roach bomb into the meter box AT NIGHT can destroy a bee colony. Now you need to be aware that the larger hives may have attached much of the honeycomb to the lid that you are trying to open, therefore it may be difficult to open it. Also, once you open it, you may have nowhere to drop the can if the opening is full of honeycomb. Another option is spraying a full can of wasp killer into the hole of the meter box lid AT NIGHT. This will work in many cases but for hives that have been in existence for a longer period of time and have a significant amount of honeycomb, the spray and foam may not penetrate to all of the bees. It is strongly suggested that you use a professional bee removal service to avoid injury to yourself and others. Either way, the honeycombs should be removed after the bees are destroyed. Obviously the honey should not be consumed due to the poisons. Often the scent remains and is an attractant to other bee swarms. Reccurrence is likely if the meter box hole is not secured.