Having a bee or wasp nest in the walls of your home is surprisingly common. After all, the wall cavities of your home are dry, warm and protected from predators, so an ideal place for bees and wasps to build a nest. However, if you’re the homeowner it can be more than annoying – apart from the noise and potential safety issue from their stings, they can cause significant damage to your home.

Before we discuss how to prevent bees and wasps nesting in your walls, let’s review the common wasps and bees that build nests in wall cavities, how they enter your home and the damage they cause…

European honey bees

Although European honey bees are an invasive insect, they are generally viewed as beneficial. Although they are widespread across Australia, generally cultivated by bee keepers but there are lots of wild honeybees. Typically they will build their nests in trees and bushes, but roof voids and wall cavities are ideal alternatives. Although they are generally quite placid insects, their stings are quite painful and can be a significant concern to those who are allergic to bees stings.

Honeybees will access the inside of building through natural gaps in the construction, including weep holes, but also unplanned gaps, such as holes around windows or cracks in the brickwork.

The main damage caused by honey bees is through their honey, which can impact wall materials and also attract other pests.

honeybees
Honeybees can build significant nests in wall cavities