It’s not you! Really!
So often when I arrive at a home where there’s a nuisance bee hive, folks are somehow embarrassed by the bees in their eaves, tree, or in a crawl space. Let it go!
Bees reproduce by casting off a swarm (usually in springtime) and search out new places to build their hives. And they’ll pick the darndest places to do it. I’ve removed hives from just about anywhere, even the bilge of a boat once.
Once the bees move in, they’ll just do their work quietly and build up their colony. You’ll only notice them when the hive is strong enough that they start defending their resources — which often means a few stings when you’re running your mower or weed whacker. But by then the bees have probably been there for a while.
Sure, it’s not a bad idea to seal up openings in walls and eaves or even fill in a big tree cavity, but bees are opportunists and if they find a nice, weather-protected area on your property they just might move in.
So it’s not you! Just call a local beekeeper!