Bees in the guttering

[cinnamon]

Hello,
Need advice about bees that made a home in my house cavity through a tiny hole under the guttering...

I'd hate to block the hole and kill them but what are my options?

Is there a way to lure them out? I'm guessing not, with the queen being in there. I am assuming the queen is in there, otherwise why keep going in and out, right?

And queen is not going to come out unless for mating flight..

I don't want to destroy the side of my house to dig them out.

Anyone has had this happen? What did you do? I thought about smoking the hole and making them come out on their own and filling it with expanding foam...

 

[enrico]

Can I just make sure they are honey bees? If there are only about twenty then they may be masonry bees and will be no problem. If there are hundreds flying in and out they may be honey bees or wasps. Not being rude but can you please clarify that you know the difference!
Thanks

 

[Anduril]

The only way would be a trapout, a cone of mesh around the hole, producing a one way system, either inside a box with a frame of bias, or next to a box with a frame of bias. But your chances of getting the queen are slim. You are removing the foragers and starving the bees inside the wall.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you have suddenly noticed bees flying about under your guttering they may well be Tree Bumbles. At this time of year new queens are produced and male bumblebees mob the entrance to get at a potential mate. It can look quite alarming but the nest will be small, will mature and disappear soon and the bees pose no danger to people.

 

[MartinL]

I'm with Enrico here.

First thing to do is identify them.

It isn't as easy as you may think as, against the sky they're not really much more than black dots.
If they are Honey bees, there will be some dead ones thrown out regularly but the chances of finding them after descending the 14-15 feet to the ground is going to be slim!
To be sure they are honey bees the following would be pointers to confirmation;

• You saw the swarm arrive.

• They're flying in & out more or less in a straight line with more than 5-6 visible at any one time.

• They don't have yellow legs

• They're not interested in a mix of Jam & cider vinegar if placed below the entrance?

Options;

1. Leave them alone. After all they're 20 feet in the air.

• Pay £150 for someone to poision them (and anything else that goes near there over the next couple of years.

• Have an ecologically minded type come over & destroy the corner of your house in order to remove them.

 

[Anduril]

As a beekeeper of 2 years, cinnamon should have a good idea.

 

[madasafish]

Look for dead bees on the ground under the hole. Easiest way to identify: photo them and post here.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

Bumbles

 

[enrico]

As a beekeeper of 2 years, cinnamon should have a good idea.

Only just saw that..... Sorry!
E

 

[cinnamon]

I haven't seen a swarm and that is right above the door we use non-stop, in fact that door is almost always open during the day. So I would have heard/seen/spotted a swarm.

It is hard to see the type but they look like my honey bees but they could be tree bees.. certainly not bumble bees. I see about 4-5 come in and out and no more.

I am considering putting a bait hive (nut box) and strap it to the guttering. It's iron guttering and it's solid so it should be able to hang there near the entrance.

I will be checking my other hives in a bit, so I'll be suited up. And when I get up the ladder to strap the bait, I'll see if I can identify for sure that they're honey bees...
If they are honey bees, I do doubt very much they'd be lured out... just hoping my eyes fail me and they are masonry or tree bees. Will update when I have pictures.

Thank you for all your replies - I still consider myself a newbie, as I learn things every day

 

[madasafish]

I still consider myself a newbie, as I learn things every day

I am a newbie after 10 years then...

 

[Anduril]

It is hard to see the type but they look like my honey bees but they could be tree bees.. certainly not bumble bees. I see about 4-5 come in and out and no more.

Tree bees are Bombus hypnorum, bumbles.
For solitary bees:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/ryan-clark/guide-solitary-bees-britain

 

[cinnamon]

Good news - it was wasps!

Went up the ladder after looking after my hives, all suited up. Discovered it was just the wasps. Smoked the hole, filled it with outdoor caulk.

Thanks for all your insights. I always think the worst, inevitably...

 

[MartinL]

Good news - it was wasps!

Smoked the hole, filled it with outdoor caulk.

...

So now you have 100s of wasps + brood locked in, looking to dig out another entrance,
(bedroom Ceiling/Loft)????

 

[hemo]

Only just seen this and my first impression were they would be wasps.
Beg pardon folks just realised how old the orinal post was.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I’m looking for someone to sort out a tricky part of my guttering where a tight turn means it often overflows. I need someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Possibly a roofer with a hour to spare rather than a gutter-cleaning company. I’ve used Blue Sky Guttering before and they were very hit and miss. One team made more problems then they solved and a second team had to come out and fix what they broke. And the problem gutter is still a problem. Sam’s Guttering - did a decent job with cleaning the gutters but then the guy who came offered to do repair work cash-in-hand and not put it through the company. So they are off my list. What put me off both of those companies is that they run teams with basic skills to do fixed-price jobs but weren’t really interested in solving a more complex problem.

Picture please. Are they honey bees?