# Adkins Bee Removal?



## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

Has anyone else received an e-mail from Adkins Bee Removal? Supposedly they claim to be "The largest nationwaide network for bee removal!".

I cant tell, but it looks like you sign up and then people needing swarm removal have to go through them (Adkins) to get to you. Does middleman = exchange of money?

Does anyone know anything about these guys?


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Have you seen this page?
http://www.adkinsbeeremoval.com/free-honey-bees.php

It does say there is no charge to receive the bees.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

Apparently they charge customers for bee removal services. 



> Get a quote online or call our bee removal hotline, it’s quick and easy! As bee removal specialists, we are constantly asked how to get rid of bees; visit how to get rid of bees for more bee removal information. (800) 900-9095. - Adkins Bee Removal


But then it says that a beekeeper can receive a minimum of 20 hives per year. That sounds to good to be true.


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## tsk (Nov 26, 2010)

I wouldn't be too hopeful of anything. Their reviews here don't sound too good:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/adkins-bee-escondido


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## minz (Jan 15, 2011)

Funny I was just commenting to my wife about how I started to get these emails also. 
The reviews sound pretty accurate about the type of service that I would expect from swam catchers that show up expected to do a cut out on a commercial building. I have got more cut out calls in unsafe conditions than swarm calls. I think the guys charging the money give them a quote and they start to look for cheap or free.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

They charge you per call. Basically they are an advertising service ad call center that refers calls to you at a cost per call. The people doing the actual work are individual people or companies that actually bid the job and do the work. Remember the yellow jackets calls are still calls along with bumble bees, carpenter bees, ect. The bees can be received for free but you have to find one of the individuals willing to give them away instead of keeping them.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

tsk said:


> I wouldn't be too hopeful of anything. Their reviews here don't sound too good:
> 
> http://www.yelp.com/biz/adkins-bee-escondido


WOW. "Their work attitudes sucked hot old bee keepers ass... "


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## PA Pete (Feb 2, 2005)

I was their on-call removal guy for a while here in the Phila area. They told me they charge the remover a "finder's fee" per call, but when they first signed me up they gave me a credit so I never got a bill.

After being signed up for a week, they called and wanted me to train another guy to do removals in my area. Really? Not sure why I would want to train a competitor in my area... Then when I started getting calls, I discovered they had designated me for areas as far as a 2 hours drive away - not really what I wanted.

I enjoy doing removals part-time, I have my name on a few websites for my area, I do excellent, clean work, maintain references, and I get between 10 and 20 jobs a season - without Adkins - just right for my needs, though your needs may be different from mine. So early last season I bowed out of Adkins.

Hopefully with all the bad reviews, I'll continue to get calls from my online posts  I've already gotten three calls this year, am doing an overwintered removal next week, and the season's not yet even started here.

-Pete


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

*Re: Adkins Bee Removal? Questions answered*



Nabber86 said:


> WOW. "Their work attitudes sucked hot old bee keepers ass... "




DONT POISON BEES! it causes colony collapse disorder. READ about bees before even calling Adkins, try YOUTUBE.COM

Adkins bee removal service is a basic hotline you can call for bee removal, the business is based out of Texas and is Countrywide. The bee removal specialists that are called out are bee specialists that have a work radius for your local area.

ALL of Adkins removal experts are INDEPENDANT CONTRACTORS, in the same way you would call out an electrician, or a plumber. Independant contractors do their OWN INDEPENDANT bids, and each have their own business, that are each ran differently than the next.
INSURANCE isnt required if the job is under 500$ just basic liability, and a simple form to fill out.

"Adkins" can put "free bee removal" on their webpage as a gimmick to have you call them. SOME bee specialists remove bees for free ,because they have their own hives at home, and also have a honey business. MOST of us are contrators, and like everybody need to make a living, so free bee removal is impossible.

I myself generally charge depending on the distance from my location, and charge for an INSPECTION which generally runs from 60-100$. I Give them the bid, and generally I get 80% of the bids I offer.

GENERALLY Adkins bee removal experts remove LIVE honeybees from an infected area and RELOCATE them LIVE (Honeycomb and all) to a more suitable place, away from roads,people and traffic, I've never known anyone to poison bees EXCEPT the homeowners and poison companies.

Of course there's plenty of pest control places that dont care about OUR wellbeing (and Bees) they just poison bees,(and your home) to make a buck.
My service area is 150 miles in radius from FRESNO,C.A., Porterville to Modesto if your in this area just call Adkins and they will refer you to me.

ADKINS has a BBB "C" rating which has jumped in the last 6-8 months, due to better training and service reliability, remember this Company is Nationwide in almost every state, and to have a "C" rating with that much coverage area is outstanding!

im sure you cant please everybdy, and I'm sure "YELP" has alot of ranters/trols on it. Dont take that as a source of reliable information..It's a BLOG, and people have their own agendas,complaints etc,YELP also does restaurants, and other businesses. It's a free wall to write on, do you take imformation for granted thats written in a bathroom stall? NO, so dont believe everything you read on a FREE BLOG.

There's a STRONG possibility that the "people" writing these blogs have other agendas against Adkins compny, maybe their a COMPETITOR, or a DISGRUNTLED EX-EMPLOYEE. NO ADKINS contractor that I know of comes OUT and poisons honeybees, EVER. We vacuum them up ALIVE, its easier, we get stung less and theres ZERO mess after were finished. 

Unlike poison, leaves corpses and rotting comb/honeybees in your walls.
So disregard the garbage your read on YELP. Some of the restaurant yelps are legit but thats a different blog.


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

I myself have finished almost 30 calls in 6 months for live honeybee removal, i relocate them (if not poisoned already), if theres anybody in the Fresno,CA. area that would like my FREE wild honeybees please call adkins 800 number if your in my area.


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

I'd imagine in TEXAS where their located, they have Africanized honeybees which are more productive then normal honeybees, both in making honey and hive population count (also very aggressive). So yes it's very possible in TEXAS to remove "freebees" we call them.


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

The site states " If you'r a beekeeper that performs cut-outs visit the beekeeper work page instead.". Meaning if you have HIVES (with a permit to farm them) Adkins can find the closest representative to contact you to drop-off WILD honeybees to you for free... (generally bee keepers dont want wild bees due to colony collapse disorder and diseases that wild bees might be carrying, wild bees also like to break off the hive and migrate to other areas, their not accustomed to being farmed...

It states nothing about free removal in general, unless the CONTRACTOR does both, remove hives and farm them as well.. which in that case yes equals free honeybee removal, good luck.

Adkins in itself does NOT remove Bees, it has independant contractors, each different depending on loaction, county state etc.
Good day! =)


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

Agree on the cut-out calls, cant catch a random swarm of bees, get your giant butterfly net, and plan nothing the rest of the day. =)


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

No lawsuite and a BBB "C" rating, is excellent...


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## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

Bloodrust, you have stock in the company or something? This thread was two years old.

Ill give my two cents, I worked with adkins for 2 months, got some good calls, got a lot of bogus calls (wasps, looking for free removal, "my kid got stung, what do I do?"), I was told I had to pay the finders fee for these calls. Adkins got the boot.


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

mike17l said:


> Bloodrust, you have stock in the company or something? This thread was two years old.
> 
> Ill give my two cents, I worked with adkins for 2 months, got some good calls, got a lot of bogus calls (wasps, looking for free removal, "my kid got stung, what do I do?"), I was told I had to pay the finders fee for these calls. Adkins got the boot.


See ? Now its a new thread, breathed life back into this forum. 

I've read alot about Adkins, I researched before I started working for them, came across this thread.


Not sure about the finders fee, never heard of that, they generlly charge a 3-5$ fee for each lead in the bee season. ALOT of peeps wanting free, I just put on my recording I charge for an inspection, it doesnt violate any cruddy california laws (the contractor laws here are BAD, insurance is difficult to get. 

I make about 20$ an hour per call usually driving, up to 2 hrs away. Sometimes I pull 100$ an hour peak season, get stung alot lol. Your your own boss, and do your own thing.

And as far as having stock in Adkins, no, I like my job, its very flexable, and if you get sick or cant work just call them their ok with it, until your recover, which is VERY unusual for a business.
I havent made much $ recently, but they are an good business. The first season paid for all of my tools/fuel and stuff I needed, bee suit etc. I just hate to see peeps trash a company that is a good company. It also effects who peeps call for bee removal,
(BBB rating went to a B- now ) =)

I Love Bees!


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## bloodrust (Nov 12, 2016)

At first this company responded well, had good client/customer service, had admin who assisted you with whatever issues you were having very promptly, seemed like a GOOD business fast forward about 3 years later, there are NO admin that work for this company anymore, when I started there were over 7 now there is only 1.."John." 

UPDATE: 4/10/2019 Yeah, I gave Adkins the boot finally, it is a bait and switch scam, I've "worked" for them for about 3 years they give you leads for a low price to start, and as you work for them long enough they try to escalate the cost per call. Their billing is the WORST billing I've ever seen also. They don't credit you the bad calls and make you fight for every penny. I WOULDN"T EVER AGAIN work for this company, your best off advertising for yourself, it'll actually yield the same results and cost you less $ and grief. The owner "John" of this business is a 20 year old kid running a server from his home, and won't answer calls regarding wrong billing statements,or turning your bees on come bee season. He'll try to get your bank CC# and chain bill you every month for the full price of every call you've received, bad lead or not, then leave you fighting with your bank. I just paid them with a pre-paid card come time, I didnt trust them from the start.

"John" generates false calls to your line that don't even pick up your voicemail, and have a generic voicemail on the other end, you call the number back with no results, many times disconnected lines he's scamming people who work for him, he has a program that generates false numbers through google voice and many others. I lost the login link to Adkins server one time and I found a "representative" online somewhere, called her and she answered the phone suspiciously "Hello". I could hear in the background it was a call center somewhere,probably India so it's someone using company resources to advertise for Adkins I'd imagine illegally. They paid advertise as well.
That's how he manages to stay in business, VERY SHADY. They won't fire you because that would make them your employer, and as your employer they're responsible for your insurance, vacations etc, medical,dental etc. Which is illegal in my state (Cali.). Also if you work for them and you get into legal trouble they offer NO help legally, they require you to let them know if your going to court for a problem with a job, as soon as you report this they don't fire you, they just freeze your "account" with them and totally ignore you like you've never worked for them before. The funny thing is this kid running this company has very poor grammar, and the program written for this business is really rough, so someone with computer programming skill is in on this as well, I suspect a number of people are in on this.He's not smart enough to lock you out of the system (or doesn't know how", when they "fire" you.) They're developing an "App" for adkins and it's been in process for some time now,( maybe 2 years+) which costs a HEFTY amount of money to develop, so theres ALOT of revenue coming from somewhere for this "business."

Adkins has a few different websites under different names https://beeremovalspecialist.com/bee-hive-removal/fresno.html and https://www.adkinsbeeremoval.com/ > Generally if you see a page that offers bee removal and it asks you to enter your area code it's them. I have a few numbers of other associates who have worked for this "company" and if anyone else has worked for this company and would like to start a class action lawsuit, count me in. My email is [email protected] > I'm adding that the people Adkins "hires" MANY of them don't have a business license or even general construction knowledge, there's not even an application process needed to fill out to work for this "company." Many of them poison bees to make a quick buck, unlicensed ( I think that's illegal in EVERY state)> Avoid this company like the PLAGUE.


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## ambient (Sep 5, 2019)

bloodrust said:


> No lawsuite and a BBB "C" rating, is excellent...


Looks like rating is listed as A+
bbb.org/us/ca/san-diego/profile/bee-removal/adkins-bee-removal-1126-15007428/customer-reviews


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## G3farms (Jun 13, 2009)

bee killers


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