San Gabriel Valley's Bee Removal Specialists
About APA Bee Removal
Family-Owned. Locally Operated. 25+ Years Serving the Communities We Live In.
đ Licensed Beekeeper â CA Africanized Bee Certified đ ABF Member đ 2-Year Guarantee
Our Story
How a Beekeeper Became the Valley's Most Trusted Specialist
Alex Pruitt didn’t start out in the extermination industry. He started with the bees themselves.
Long before founding APA Bee Removal, Alex was a dedicated beekeeper â someone who kept active hives, studied complex colony behavior, and learned to manage tens of thousands of bees with patience and steady hands. That background gives him something most removal companies don’t have: a genuine, biological understanding of how colonies work.
He knows how swarms scout locations, how queens behave during extractions, and that a colony doesn’t disappear when you spray the entrance. It reroutes, rebuilds, and comes back stronger.
After watching San Gabriel Valley homeowners get trapped in a cycle of recurring infestations â because the companies they hired were pest generalists, not hive specialists â Alex built APA Bee Removal to handle the full job: remove the bees, pull the comb, neutralize the pheromones, seal the entry, and repair the structure. One visit. No callbacks.
“We built this company on one belief: bees deserve to be relocated whenever possible â and homeowners deserve a repair that actually lasts.”
â Alex Pruitt, Owner & Licensed Beekeeper
By the Numbers
25 Years of Real Work
Locally Owned & Operated
We're Based Here. We Work Here. We Know This Valley.
APA Bee Removal is based in South El Monte â not a corporate call center or franchise. When you call us, you speak directly to a local specialist.
The Foothill Communities: Heavy seasonal swarm activity drops from the mountains into Glendora, Arcadia, and Pasadena every spring. We know those patterns intimately.
The Puente Hills Corridor: Wild bee migrations use Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights as regional pathways â creating highly defensive colonies.
SGV Architecture: The stucco homes in West Covina and Diamond Bar have specific wall voids that bees exploit year after year. We know exactly where to look.
Fully Certified
Our Credentials â True Professional Standards
Anyone with a can of spray and a ladder can claim to remove bees. Here is what we can actually prove:
- â Licensed Beekeeper â California Department of Food and Agriculture
- â State of California Certified Africanized Honey Bee Expert
- â Active Member â American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
- â Fully Bonded & Insured â LA County residential & commercial
- â Structural removal and repair trained
- â Live bee relocation trained
Why the Africanized Bee Certification Matters
Since the 1990s, Africanized genetics have become dominant across wild bee populations throughout Southern California. Every wild swarm we encounter must be treated as potentially Africanized.
These bees look identical to standard European honeybees. The difference is behavior â aggressive, highly synchronized defensive response when threatened. General pest control companies lack the gear and training to handle them safely.
We are fully certified and equipped. Most companies are not.
How We Work
The APA Standard: Our 5-Step Structural Process
If a company sprays a colony and leaves the honeycomb behind, it rots. In Southern California heat, abandoned comb melts into your walls, destroys framing, breeds mold, attracts rodents, and signals the next swarm to move right back in. We do this differently.
Locate
We use structural listening and careful inspection to map the exact borders of the colony before making a single cut.
Remove
We extract the entire colony â bees, queen, brood, and every ounce of physical comb. We regularly pull 10 to 80+ pounds of honey and wax out of the wall or roof.
Treat
We flood the empty cavity with an enzyme solution that neutralizes residual pheromones â erasing the location from future scout bees.
Repair
Our team handles all structural repairs â stucco, wood siding, drywall, roof. We restore your property before we leave. No second contractor needed.
Walkthrough
Before we leave, we show you the repairs and give you honest advice on reducing future swarming risk on your specific property.
Eco-Friendly Approach
Why We Relocate Bees Instead of Just Killing Them
Honeybees pollinate a massive portion of our food supply. Whenever conditions allow â non-aggressive colony, safe access, clean extraction possible â we perform a live removal. We calm the colony with smoke, secure the queen, box the workers, and transport the entire hive to our network of local apiary partners.
“Every live removal puts bees back into the hands of beekeepers who need them. That’s good for the bees, good for local agriculture, and good for the ecosystem we all live in.”
When a colony is Africanized or too deeply embedded, elimination is performed professionally and completely. But we always check for a live path first.
Commercial & Residential
More Than Just Homes â Who We Serve
From a single-family home in Glendora to a commercial warehouse in West Covina â every job gets our full attention.
What Customers Say
Real Reviews from Your Neighbors
“Alex is amazing, knowledgeable, efficient, and handled bees swiftly.”
â Verified Google Review“Called them at one in the morning. They were here within an hour. Quick service, friendly â will definitely use them again.”
â Verified Google Review“Alex and Ceci were efficient and professional. They even followed up a couple days later. Great patch work too.”
â Verified Google Review“Very professional. They explained the whole process and how they move the queen and hive without harming them.”
â Verified Google Review“Great service at a reasonable price. Alex had to rent a lift for our rooftop and did a fantastic job putting the roof back.”
â Verified Google Review“Honest advice, fair pricing, and they fixed the wall when done. This is the only company I will ever call.”
â Verified Google ReviewCommon Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
APA Bee Removal was founded by Alex Pruitt and has been serving the San Gabriel Valley for over 25 years. We are based in South El Monte, California.
Yes. We are licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture as beekeepers, State Certified as Africanized Honey Bee experts, members of the American Beekeeping Federation, and carry full liability insurance for residential and commercial work in Los Angeles County.
We extract everything â bees, queen, brood, honeycomb, and honey. Leaving comb behind is a major structural mistake. In Southern California’s heat, abandoned wax melts into walls, ruins drywall, attracts pests, and leaves pheromones that guarantee re-infestation. Every job includes complete comb removal and pheromone neutralization.
Yes. We handle all repairs ourselves â drywall, stucco, wood siding, fascia, roofing. You do not need to hire a separate contractor. We restore your property before we leave.
Yes. We maintain a 24/7 emergency line at (626) 336-1373 for active swarms near children, pets, or tenants.
Yes. Alex Pruitt is State of California Certified as an Africanized Honey Bee expert. Since the 1990s, Africanized bees have been the dominant wild colony in Southern California. Most pest control companies are not certified or equipped. We are.
Pricing depends on the hive location, colony size, access difficulty, and whether construction repairs are required. We provide completely free phone estimates â call or text us a description and photos for an upfront price with no commitment.
If done completely â full comb extraction, pheromone neutralization, and entry point sealing â re-infestation is significantly less likely. All structural removals come with a 2-year written guarantee. If bees return to the same area within two years, we come back at no charge.
Text Us a Photo for an Immediate Quote
You don’t need to know what type of bees you have or how big the hive is. Just tell us where they’re entering, how long they’ve been active, and text a quick photo. In most cases Alex can diagnose the issue and give you an accurate estimate right over the phone.
â Available 24/7 â Free Estimates â 2-Year Written Guarantee â Licensed & Insured â No Subcontractors