Bees in chimney

[CarolW]

Any advice on honey bees in a chimney? As a BKA secretary I'm asked at least once a year so I wondered if anyone could tell me what they did with theirs. Does it help to light a smoky fire for a day or two to get rid of a week-old colony? If it's an unused chimney, should it be blocked off up top with mesh after emptying a can on Raid into it? Or just block off the lower end and live with them. Someone told me today that a pest controller had told her she'd have to get the chimney dismantled which I thought was a bit OTT. It would be really useful to hear of others' experiences and solutions.

 

[Sutty]

I've not dealt with this but ideally I'd be thinking of a trap-out followed by blocking off with queen excluder to allow it to be robbed out but no new swarm arrive, then let waxmoth destroy the combs.

 

[Antipodes]

Any advice on honey bees in a chimney? As a BKA secretary I'm asked at least once a year so I wondered if anyone could tell me what they did with theirs. Does it help to light a smoky fire for a day or two to get rid of a week-old colony? If it's an unused chimney, should it be blocked off up top with mesh after emptying a can on Raid into it? Or just block off the lower end and live with them. Someone told me today that a pest controller had told her she'd have to get the chimney dismantled which I thought was a bit OTT. It would be really useful to hear of others' experiences and solutions.

I've seen a colony in a blocked off chimney if there are holes right through the mortar for entrance and exit, so the success of blocking it off at the top depends on the state of the chimney to some extent. Preemtively, blocking the top completely is usually a good idea in an unused chimney with sound mortar. Lighting a fire in a disused chimney with potential wax accumulation could certainly be a risk. To save the bees, a trap out with a mesh cone could get most of the bees out, but I've never got the queen that way. A total pain usually and I'd never do it in a chimney unless I could somehow stand comfortably on a flat surface.

 

[ericbeaumont]

light a smoky fire for a day or two to get rid of a week-old colony?

Way too late: smoke may persuade a swarm to leave in the first half hour, but once it's laid down comb - and they get to work pdq - it's a nest, and you can forget it.

Risky putting smoke into any sort of nest: a spark may ignite dust near beeswax, and once that starts...

Years ago I took a street tree swarm that had come from a chimney nest, and residents gathered to enjoy the fun; at some point the chimney owner told me his bedroom carpet was soaked with honey. Up we went for a look, and sure enough, in the heatwave combs had melted and wax and honey had run down the chimney, out of the fireplace and over his bedroom carpet.

blocked off up top with mesh after emptying a can on Raid into it?

Raid uses chemicals such as pyrethroids - cypermethrin, imiprothrin, and pyrethrin - and I cannot fathom why anyone would recommend using it on or near honey bees or any other pollinators.

pest controller had told her she'd have to get the chimney dismantled

Correct, and that is when the true cost appears: scaffolding, and operatives with a combination of beekeeping & building skills. There are a few companies that specialise in this work, but trust me, the bill will be staggering: likely £6-10k.

I charged £600 for a job that took 1.5 days to remove a nest from inside a bedroom ceiling. By comparison, a firm with beekeeping & building skills quoted £4.5k, which the client could never have afforded. Building work involved cutting out a section of plasterboard 1m x 400mm.

block off the lower end and live with them

Good idea.

 

[OldFarm]

People often assume the bees have only just gone in the chimney, usually they've only just spotted them around the chimney. The only time a smokey fire might be useful is if they have only just gone in or scout bees are checking it out. If a fire is lit and there is any wax, the risk isn't just a chimney fire, it's carbon monoxide poisoning as well. If the bees die out, abscond or swarm in sufficient numbers and the bee AC goes off the wax may start to melt and when it comes down the chimney it will bring all sorts of rubbish from the chimney with it.

Using Raid or similar is not a good solution, no matter how well you might try and seal up the space, other bees will find a way in and start robbing it out (which will also release honey into the chimney), taking the poison back to their hive, killing bees and contaminating the honey. Anyone who is found to have been responsible for contaminating the food chain could find themselves illegal trouble.

The only solution is to have bee removers come in and remove the colony, which will mean removing part of the chimney stack. If the bees are highly aggressive, they may kill them before removing the bees and brood nest. It's not a small job, some household insurance policies will cover it, but not all.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

I was visiting Bourton-on-the-Water last week; and while waiting in the car for family - noticed bees entering & leaving a chimney opposite. The entrance was 3 to 4 bricks down from the chimney pot. Must have been a very significant colony as the cone of flying arrivals & departures was very noticeable (almost solid) against the blue sky even when three floors below and on the opposite side of the road.

 

[Antipodes]

I was visiting Bourton-on-the-Water last week; and while waiting in the car for family - noticed bees entering & leaving a chimney opposite. The entrance was 3 to 4 bricks down from the chimney pot. Must have been a very significant colony as the cone of flying arrivals & departures was very noticeable (almost solid) against the blue sky even when three floors below and on the opposite side of the road.

Yep, the gap in the mortar issue