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[JoolsChester]

I have a problem:

My roof space has been taken over by honeybees, and I do not have a loft enablingn easy access for extraction.

I noticed them last year and after phoning the council, it was suggested I leave the bees to it. The swarm increased in size and I spoke to a local beekeeper who came out and confirmed they were honeybees, but due to the location (being inside my roof, so high up) he couldn't get them out due to insurance restrictions but said they wouldn't cause any harm.

It's over a year since I first saw them, and the colony has now grown and split into three, inhabiting different sections of the roof space. One of them is now above my bedroom.

I have tried to live at peace with them, but the bees are coming into the house through the windows and I'm aware that there will be huge amounts of honey and comb that will be increasing in volume and will be very heavy, putting strain on the building.

I absolutely do not want to harm the bees, I would love for someone to take them to a new home. But it seems that I would need a beekeeper-cum-roofer to do this, and I don't know if this person exists. So far everyone has told me they can't help.

A while back my beekeeper friend placed a hive on my garage roof with pheromones to attract the colony (when it was just one) so he could remove it, but we've had no luck.

I'm becoming desperate, and there are so many bees there now. It would be a lovely swarm for an avid beekeeper/s.

If you think you can help and are interested in taking the bees away (I don't want any money for them), please contact me.

Thanks so much!

 

[thenovice]

If you do not want to kill them you only have 1 option I think... Wait untill spring...

then you can do 2 things: cut them out or do a very time consuming Trap out.

Myself being a beekeeper would opt for the last as it does not damage your house. But it takes a couple of weeks and might not be easy if they are up that high.

If I were closer to you I'd give it a go...

 

[JoolsChester]

Hi thenovice,

Thanks for your reply! - I'm interested in your response.

How would I go about doing that? And why wait until spring?

 

[dpearce4]

the damage will still need to be done because if there is honey and comb left in there it will damage the house anyway when it starts to leak down through the ceiling.

The reason you will need to wait until spring is that the colonies will not be viable if cut out now due to damage done to the comb and possible loss of queen. A trap out this time of year would definitely not work this time of year due to not all the bees flying as it gets colder.

you will probably have this up in your ceiling http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=440492&postcount=1

 

[irishguy]

Any pics?

 

[thenovice]

Hi thenovice,

Thanks for your reply! - I'm interested in your response.

How would I go about doing that? And why wait until spring?

waiting for spring is because they pretty much are going for the big winter nap. Trap out only works when they forage and you can source brood. for cuttign them out, it is better if they are not in winter mode as it is too cold for them and if you accidentally kill the queen you can not replace her.

If you google trap out you'll get an idea of how it works
Trap out is done by putting a mesh cone over the entrance of the bees so they can get out but not in and you put a bait hive with brood next to that. you regularly remove the bees to an out apiary and by keeping on removing in this way, eventually the nest in your roof space runs out of resources (you keep on removing foraging bees) and will abscond or die out. In this respect I ahve to disagree with dpearce. Most of what will be left is empty comb as the remaining part of the colony will consume all stores as nothing new comes in. only thing remaining will be wax and you can bet waxmoth will come in to clear that out for you if you leave them hte chance.

main dissadvantage is the effort that goes into it.

 

[richardbees]

Jools

I suggest you contact the Cheshire Beekeeping Association (and insist they help or provide direction)

http://www.cheshire-bka.co.uk/Branch/Contact.php

You can't leave them another year as there are huge potential structural problems

 

[pargyle]

Jools


You can't leave them another year as there are huge potential structural problems

Whatever's done by now is done ... it isn't going to get any worse by Spring and there's more chance of successfully re-homing these bees in Spring than there is now. I can't see Cheshire BKA being particularly cooperative with someone INSISTING on their help .. not an easy job getting bees out of a roof space as the OP has already found out. Best leave it till Spring and be prepared to cut holes to get at them ...

 

[wessexmario]

Hi Jools,

As you're not a bee keeper and presumably not used to handling bees I wouldn't advise trying to remove them yourself, it would likely be a difficult job given that there will be many ways they can get back into a loft, roofs not being designed to be insect proof.

If you don't get someone on the forum who is local to you who can help then the best way to get help to remove them will be to go along to your local Beekeepers Association monthly meeting and ask there. Use this link to find your nearest association:
http://www.bbka .org.uk/about/local_associations/find_an_association.php
( you'll need to remove the space after bbka )

Beekeepers are between us a pretty ingenious lot so I'm sure someone will be able to help. (if not only for the chance of obtaining 3 colonies and possibly many pounds of honey)

Another route to getting help will be to call your local swarm collector
http://www.bbka .org.uk/help/find_a_swarm_coordinator.php
(That'll give you a direct line to someone you would have probably met by going to the association anyway.)
While the swarm collector may well defer until spring, telling them now will give them time to assess and prepare, especially as this is a reasonably big job.

 

[richardbees]

the colony has now grown and split into three, inhabiting different sections of the roof space. One of them is now above my bedroom.

Pargyle,
a 'trap out' isn't going to solve this problem. Possibly Winter is the best time to determine the extent of Jools' bee colonies.

imho it's beholden on CheshireBKA to provide a solution or satisfactory advice.

 

[pargyle]

the colony has now grown and split into three, inhabiting different sections of the roof space. One of them is now above my bedroom.

Pargyle,
imho a 'trap out' isn't going to solve this problem.

Completely agree ... difficult operation and certainly not one for someone with no bee experience. Cut out is the best chance but not a good time of the year to do it ...


Possibly Winter is the best time to determine the extent of Jools' bee colonies.

Without some surgery to get at them that's not going to be easy either ...


CheshireBKA should provide a solution.

Should ? Why ? Collecting swarms is one thing .. a cut out from a roof space is something else altogether ...

 

[richardbees]

p

I say 'should' because so much effort is spent in PR to the public on the protection / conservation of honeybees that, in return, the bbka (through district bkas) should give assistance to the public when there's a problem.

....just my opinion!

rich

 

[irishguy]

Jools

I suggest you contact the Cheshire Beekeeping Association (and insist they help or provide direction)

http://www.cheshire-bka.co.uk/Branch/Contact.php

You can't leave them another year as there are huge potential structural problems

How can they cause structural problems?

 

[MuswellMetro]

the colony has now grown and split into three, inhabiting different sections of the roof space. One of them is now above my bedroom.

Pargyle,
a 'trap out' isn't going to solve this problem. Possibly Winter is the best time to determine the extent of Jools' bee colonies.

imho it's beholden on CheshireBKA to provide a solution or satisfactory advice.

we have a member who has taken out his own insurance to do cut outs

 

[pargyle]

p

I say 'should' because so much effort is spent in PR to the public on the protection / conservation of honeybees that, in return, the bbka (through district bkas) should give assistance to the public when there's a problem.

....just my opinion!

rich

Well ... I can agree with that ... but it's not what you said originally viz: "I suggest you contact the Cheshire Beekeeping Association (and insist they help or provide direction)".

But ... having looked at the cheshire BKA website they don't appear to advertise a swarm collection service (just re-direct to the BBKA website) and as these bees are not really swarms any more I'm not sure that they will be that interested - particularly at this time of the year. I don't see a flood of forum members local to the OP running to assist ?

 

[wessexmario]

If Cheshire don't have an easily found swarm control officer then contact your local Council - they will have a pest control officer who will be able to contact the appropriate bee swarm person to deal with it.

 

[madasafish]

p

I say 'should' because so much effort is spent in PR to the public on the protection / conservation of honeybees that, in return, the bbka (through district bkas) should give assistance to the public when there's a problem.

....just my opinion!

rich

I'm a registered swarm collector in Staffordshire and refuse to touch cutouts.

1. I'm too old.And senile.
2. No insurance for cutting up houses.
3. It takes ages: I am NOT going to spend a whole day working on a roof.
4. I hate heights.

 

[WoodenBeam]

I'm a registered swarm collector in Staffordshire and refuse to touch cutouts.

1. I'm too old.And senile.
2. No insurance for cutting up houses.
3. It takes ages: I am NOT going to spend a whole day working on a roof.
4. I hate heights.

Quite right too.
I would like to think that most people would be very pleased for a swarm of bees to be removed from their garden at no cost - this is something that should be offered by local beekeeping associations.
To get involved with bees in the structure of a building is way beyond this - in my view this can be a time consuming and specialist task. To expect a local beekeeper / association to undertake this is taking the mickey (in my opinion).

 

[Moggett]

I've just looked and they have not been online since the original post.

If they could give a better description of where they are it would help - no loft space? so where are they? Cavity? under tiles? What is above the bedroom ceiling? Is it their own accommodation or rented? Is it a flat, block of flats etc.

A local beekeeper has already attended, so are they a member of the association and is the beek on this forum?

Unless there is a beekeeper locally who is also a builder or roofer (or has the necessary skills and experience) it is unlikely anyone can help, especially without full information. I for one would not have the ability or inclination to demolish and rebuild part of a roof!

 

[JohnyP]

As a swarm collector, last summer I was called to a block of flats where there where 3 separate colonies in 3 kitchen ventilation holes at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor heights... nightmare. The landlord wasn't prepared to pay for scaffolding. I was less than keen to shin up ladders etc. I think the colonies were destroyed in the end... sad