Bees in loft

patgc

Hope this is the right board for this.
Have just noticed that i have little honey bees going in and out of a hole in the wall . This is on the upstairs wall and leads into an attic space that is not accessible (no hatch). I have managed to lean out of a window and stretch over and have covered the hole with some old bitumen tape. I dont want to get the wasp man in to kill them as I do like bees. If they cant get in will they eventually give up and find somewhere else. ( yes I know I have sealed the ones that are in the nest inside the roof but they will have a 'fighting chance' of finding a way out, as its an old roof)
I would be happy to leave them but it is next to our bedroom window and I cant keep the window shut all summer.

secretdancer

If the ones you have sealed in do find a way out won't they just use that as their new entrance/exit?

patgc

If they can find their way in and out from another part of the loft thats not next to my bedroom window, I dont mind . I am sure we could live quite amicably. There are quite a few buzzing around the sealed off entrance, . They wont get nasty will they. Most of them are the small furry worker, honey bee type but have seen a couple of bigger 'bumble' type.

black-saturn

I know you dont want to do it but it would be best if you called the pest control people in. If in any way those bees get angry the next person who steps out the house will cop it. My dad and I both got stung really badly by bees which had been frightened by something just on a normal sunday afternoon walk years ago. It wasnt nice.

Bees are something which should be kept by experienced bee keepers.

coolagarry

Sometimes local police stations keep details of local beekeepers. If they have this information then he/she should be able to advise you what to do... In the case of hives they often come and collect them.

Pink.

Bees are a protected species so it is illegal to interfere with their nests. Your best bet would be to contact a local bee keeper for advice.

Pink

kittiwoz

A local bee keeper will take them away for free I think. I think you can find details for your local bee keepers association in the phone book or maybe Thomson local/ Yellow pages.

Mr_Meanie

If they are "little" bees they are most probably red or blue mason bees, which are solitary bees i.e. they don't make a hive and also are pretty harmless. About this time of year they go looking about the eaves of houses looking for small holes to lay their eggs in. Over the weekend we had dozens of them buzzing about but as they only live about four weeks they soon disappear.

Have a look here:-
http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse006/inse006.htm

DM1801

If they are honey bees then they could be there to stay for a while. The ones you have shut out will die in a couple days at the most. The ones inside will also die once there food reserves run out unless they find another entrance. If they are in the roof space they could be very difficult to get out. If you go to http://www.bbka.org.uk you should be able to get a contact for your local bee keepers association who will usually have members that will try to remove the bees for you. I wouldn't recomend doing anything yourself unless you are experienced at working with bees.

Good luck

DM

patgc

no these are definately not solitary bees. They are flying back and forward and were entering the hole one after the other, some coming out as some going in.. Its nearly 8pm and there hasnt been any movement around the hole since about 4.30. They were all congregating around the covered hole and looking for ways to get in then flying off. Do you think they have got fed up trying and thats the end or will they come back tomorrow.

DM1801

Sounds like they are honey bees. If they were all arounf where the hole was they were looking for a way back in. The next problem you have is the ones trapped inside, they will want out so will be looking for a route out which could end up being inside the house. That could be worse for you than them going out past your window !! Chances are there are more inside than out and you also have the queen inside which is still laying eggs as if nothing is wrong so the quantity inside is consatantly increasing until the food runs out. Would advise contacting your local beekeepers association quite quickly and thay will be able to have a look at a solution for you. You might find the only way to deal with them is going to end up killing them.

DM