ruffle
New Bee
- Joined
- May 31, 2011
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Peterborough
- Hive Type
- WBC
- Number of Hives
- 3
A neighbour came round last night asking for help.
They're moving house and a swarm of bees had come down their AGA flue and were balling up in the kitchen (the AGA had been turned off for a few weeks so was stone cold). As they were completing today at 12:00 they were in a bit of a tiz - especially as the incoming people really didn't like bees (silly folk! but I guess a colony in the kitchen is probably a bit much even for an ardent beek
).
Anyway, I and my charming assistant went round, found a cast size group balling in the corner of a window, brushed most into poly nuke, left them for a couple of hours, went back and heard the queen piping (very loud; she's got a good set of lungs) and the bees balling under the open mesh of the Poly Nuke.
We wrapped them up and thought it was job done except.... as we were leaving we could still hear a bee type roaring from the flue. By this time it was close to midnight and we just took the nuke box home.
Went back this morning and oh dear.... couple of hundred bees clustered around the flue and, looking outside, a lot of traffic in and out of the chimney.
The bees were fanning around the flue entrance as if there was another queen..... but that sounds strange as we've already got her. Could there be two queens in a swarm?
Anyway.... there was no way I could think of getting a swarm out of a 30 foot high lined chimney. Asked a local experience beek and he didn't have any ideas either. Tried smoke - no luck. Got local chimney sweep around to try a mechanical solution, swept the flue with a 5" brush and went outside to check the brush was out of the top. Going back inside I was surprised to see more bees balling around the flue outlet and on closer examination it seems they were actually coming up out of the AGA.
So... any suggestions?
The incoming occupants have decided to stay with friends overnight but there's a pest control (exterminator) coming round at 10:00AM tomorrow.
The AGA flue and vents are currently taped up as the removal men are carrying in stuff and didn't fancy doing that in a house full of bees.
Any ideas? if there's any realistic chance of catching this swarm this afternoon then I'll give it a go (working round the removals people) but I fear they're doomed when Mr Insectocutor comes round tomorrow
They're moving house and a swarm of bees had come down their AGA flue and were balling up in the kitchen (the AGA had been turned off for a few weeks so was stone cold). As they were completing today at 12:00 they were in a bit of a tiz - especially as the incoming people really didn't like bees (silly folk! but I guess a colony in the kitchen is probably a bit much even for an ardent beek
).Anyway, I and my charming assistant went round, found a cast size group balling in the corner of a window, brushed most into poly nuke, left them for a couple of hours, went back and heard the queen piping (very loud; she's got a good set of lungs) and the bees balling under the open mesh of the Poly Nuke.
We wrapped them up and thought it was job done except.... as we were leaving we could still hear a bee type roaring from the flue. By this time it was close to midnight and we just took the nuke box home.
Went back this morning and oh dear.... couple of hundred bees clustered around the flue and, looking outside, a lot of traffic in and out of the chimney.
The bees were fanning around the flue entrance as if there was another queen..... but that sounds strange as we've already got her. Could there be two queens in a swarm?
Anyway.... there was no way I could think of getting a swarm out of a 30 foot high lined chimney. Asked a local experience beek and he didn't have any ideas either. Tried smoke - no luck. Got local chimney sweep around to try a mechanical solution, swept the flue with a 5" brush and went outside to check the brush was out of the top. Going back inside I was surprised to see more bees balling around the flue outlet and on closer examination it seems they were actually coming up out of the AGA.
So... any suggestions?
The incoming occupants have decided to stay with friends overnight but there's a pest control (exterminator) coming round at 10:00AM tomorrow.
The AGA flue and vents are currently taped up as the removal men are carrying in stuff and didn't fancy doing that in a house full of bees.
Any ideas? if there's any realistic chance of catching this swarm this afternoon then I'll give it a go (working round the removals people) but I fear they're doomed when Mr Insectocutor comes round tomorrow
