Move a colony from roof to a hive?

[NewBee79]

I'm pretty sure we have honey bees nesting in our roof. Is there anyway to get them to move into the new TBH I built? Rather that than pay for a nuc as we live next to a crop field and it's possible pesticides could affect them, especially as I believe the moratorium on neo-nics has been dropped.

Any help or suggestions are welcome. Don't think there's more than a couple of hundred of them as the space they're in is pretty small.

Thanks

 

[dexter's shed]

at this time of year, your only way of success would be to go in and remove them, find the queen and remove the comb, failing that get some bait hives set up for next year and hope to get a swarm or two

 

[NewBee79]

Unfortunately they're out of reach so no chance of getting to the comb. Might just set it up near the colony, put a few plants around it and cross my fingers! Thanks

 

[gill68]

sadly if there is a laying queen in there, they're not likely to move. Sorry to have a downer on your plan!

 

[wessexmario]

I'm pretty sure we have honey bees nesting in our roof. Is there anyway to get them to move into the new TBH I built? Rather that than pay for a nuc as we live next to a crop field and it's possible pesticides could affect them, especially as I believe the moratorium on neo-nics has been dropped.

Any help or suggestions are welcome. Don't think there's more than a couple of hundred of them as the space they're in is pretty small.

ThanksView attachment 12230View attachment 12231View attachment 12232

The pesticide change doesn't affect Wiltshire or anywhere near, so don't be concerned about that in our county.
"Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Suffolk are the 4 counties which Liz Truss, our environment minister, has approved the use of the pesticides, neonicotinoids"

You wouldn't have a colony that's only a few hundred strong, if it's a viable colony it'll be much bigger than that.
They don't need much space, and it's unlikely that a swarm would have chosen a new home smaller than the size of a nuc, which can hold around 10,000.

Unfortunately they're out of reach so no chance of getting to the comb. Might just set it up near the colony, put a few plants around it and cross my fingers! Thanks

leaving a bait hive in the vicinity might attract them if they decide to swarm, but that will still leave the original colony in the roof.
When a colony swarms it splits into two, it doesn't leave entirely.
Some old comb and lemongrass essence is a favourite bait lure.

 

[biglongdarren]

Me and a friend removed a small colony on four combs yesterday from above a soffit, we were able to reach in and cut the comb away, we found the queen on the second comb and caged her till we cut away the rest and hoovered up all the bees, they had next to no stores and i don't think they would have made it too long on there own.

All the brood filled one frame and they are now in a nuc dummied down till two frames.Will try and add some more bees in the next day or two.

Fingers crossed they still alive.

Darren