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:iagree: Very common situation at the moment - eves and bird boxes. Just leave alone and they will naturally disperse over the coming weeks. Probably won't get another colony moving in next year, but to make sure block any access holes in the autumn when they've gone.

Far easier to target decent people who are easily intimidated because they respect authority, and don't act in a threatening way or offer violence.

I use a bit of tin foil - less sticky!

Yes, I suspect this is what is happening in mine.

If I was in this situation, and didn't want to resort to oxalic acid, I'd shake powdered sugar on them (remember that!). Not as good as oxalic but it will knock off mites and seems to do the bees no harm. I now put granulated sugar in a grinder rather than icing sugar. You have to use it...

I don't mean to teach granny to suck eggs but... If putting numbers on hives put them on the roof as everything else gets swapped around in time!

It would be wise to aim to run two colonies so all your eggs are not in the one hive so to speak. That way if a queen fails you have options!

I'd put two or three frames inside with starter strips only. You can add foundation in stages once they start to make comb. A box full of foundation puts them off in my opinion. Lemongrass helps, and if you can scrape some wax off a used brood box rub it on the frames and near the entrance.

Indicated: but as it was bang on and is a processed/blended/mass produced product so I suspect that it probably is 18%. I will initially use the correct oil to check calibration then maybe use olive oil once a baseline can be established.

I dusted off my refractometer today and opened the oil package I had ordered a few years ago to check calibration - and it was empty! Too late now to send a snot mail to supplier in Hong Kong! Ordered another specifically for my refractometer - Under 6USD but 5% less with voucher code ALL005...

To see what could be involved try this video - cut to 9 mins in. http://youtu.be/fAPzcJ5YQTQ Check your house insurance to see if they will cover damage caused by removal. Even if you have them killed I believe you'll still need to remove the comb for the reasons already stated. The only...

If you have cavity wall insulation they could be nesting in that.

They look like tree bumblebees to me but they normally nest above head height in bird boxes. Just leave them alone and give them space to come and go. They don't like vibration so try not to mow or drill near them...

Unlike honeybees and wasps bumblebee nest don't contain that many bees. My guess is that they may be nesting in the insulation material near to the entrance they are using. The bees are looking for nectar and pollen, so they would have no reason to fly around the loft space. Once they leave in...

Bumblebee nests only last until the autumn when new queens leave, mate, then hibernate waiting for Spring to form their own colonies. The old colony dies out after the queens leave. If left alone they will not harm anyone and are fascinating to watch. They have a tough life so live and let...

Belt and braces though, as advised earlier best to tape some netting over the open window to prevent any coming in by mistake. Like any wild creature they can be defensive if someone small sticks their head out of the window for a closer look!

I've just had neighbours from up the road call at the house with the opening line "you keep bees don't you? We've got some in our bird box and were wondering if they were yours" Bumble bees in a nesting box quite high up in a tree but not as high as the house. With binoculars looked like the...

Just leave the old frame in and when capped remove/freeze/destroy as most piggybacking mites should be in there. You could powder sugar then to knock off any stragglers before any of the newly drawn comb is capped.

I haven't been to any association meetings or events for years so nil travel for me. However, recently I needed to borrow a nuc box so was able to ring up an association member and borrow one. Also if I need any other help I can ring up one of my fellow members whom I only know through the...

Joining the local association doesn't mean you have to attend all their meetings and volunteer your spare time. If you don't have time to join the local association where you can access knowledge, help and advice, where are you getting the time to look after the bees? I hope you get things...