Chimney Trap Out, Phase 1

[Somerford]

Just to inform you all of another beekeeping adventure that will begin shortly...

After a call from the local shop who sell my honey, it seems their elderly uncle had bees in his loft room. Well, they were coming through a small hole in the roof/chimney from a large colony that has set up happily in the redundant side of his chimney !

It seems that bees have been seen there on and off for the past 12 years.

So, we have a large colony in a chimney that is capped.(accessing through the vent hole) There is no lower access (sometimes installed for cleaning etc) and the lower portion is also capped.

What I intend to do is build my scaffold tower long ways towards the house, rather than alongside it, so that the final level can be placed onto the roof.

With the use of a piece of wood with a hole in it, and a porter bee escape firmly 'no nailed' to the top, I intend to place a hive with frames in it along side to entice the bees into it....this is how wall trap outs have been done in the past, apparently.

I'd love to use the beevac again, but fear it will not reach into the chimneytop, so trap out is the only option....

(open to other ideas/thoughts...)

will update with images when underway !

regards

S

 

[VEG]

Do they have to be removed?

 

[Somerford]

good point - I'd be for leaving them and wait for swarms but the old chap wants them out if possible (I haven't given the option of destroying which I suspect a pest controller would). If I am not successful, they'll stay there !

S

 

[VEG]

You may find that most pest contollers wont touch them now due to a recent court case.

 

[Somerford]

please enlighten me..and us all !

S

 

[plumber]

see this link

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=2860

 

[Somerford]

thanks plumber

s

 

[Somerford]

as I wrote earlier, I don't intend to kill them if I can't trap them out....

S

 

[SixFooter]

How would you kill them?

 

[Somerford]

If I had to, close up all entrances, fill with wasp nest destroyer.

S

 

[davethegas]

somerford

think I remember a radio programme phone in about bees in chimney returning constantly, guy had tried all sorts including a controlled fire through the stack to no avail. A technical beek came on said only way to do it was to rebuild as the flue was propolised and nothing removes the trace of that! The reason wild colonies return to the same places year in & out is apparently because they are attracted to the propolis. A Tom tom for bees. Lol.

 

[Somerford]

This is something I was wondering about....there is no way to remove all the comb as the chimney is intact and it would be financially unviable for the old chap who lives there.

At the risk of having to repeat the performance next year, it might not be worth it to block the vent hole once the bees are out.....as they might find another way in anyway down the flue that is in use.

ho hum !

S

 

[Somerford]

Update

well, just finished building the tower up to dormer level. 2hrs of hard graft....yes I know some of you think I'm mad just for some bees, but the old chap really appreciates it.

Just need to top it off tomorrow and then on with the bee suit and we'll see what we can see.

I have had a few more ideas ref the bee trap out, which I will share later on....

S

 

[sherwood]

the professionals use varoa mesh inside the sailors hat capping peice to prevent the further ingress of bees in the future once they have cleared the colony. As this is a disused chimney there is of course no fire risk to leaving the combe there but in other instances there maybe a continuing fire risk if a flue is in use.
If you decide to use mesh go for th zinc one it is the easiest to cut and shape

 

[oliver90owner]

And doing it when the stores would be at a minimum would help with these other risks - and more of the comb would be consumed by wax moth, perhaps, as long as they had an entry point.

Regards, RAB

 

[Somerford]

thanks for the helpful advice and pointers above guys...

...but .....

I have decided for safety reasons not to proceed with the chimney trap out....I couldn't get close enough to it with the tower and I was not prepared to stand on a ladder that was balanced on a board that was on a wobbley 25 feet high tower !

Obviously a disappointment, but I do not want to be nominated for a Darwin award this year !! Apparently the pest controller has a long lance to pump poison into the chimney....but I suspect bees will re-inhabit it in a year or two unless they can close up the entrances !

There will be plenty more swarms !

regards

S

 

[Hombre]

Good try, and a wise move to wave off.

 

[VEG]

Its a good thing you know when enough is enough.

 

[merylvingien]

thanks for the helpful advice and pointers above guys...

...but .....

I have decided for safety reasons not to proceed with the chimney trap out....I couldn't get close enough to it with the tower and I was not prepared to stand on a ladder that was balanced on a board that was on a wobbley 25 feet high tower !

Obviously a disappointment, but I do not want to be nominated for a Darwin award this year !! Apparently the pest controller has a long lance to pump poison into the chimney....but I suspect bees will re-inhabit it in a year or two unless they can close up the entrances !

There will be plenty more swarms !

regards

S

If you cant get to it, and the pest controller can only reach with a lance, how is he going to block up any access to the comb/area where the bees were after he has treated it?
I am just wondering, considering that it is law that he must do this!

 

[Somerford]

Merv - I was wondering the same thing !