The question list, in inspection order
Group one, locating the comb: 1. How will you find where the comb is before cutting? 2. Can I see the thermal image or your marks on the wall? 3. Does the comb extend into the ceiling or floor? Group two, the cut: 4. Inside or outside, and why for this wall? 5. How large an opening, and how many bays? 6. What is the charge if comb runs past the plan, and will you call me first? Group three, the bees and the comb: 7. Are the bees relocated alive? Where do they go? 8. Is all comb removed? Is the cavity washed? 9. What happens to honey-soaked insulation? Group four, afterward: 10. Which openings will be sealed and with what? 11. What does the closure look like when you leave? Is it weatherproof? 12. Who does the finish repair? 13. What are the return-visit terms? Print the list with space beside each question. Fill it in during the visit.
What a good answer sounds like
On location: 'Thermal shows the cluster from about five feet up to the top plate, one bay wide, just left of the entrance. I have taped the outline.' Weak: 'They are usually right behind the hole.' On the cut: 'Inside, because your exterior is stucco and drywall is a cheaper patch. I will open one bay from the tape line to the ceiling, about 16 by 36 inches.' Weak: 'We will see once we start.' On extra comb: 'If it continues into the next bay it is $X more and I stop and call you.' Weak: 'It is usually fine.' On the bees: 'We vacuum them into a box, find the queen if we can, and the colony goes to our yard.' Weak: 'We take care of them.' On the cavity: 'All comb comes out, we scrape and wash the studs, replace the insulation and seal the entrance with mesh and caulk.' Weak: 'We clean up.' On closure: 'Drywall screwed back in, taped but not finished; your painter can take it from there.' Weak: 'We patch it.' Write the answer beside the question, and mark any that were vague.
Using the answers
After the visit, read your sheet. Count the vague answers. One or two is normal; a provider may not know the extra-bay charge off the top of their head. Five or more means the inspection did not produce a plan, and you should get a second opinion before signing. Ask the provider to send a proposal that includes: the marked comb location, the cut side and size, the method, what is included in cleanup and sealing, the closure condition, the per-bay rate for additional comb, and return terms. Compare it to your notes. Anything you were told that did not make it into writing, ask to have added. If you are getting a second inspection, use the same list. Two providers who mark the same comb area and propose similar cuts are confirming each other. Two who disagree on location are telling you something is uncertain, and the one with the thermal image usually has the better case. Keep the question sheet with the proposal. When the wall is open, compare what was found to what was marked.
Bee problems by the numbers
The statements below are tied to named surveys, studies and published cost guides, and each one says what it does and does not prove. They describe patterns across many households, which is useful context, not a diagnosis of any one property. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 U.S. bee-removal benchmarks start small infestations at $180, well under the $280 typical project; the number is the publisher's estimate, not an observed customer bill, so quotes in your area may differ. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 U.S. bee-removal guide puts ceiling repair at $300 to $1,000, a figure the publisher draws from general repair estimates, not from observed bills on actual bee jobs, and one that will differ by area. Seventy-five to $2,000 is the span HomeAdvisor's June 2026 U.S. pricing benchmarks give for honeybee removal, the widest range in the guide; it is a publisher estimate with an undisclosed sample, not a company quote, and local prices vary. A homeowner facing a hive can use $280 as a first anchor, which is HomeAdvisor's June 2026 U.S. publisher benchmark for a typical bee-removal project, not a quote; the species, location and whether the hive is inside a wall move the price a great deal. Forty-seven percent of Millennial homeowners said household pests caused them anxiety or stress, according to Forbes Home's 2024 sentiment survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners conducted online, a self-reported feeling within one generational subgroup. Use these numbers as context, not as a diagnosis. A provider's written inspection findings should drive the treatment plan, and any quote should spell out how many visits, which areas and what follow-up it covers.