Strange Places Bees Nest in the Las Vegas Valley.
Some strange places bees nest in Las Vegas include a BBQ grill, a tire, and a giant skull. This makes our work very interesting, and we love that the list keeps getting longer.
We are beekeepers first, and we relocate colonies for a living, which means we spend our days dealing with lots of bees and beehives.
A colony in a tree is the common call for us. A beehive in a barbecue grill is another story.
Bee Nests and Swarms are not the Same Thing
Before the photos, one distinction. Some of the bees we find have settled in and built comb, which means they plan to stay. Others are a swarm, a cluster of bees that left their old home and is resting somewhere while scouts look for a new one.
Both are honey bees, and both are worth a phone call, but a swarm is on a timer and a colony is not. The six places below include both kinds, and we will say which is which.
The BBQ Grill
The most photogenic call we have had was a Weber grill sitting beside a stucco wall, with a tall columns of honeycomb rising out of the bowl. This was in Southern Highlands, and the homeowner noticed bees flying into the bottom of the grill. They hadn't used the grill in some time as you may have guessed.
A grill is a covered, shaded cavity with a lid, which is more or less a bee’s idea of a floor plan. The comb stacked upward so neatly that we almost felt rude taking it apart.
The Hose Reel Box
Another colony had filled a hose reel box with comb, packed in from one side to the other. This was from Spring Valley, and the homeowner said they were there for months, but she stayed away from them.
These boxes are sold to keep hoses tidy. The bees interpreted that as an invitation, and they were a lot tidier than most of the garages we get called to.
The Truck Tire
One of our favorites was a tire lying flat in a yard, with a full set of comb built inside the hollow center. It was sheltered well, with a piece of old plywood over the top.
The North Las Vegas homeowner said they were fine there in the tire, until they weren't. That part always contains a sting story.
A tire is a dry, sheltered, round room with a small opening, and it holds heat well. Of all the spots on this list, we understand this one the best.
The Birdhouse
This one was a small colony. You can see a large cluster of bees hanging from the roof and side of the red birdhouse. This is because it grew quickly, and they weren't ready to swarm.
The inside was packed with bees and honeycomb. It was from a tree in the homeowner's Centennial Hills front yard,and we were happy to put it in our backyard.
The birdhouse was built for birds, and the birds were notably absent from the conversation.
The Backyard Climbing Wall
An enormous bee colony had settled between a climbing wall in a Boulder City backyard. The rescued colony is there, hanging in a thick curtain just above the climbing wall with its colorful holds.
Play areas call for extra care, so we asked the family to keep the kids and pets inside until we were finished. The climbing wall saw no use that afternoon, and nobody was in a hurry to change that.
The Skeleton
This one was a swarm, and it is easily the most dramatic photo we have. A large white skull sculpture stood against a clear blue sky, with thick patches of bees clustered across its forehead and down one side of its face, and the eye socket left clear.
The homeowners, who are located in Summerlin, saw the whole thing happen from their lounge chairs! Swarms settle on whatever offers a stable spot while scouts look for a permanent home, and a smooth, sunlit surface works as well as a branch.
By a wide margin, it was the most visited skull in the neighborhood that day.
How to Spot Bees in a Strange Place
For an established colony, watch the traffic. Bees going in and out of the same small opening, steadily, throughout the day, is the clearest sign. You may also hear a low hum near a wall, box, or container, or see bees gathering at a nearby water source, which in a Las Vegas summer can be a pool edge, a drip line, or a leaky hose bib.
A swarm is easier to spot and harder to ignore. It looks like a dense, hanging cluster, often the size of a football or larger. People occasionally try to deal with bees themselves. They always underestimate the bees level of preparedness.
What to Do if You Find Bees
Leave the area alone, keep kids and pets back, and call Vegas Bees. Please do not seal an opening on an established colony.
Bees that cannot leave the way they came in tend to look for another way out, and that way is sometimes into your house. A swarm should not be sprayed or disturbed, and the sooner someone qualified looks at it, the better, because it may move on within hours or days.
Every colony and swarm in this post went with us alive, and we moved them to the bee farm.
Send us Your Strange Spot
If you have a bee location that makes no sense, send us a photo at 702-472-3869. We will tell you what we think we are looking at, whether it is honey bees or something else, and what to do next. We have not been shown a location that surprised us for long, but we are always willing to be wrong.
Betsy & Pete
🐝Las Vegas’s All-Natural Live Bee Removal Team
About Us: The Authors
We’re Betsy Lewis and Pete Rizzo - Beekeepers on a Mission in Las Vegas
We’re not just in the bee business, we’re in the bee-saving business. Trained by a master beekeeper and backed by hundreds of successful removals, we are dedicated to rescuing and relocating honey bees with care and precision.
Every swarm we save and every hive we manage reflects our deep love for the bees.
At our Joshua Tree Preserve in Arizona, we care for dozens of thriving hives. Some wild, some honey-bearing, and all are part of our commitment to ethical, sustainable beekeeping.
Why Vegas Bees? Because We Never Stop Learning or Caring
Beekeeping is always evolving, and so are we. We stay on the cutting edge by continuing our education, connecting with fellow beekeepers, and refining our beekeeping practices and techniques to ensure the best outcomes for both bees and people.
Whether it’s advanced bee removal strategies or the latest natural methods, we’re always one step ahead.
We’re also proud to support the beekeeping community with high-quality beekeeping supplies for everyone. If you’re ready to suit up and start your journey, we’ve got what you need.
