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Bees & Beekeeping

HELP! Honey bees nesting in house wall

14 years ago

Hole in the wall from some old wiring, now a honey bee haven, sound well up into the wall (can hear them inside the kitchen wall)..trying to convince former beau who lives in house (co-owned) to address this issue..but how? what? he wants desperately to lure them out..please help us? Thanks Debbie

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Comments (10)

cpp6318
14 years ago
Form a cone made of window screen about ten inches long and wide enough to cover the entrance at the base but tapered to about half an inch at the opening. Secure it over their entrance and make it a tight fit so that they can't crawl in behind it(harder than it sounds, they will test you). Take caulk or construction foam and seal up any other entrances that you see them using.
It is working if you see clumps of bees hanging from the cone. If they are not clumped on the cone, there is another entrance that you need to find and seal. Leave the cone on for a few weeks after you last see bees and then remove it and seal the hole.
Do it right away before they build up. They should be fairly gentle for a while but all bets are off once they establish a strong hive.
Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
To remove them properly, the wall needs to be opened and everything taken out, when putting wall back,
make sure everything is sealed up so no bees can enter.

Konrad
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I hope it is okay that I've posted this here - I could not find a forum on pests or insects at garden web/houzz. This morning I discovered a series of insects flying in and out of what looks to be a small hole above a window. I can hear some sort of rustling near the window now. I cannot tell if the culprits are bees or yellow jackets (and will try to trap one to identify). I'm not sure what to do, though have spent some time researching online (which is how I ended up in this forum). And money is bit tight this month, so calling in a professional would have to wait a few weeks. Some questions: (1) If they are yellow jackets, could I wait until our first hard frost (usually the first week of October)? I have read that yellow jacket nests die after the first hard frost, except for the queen, who will hibernate and then fly out to establish a new nest elsewhere. (2) If they are bees, I obviously don't want to kill them. Could I wait until late winter/ early spring and get a beekeeper in to take what's left of the colony elsewhere? (Again, I've read elsewhere online that late winter or early spring is the best time to move bee colonies, as they will have declined in numbers by then). Obviously, I want to avoid the use of pesticides at all costs. And as they do not seem to be dangerous (they are in the back of the house, and I have been working out back unmolested), I don't feel the need to act immediately. But I don't want a ton of structural damage to my house! Any information or advice would be much appreciated.
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Honey bees will cover every single flower on holly, making it seem alive with the hard working insects. You can hear them before you see them. YJs aren't so noisy. You should be able to easily tell a honey bee from a yellow jacket by the lack of very bright yellow and black on the bee body and that fact that bees are fuzzier. Both of these insects and many more are nectar and pollen feeders and will be found on holly, which is very attractive to all manner of pollinators, but only honeybees gather and collect nectar and pollen in order to bring back to their hives, for storage and the feeding of larvae. The relationship between bees and hollies is legendary. I would certainly hope that they are allowed to continue their work unmolested. No need to be afraid. Yes, they mind their own business, lol!
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schoolhouse_gw
14 years ago
I'm dealing with this same thing since yesterday morning. Not the first time over the years, because I never removed the siding and the old comb and who knows what is still in there. I've been told that bees will smell the comb no matter how old it is and be drawn to it.

Tonight I've caulking every place I see them entering and exiting except I can't reach the tiny hole about 14' up on the side of the house. I'll probably have to resort to calling an exterminator to help seal the hole and I hate to say it but spray.

I've also been told that they die over winter anyway, is that true?
Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
Yes, if it's cold enough and not much insulation they will die.
Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
Even if comb is scrapped out, bees can still detect the scent, I would wash everything out with Lysol or spray some chemical...bee goor similar product.

Konrad
schoolhouse_gw
14 years ago
Thanks Konrad. It's just impractical for me to remove all that wood siding even though it is the best thing to do. But - this morning I declared war and went back to the store and bought another tube of caulk. With a long aluminum clothesline support pole, I put a glob of caulk on the end of it, climbed so far up the ladder, and dobbed that caulk in the crack below the piece of siding 14' up. It actually worked, and after I got the hang of it I was able to smooth the bead out a bit with the end of the pole. Then I stood below and watched if a bee could still get in, if it did, I dobbed more caulk until I got a pretty good bead along there. I continued to caulk anywhere the bees were going in or out below, too. I'll find out how well it works this evening when most of the bees return.

I read on the internet that if you don't see pollen on the legs of the bees going in that maybe they aren't settled yet or feeding young; and they could be stray bees that smelled the old comb and are out to rob honey and take it back to their own hive. So far, I haven't seen any pollen sacs on the legs, so maybe I've lucked out.
tmyonge_gmail_com
12 years ago
My mom is having the same problem. She just paid a guy to remove the nest and the "robber" bees are infesting. This guy has been back several times and has yet to offer any advice on how to control these things. This last time a swarm attacked me. I am not allergic, but several stings to the head knocked me down. A large dose of liquid benedryl did help. I am thankful for your sight. It has given me more advice than the last 8 bee keepers who have dealt with this problem. My mother is 72 years old. If they swarm her like they swarmed me, they could do worse. Thanks for the info.
Konrad___far_north
12 years ago
Understandably one has evaluate the situation if removing the siding is reasonably safe and cost effective.

Robber bees are a good thing...they will clean out the honey but
it can take several weeks. Hopefully in this period no new swarm
moves in and your'e reasonably safe! Robber bees are not really concerned
in you...they're after the honey. Right after when robber bees are gone, [more or less].. it would be a good time to seal it off.
Stacy Portko
8 years ago
Yesterday I discovered what appears.to be honey tyoe looking bees in our garage above our back door. They go in where an ol phone line goes into.the house. Can't see hiw many or how big. So we waited till dark tonite and took a can of spray and sprayed it inside the hole. Nothing came out (normal ??? ) then inside the house where they would be going.I'm is our half bath. I could hear buzzing in there for the next few minutes. Then silence, is this a good sign ?/could any possibly still be alive with all the spray we sprayed inside ??? I'm petrified that they will com in our home, and we have 6 children here that I worry about. Do you think this will suffice ? If I get up tomorrow morning and I see no activity where we use to, should I assume that all is well ???
Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
8 years ago
Well...how did you make out?

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