Can Honey Damage Your Home? The Truth About Leftover Honeycombs.
When most people think of honey, they imagine something sweet and harmless. But if you’ve ever had a beehive removed from your home, you might wonder what happens if you leave the honeycomb behind. Can honey actually damage your property? The short answer: yes, it can—and often does.
In this article, we’ll explore why leftover honeycombs are a bigger problem than many homeowners realize, how they affect your walls, attic, and even your health, and what steps you can take to protect your home from long-term damage.
The Truth About Leftover Honeycombs.
Why Leftover Honeycombs Are a Hidden Problem
When a professional bee removal is done incorrectly—or when someone just sprays the bees instead of removing them—the honeycomb is often left behind inside the wall or attic. This may seem harmless, but it starts to create issues almost immediately.
Honeycombs are designed to store honey, pollen, and brood (bee larvae). Without the bees to maintain the temperature and guard the hive, honey begins to melt, ferment, and leak into surrounding structures.
Common Places Honeycombs Are Left Behind:
Inside walls
Attics and crawl spaces
Behind siding
Inside chimneys
These areas are usually warm, which accelerates the problem.
How Honey Damages Your Home
1. Melting Honey Seeps into Walls
Honey is thick and sticky, but it’s not stable without bees to keep it cool. In hot climates like Florida, the honey will start to melt and run down your walls. This can:
Stain drywall or ceilings with dark, sticky spots
Attract more insects like ants, cockroaches, and rodents
Cause strong, unpleasant odors as it ferments
2. Structural Damage from Moisture
Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it attracts and holds moisture. Over time, this can lead to:
Warped wood framing
Softened drywall
Mold growth inside walls or attics
This hidden moisture problem can become expensive to fix if not addressed quickly.
3. Honeycomb Collapse
When bees abandon a hive, the comb begins to break down. Eventually, large chunks of wax can fall inside your walls or attic, spreading honey over a much larger area and making cleanup far more difficult.
Health Risks of Leftover Honeycomb
Aside from property damage, abandoned honeycomb can create health concerns for your household.
Mold & Fungus Growth: Moist honey and wax create an ideal environment for mold, which can spread spores through your home’s air system.
Attracting Pests: Ants, roaches, and even rats are drawn to the sugar in honey. You may find yourself with a secondary infestation.
Allergy Triggers: Decomposing pollen and bee debris inside the comb can aggravate allergies and asthma symptoms.
Why DIY Cleanup Can Make Things Worse
Some homeowners try to handle honeycomb removal on their own, scraping out what they can see. Unfortunately, this often spreads the mess. Honey is difficult to fully remove from porous materials like wood or insulation without professional equipment.
In many cases, DIY attempts leave behind enough residue to continue attracting pests and causing odor problems.
The Right Way to Remove Honeycombs
The safest and most effective solution is professional honeycomb removal. A proper bee removal service doesn’t just take the bees—they also clean out all honey, wax, and debris, and sanitize the area to prevent future problems.
Here’s what a professional service typically includes:
Inspection: Locating every section of the honeycomb using thermal imaging or other tools.
Removal: Carefully cutting out all honeycomb from walls, attics, or ceilings.
Cleaning & Sanitizing: Removing residue and treating the area to neutralize odors and bacteria.
Repair: Sealing openings to prevent future bees from returning.
How to Prevent Honey Damage in the Future
Once you’ve had the honeycomb removed, it’s important to make sure bees don’t move back in. Here are a few preventative measures:
Prevent Honey Damage in the Future
Seal cracks, gaps, and holes around your home’s exterior.
Install screens over vents and chimneys.
Schedule regular home inspections during bee season.
Work with an eco-friendly bee removal company that prioritizes safe bee relocation and complete cleanup.
Why Eco-Friendly Bee Removal Matters
Simply killing bees is not a long-term solution—it often leaves behind more honey and wax than before. Choosing live bee relocation helps protect pollinators while also ensuring that the hive is fully removed.
Eco-friendly services, such as Eco Bee Removal, specialize in removing bees and honeycomb without harming the environment. This protects both your home and local bee populations, which are essential for pollination.
The Cost of Ignoring Leftover Honeycombs
Many homeowners delay cleanup because they worry about cost. However, the price of repairing water damage, mold, or pest infestations later is often much higher than the cost of professional honeycomb removal.
Think of honeycomb removal as an investment that saves you from future headaches, unexpected repair bills, and potential health problems.
Final Thoughts
So, can honey damage your home? Absolutely. Leftover honeycombs can leak, rot, attract pests, and cause structural damage if not handled quickly and correctly. The safest approach is to hire a professional bee removal service that also performs thorough honeycomb cleanup and home sealing.
Not only will you protect your home, but you’ll also help protect local bees by choosing live relocation instead of extermination.
Looking for safe, professional bee and honeycomb removal?
Call Eco Bee Removal today at (888) 282-1886 for expert, eco-friendly solutions. We’ll remove the bees, clean the honeycomb, and restore peace of mind—without harming the pollinators our planet depends on.
