Swarm much too high to remove, but not good place to leave

[Polyanwood]

Advice please. Someone asked me to collect as swarm really high up on a building on Monday night. She said it was in the eaves on the outside of a 4 story building at least 60 foot up and that there was no access via the roof or windows. She was a bit desperate, so I said I would look.

I couldn't get anywhere near it, but I went back the next day and left an old bait hive with a bit of old comb and told her it would probably go away or go into the bait hive in the next 3 days and that was the best I could do.

It is still there today however. It has now been out 5 days. The weather has mostly been poor. There have been a couple of scouts in bait hive, but they haven't been that active (too cold?).

Do you think they will stay there now?

It is not a great place as if bits of comb fall they will fall on residents going in and out of the building.

 

[beesleybees]

not doubting you but you have definately confirmed they are honey bees up there? I know you said you had 'scout' bees at the bait hive but they could be from somewhere else. 4 storeys is along way up, Im sick of getting calls for swarms which turn out to be bumbles, especially when they mention roof or eaves!!

if they are honey bee's, my bet is they are now there to stay

no other way but to get up there and get them

 

[REDWOOD]

Do you know anyone who has a cherry picker lorry ?

 

[AnotherNewBee]

Whoever wants it removed will have to pay for hire of the access equipment you need to safely collect it.

Perhaps the fire brigade can help.

 

[richardbees]

polyanwood

"It is not a great place as if bits of comb fall they will fall on residents going in and out of the building."

Can't remember anybody ever being killed by a piece of falling honeycomb!

Get real! They're not your responsibility and 60ft is much too high.....my advice is to leave them alone.

richard

 

[Polyanwood]

have definately confirmed they are honey bees up there?

It is a big ball of honey bees. About the size of a blowup beach ball. It is on the outside of the building. I thought about telling them to put a power hose on it, but thought better of it, as I won't be insured if there is damage and neither will they.

 

[Heather]

Your insurance is null and void at that height. Forget it.

 

[VEG]

I do a lot of climbing in my job but you just got to know when you are out of your depth. No way you should be thinking of going up there even in a cherry picker.

 

[weebee]

A difficult situation.

By going to have a look you will be perceived as the expert and residents will be expecting you to solve their problem visa-vie the swarm.

I agree with Richardbee that you should back out gracefully. You need to make it clear that you do not have the access equipment/insurance necessary for this type of collection. To be blunt, do a runner!

 

[For want of a better word]

Perhaps the fire brigade can help.​

Hugh Pugh Barley McGrew, Cuthbert Dribble and Grout.... NO WAY !!!!

 

[Polyanwood]

I told them at the beginning that I would pick up the bait hive on Sunday because I reckoned that if they were still hanging there a week after they had swarmed, they would stay.

I like the fire fighters helping idea, but have never heard them rescuing swarms, only kittens.

You are right. I think it is time to back away. Do you agree with me that if they don't move after a week they are staying?

 

[REDWOOD]

Try lighting your smoker and perhaps someone will call the fire brigade for you lol.
Or ask them if they like to do a bit of training on a 4 story building. If you don't ask you will never know

 

[MuswellMetro]

Your insurance is null and void at that height. Forget it.

no, the BBKA and Towergate have changed the policy this year and new wording is being written for the yeart book...i have a copies of lettersw adn emails from Towergate and also Jane mossley on this issue of height in the last few weeks

the 3m height bar no longer applies so long as you are competent to work at that height

so if you have a NVQ to use a cherry picker you are covered to use it to collect a swarm as a hobbisit beekeeper

what bars you now is if you charge a fee, then that makes the insurance invalid....so just ask for expences

 

[AnotherNewBee]

I like the fire fighters helping idea, but have never heard them rescuing swarms, only kittens.

It has to be worth a try.

There might even be a beek or two amongst the crew. If there is you might have to let them keep the swarm, but they'll have earned it, you weren't going to get it anyway if it's beyond your reach (sorry ) and you'll have helped out the tenants of the flats - just as you promised - even if indirectly.

The fire service like to be out and about on 'rescue' jobs as it's good for publicity and helps them with training.

ADDED: Be sure to ask if they're likely to send you a bill.

 

[ShaneR]

Are you serious, sorry but I totally disagree to all this talk of using the fire brigade, they have more important things to be dealing with and I can guarantee they will NOT be happy to be called out on such a call and if you do waste their time on such a call you will most certainly be billed for it.

 

[Poly Hive]

I completely agree here.

People we are discussing a swarm of bees, a natural event.

The Fire Brigade have far far far more important things to do. How would you feel if your beloved died because the rescue crew was up a tree playing catch the swarm?

Can we keep matters in perspective. It is merely a swarm. Not life and death.

At 60 feet forget it. You have done your best that's all you can safely do.

PH

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are you serious, sorry but I totally disagree to all this talk of using the fire brigade, they have more important things to be dealing with and I can guarantee they will NOT be happy to be called out on such a call and if you do waste their time on such a call you will most certainly be billed for it.

Not necessarily so.
I have friends who are firefighters and they enjoy the odd novelty call and contrary to what has appeared in the press recently you are not inevitably going to get charged.
I was once asked to anaesthetise a dog trapped under floorboards as, though we could reach his forelegs to pull him out, he wouldn't relax enough. I decided he might slip out of reach once unconscious so we called the brigade.We did tell them what for but even so they sent three tenders and we had three hunky crews having cups of tea and swapping callout stories after the floor had been ripped up.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

The OP pointed out it is not safe to leave it where it is (if I read it right, for neither the tenants nor the bees).

If it's not safe the fire brigade may well assist with its removal free of charge.

From: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/FEP1322.pdf

12. The Authority has the discretion to charge or not to charge for some services by virtue of section 19 of the
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. It is agreed Authority policy to charge for certain special services as
follows:
a Use of brigade equipment to supply or remove water.
b Clearing flooded premises.
c Making structures safe where there is no risk of personal injury to the public.
d Any special service classified as miscellaneous.
e Incidents involving chemicals/hazardous materials occurring other than in domestic
locations.
13. There are certain exclusion from charges:
a for chemical incidents where

there is a fire or immediate danger of fire.

they are in domestic premises.

immediate action is required to save life or avoid immediate and imminent risk of
injury.
b for other types of incident where

there is danger of fire.

elderly, disabled or infirm persons are involved.

someone is in receipt of unemployment benefit, income support, training grant or
is a fulltime student.

there are other humanitarian or safety reasons.


(my highlighting). This implies that they can and do become involved in problems that do not involve fire or risk of fire and that, in some circumstances, they do not charge. It's not clear, in the document, whether the bullets points are 'and' or 'or' so is VERY easy to misinterpret.

The only way to find out is to call them (NOT 999 ) and talk to them. Even if they can't help directly they might be able to point the OP in an economic direction. Treat the call as a general discussion about options, talk it round to safety (are there windows near the swarm, is it above a footpath/door, we don't know if anyone near the swarm might be allergic...)

It may be a natural event, but if there's risk to someone's health and safety it's worth pursuing.

Chances are the swarm will move on anyway.

Question for the OP: Does the block have a flat roof? Is there access to it? Could a bait hive/nuc be placed on it?

 

[Mike a]

If she is prepared to hire a 3b class cherry picker and cover the cost of fuel I'll be happy to drive up and either operate the cherry picker and remove them or let someone else remove them. I hold a 3b licence but they aren't cheap to hire for a day but a dam site cheaper then a scaffold tower.

PM if you need my services.

 

[alanf]

Assuming the fire brigade are not interested, worth a try but realistically getting a beekeeper up there is what you need rather than a simple rescue by their own personnel so unlikely to be able to help.

60 feet would be exceptional height for a domestic building. A late 20th century building would be around 10 feet a floor, Victorian maybe a little higher. If it were a gable end that might raise it, or it it was built as offices. Before you start thinking about possible hire you need an accurate assessment of how high it actually is and what access you have underneath. Could you park a lorry mounted cherry picker with a suitable height and reach underneath to give a working platform? Otherwise you're talking scaffolding tower or if access is tight traditional poles. Not cheap.

Practically, hire a suitable cherry picker with operator (you may need to provide suitable gear if they are willing). It will need to get a two man platform up there at a working height. You could offer to do the collection if the caller hires the appropriate equipment. Are they several hundred quid desperate? You're not being paid, so no problem with insurance I'd have thought. It's also clear that you're not profiting or taking advantage if the only cash involved is hiring the equipment from a third party.