Smoke out?

[the naked beekeeper]

Hello all,

Was called to look at a 'swarm' of bees today.

Well, it looks like they swarmed Saturday and are now in there.

The bees are entering under the apex of a roof, through a hole in some wooden exterior cladding where a wire runs through and into the house.

I went up into the loft to see if they were in there and no luck.
So I am guessing they are inbetween the stone masonry of the house and this wooden cladding.
It looks like it is completely sealed apart from the small aperture where the wire runs in.

Is it worth trying to heavily smoke them out?

If they only moved in recently, I am hopeful there will be no brood there and therefore more likely to desert it if I smoke.

If I do smoke them, do I just watch where they swarm to and hang???

Thoughts please.

I will try and get photos up at some point.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I'd be thinking whose insurance is going to cover it if something goes up in flames.

 

[Chris Luck]

I've had success with that when they have only recently moved in but I had to keep at it for hours. Eventually they swarmed and I watched them until they clustered in a tree about 50 metres away, then had to find a local farmer with a tractor and bucket as they were too high for a ladder.

Anyway, it proves it can work.

Chris

 

[oliver90owner]

As GBH and Chris say. Can work, protracted and risky.

One of the 'clearing' chemicals (Bee-quick per eg) might just get them out quite quickly, if it could be applied in the right area. But not making any recommendations.

Regards, RAB

 

[enrico]

Once tried this years ago (Before things like bee-quick) with a houseowner who didn't want them killed but insisted they were removed from his listed house, something to do with honey running down the walls on hot days!!! Tried smoking, no use, loads of bees but you can never tell if the queen is with them. In the end took down half the outside wall before we finally found the hive which was about ten feet from the entrance they were using. My suggestion, leave well alone unless they are a real problem. winter may well kill them off anyway!
Best of luck
E

 

[Black Comb]

I've had failure with this.
Tried to smoke out a swarm that had entered through an air brick into the space between the walls in an old larder. On the afternoon they arrived but they wouldn't budge.

 

[Midland Beek]

What problem are they going to be in the roof of a house? I mean, even if it were a bungalow it is not as if bees would be flying at low level. Why are you bothereing to spend a second of your time in contemplating some method of extracting the bees?

 

[the naked beekeeper]

The owner doesn't want them there as she thinks it might be problematic in the sale of her house.

Also she doesn't want melted comb/honey running everywhere as it is not too far from the the log burner flue.

 

[oliver90owner]

Get them out quickly or not at all (without considerable trouble). Once there is honey in there it will need to be robbed out at some point (or sealed in), even if the colony dies out over winter. Recolonisation is likely once the site has been used, unless sealed off well. If inaccessible, and they must go, it is a shame but killing them now would be the better route.

RAB