billcoe Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I have some honeybees which have taken up under our roofing shingles right under the peak. Every day for a week I squirted a little bit - just an entsie wentsie bit of flying insect pesticide in the hole. Killed about 200 bees, but one morning I went out there and in a scene straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, that am they were all milling around eyeballing me. That day, as I'd been hoping - the swarm moved on. Gone, totally. Not a bee left. Whhooo Hoooooooooo! For 2 days they were gone anyway. Today they returned. Short of a nuculear blast of pesticide, is there any way to get them to move on without destroying the roof? I'm not kidding it's the truth- we have honey dripping down the side of the house from the 3rd story to the ground...hmmmmmm............honey....ummmmm with pesticide mixed in,....hmmmmm............ What kind of an eviction notice should we issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 If you can get them to leave again, you could shoot some spray foam (available in spraypaint-size cans at any hardware store) in there and fill the hole, thereby preventing their return.... or you could fill the hole with them in there, but some might consider that a little cruel. Alternatively, you could set up a bee box under the eave right below their current nest and take up a new hobby. MMMmmm.... Apiary=Honey.... Fun for the whole family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TREETOAD Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 All you need to do is reach in gingerly and grasp the queen and pull her out. then, slowly and steadily walk away with her in the comb in which she resides. The bees will follow you, DO NOT be alarmed, they will swarm all over your head and shoulders but they will not sting you as long as you have the queen in your grasp. Walk to the place that you want them to live and then place the queen gently down. Run like hell!!! It may be a good idea to have a big bonfire going to jump into in the off chance that they come after you. I have never done it myself but I read about it somewhere, let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexual_chocolate Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 There was no reason to spray in the first place, but since you have, now you cannot enjoy fresh honey from your own hive. Honey bees are not very aggressive, and the positives of having a bee family as your neighbor far outweigh any negatives. Be kind to the bees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterboo Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I have some honey bee hives myself. This is only my second year in it but I can tell you to stop killing them. There is a better way. There are many experienced apiarists that will come in and take that swarm away and probably not need to harm it. Many of them do it for free. The bees are valuable to them. Honey bees face enough problems from natural problems like mites and viruses attacking them. Please be kind to bees. They are fasinating creatures with an added addition to our environment. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 No shit! Bees provide pollination services to the tune of $500 billion a year just to the US economy. If you kill them all, you will have to raise your taxes by that much, (=$3,300 per taxpayer) to pay Mexican immigrants to pollinate all the stuff the bees do now, by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 There are many experienced apiarists that will come in and take that swarm away and probably not need to harm it. Many of them do it for free. The bees are valuable to them. Jeff, I'll try calling around, how do you coax the swarm out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterboo Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Billcoe, I dont't honestly know. Watch it being done. It is impressive to see from what I've heard. If they are in a swarm, the beekeper can put them in a box as really they are looking for a dark place to go to make a nest. If they are already established in a hard place to get to, I am not sure how they do it. Maybe lure the bees with queen fermones or something. Just pondering.... It is a hobby that one is always learning new things. This year I have about 80lbs of honey off of two hives. Most of that nectar flow has come in last 2 weeks during the himalayan blackberry bloom. pretty cool stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 do snapping turtles like bees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterboo Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Well Dru, It just so happens they love to make nests in snapping turtle shells....Hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 Strangly enough - they were not there this am. Wife was going to start dialing apiariey folks today. Wonder if the bees were just coming back for honey yesterday....If they had been here, and if I had Dru's address, I could have shipped them off to him to keep the snapping turtle company. Gotta go get some rock now, bye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.