Anybody know anything about bees?

[EvilPie]

I have a bit of an issue with a swarm of bees that have appeared just outside my bedroom window and I wondered if anybody had any previous experience?

They've got a little hole just under the window ledge where they come in and out so they must have a bit of a nest (hive) in the wall cavity.

I could easily fix it by blocking up the hole but I hate the thought of leaving them homeless and obviously trapping the ones inside so I wondered what my options were?

They don't seem aggressive at all and I can happily lean out of the window for a look at their hole whilst there's ten of them buzzing round and they don't seem too bothered. They're at first floor level so they aren't likely to bother anybody.

Can I just ignore them for the summer and then bung up the hole when it gets cold or will there still be some in there who get confined to a dark icy grave? What kind of damage might they be causing to my wall cavity?

Any suggestions that involve the fewest number of dead bees would be appreciated.

[byronkincaid]

call a beekeeper.

http://www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php

[arbboy]

I have a bit of an issue with a swarm of bees that have appeared just outside my bedroom window and I wondered if anybody had any previous experience?

They've got a little hole just under the window ledge where they come in and out so they must have a bit of a nest (hive) in the wall cavity.

I could easily fix it by blocking up the hole but I hate the thought of leaving them homeless and obviously trapping the ones inside so I wondered what my options were?

They don't seem aggressive at all and I can happily lean out of the window for a look at their hole whilst there's ten of them buzzing round and they don't seem too bothered. They're at first floor level so they aren't likely to bother anybody.

Can I just ignore them for the summer and then bung up the hole when it gets cold or will there still be some in there who get confined to a dark icy grave? What kind of damage might they be causing to my wall cavity?

Any suggestions that involve the fewest number of dead bees would be appreciated.

Mate of mine had the same and called the council and they came out and sorted it out for him FOC.

[Junior Senior]

If they are bees just leave it. We have had one under our gutter outside the bathroom window two out of three years and its not a problem. If its wasps then they can be a problem. Only time i would have ot dealt with is if they were in an area my kids or pets would go and therefore potentially dangerous.

[maccol]

Guess the council wouldn't take any prisoners though.  

[david3103]

Does this help?

http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?t=5120

[Karabiner]

Let me know when you start collecting the honey.

Mmmmm honey..

[DaveShoelace]

[EvilPie]

Guess the council wouldn't take any prisoners though.  

I really couldn't bring myself to kill them or have them killed. They just seem to be going about their business so I think I'm just going to leave them to it.

Having had a good read through the various websites I think they're bumblebees and after the summer they'll be gone. They don't come back to the same nest and the queen will die in there and it'll become obsolete. All the new females just go off looking for new nests so I can safely seal this one after the activity stops.

[EvilPie]

Let me know when you start collecting the honey.

Mmmmm honey..

Sorry Ralph but they aren't honey bees. If they were apparently I'd be able to get a beekeeper to come and fetch them.

[MintTrav]

Bees are amazing. I worked at a tomato-growers a couple of years ago and bees were one of the costs of production. They had massive glass-houses, covering a couple of acres each, and would buy numerous boxes of bees to pollinate the tomatoes. A box consisted of a queen and about sixty others, with the queen trapped behind a grid with gaps that were too small for her to get out, but big enough for the others to get in and out easily. A box of bees lasted about six weeks and then they were thrown out. Sometimes the queen would be released and, if she flew off, the rest would follow. Sometimes, she was killed. I can't remember why - I think it was if she was too far gone to fly. Then one of the other females could develop into a queen and they would follow her and start up elsewhere. They weren't much use at that stage though.

Pollination starts around February but, at that point, there isn't enough nectar to support them, so you have to give them food, which comes in the box. The year I was there, the manufacturers changed the box, putting a plastic slide between the bees and the food. The growers didn't know, the bees all starved to death, the tomatoes didn't get pollinated and several weeks were lost from the season (which only lasts from April to October, at most).

[tikay]

Bees are amazing. I worked at a tomato-growers a couple of years ago and bees were one of the costs of production. They had massive glass-houses, covering a couple of acres each, and would buy numerous boxes of bees to pollinate the tomatoes. A box consisted of a queen and about sixty others, with the queen trapped behind a grid with gaps that were too small for her to get out, but big enough for the others to get in and out easily. A box of bees lasted about six weeks and then they were thrown out. Sometimes the queen would be released and, if she flew off, the rest would follow. Sometimes, she was killed. I can't remember why - I think it was if she was too far gone to fly. Then one of the other females could develop into a queen and they would follow her and start up elsewhere. They weren't much use at that stage though.

Pollination starts around February but, at that point, there isn't enough nectar to support them, so you have to give them food, which comes in the box. The year I was there, the manufacturers changed the box, putting a plastic slide between the bees and the food. The growers didn't know, the bees all starved to death, the tomatoes didn't get pollinated and several weeks were lost from the season (which only lasts from April to October, at most).

Fascinating post, thanks Mr. Mint.

[EvilPie]

Bees are amazing. I worked at a tomato-growers a couple of years ago and bees were one of the costs of production. They had massive glass-houses, covering a couple of acres each, and would buy numerous boxes of bees to pollinate the tomatoes. A box consisted of a queen and about sixty others, with the queen trapped behind a grid with gaps that were too small for her to get out, but big enough for the others to get in and out easily. A box of bees lasted about six weeks and then they were thrown out. Sometimes the queen would be released and, if she flew off, the rest would follow. Sometimes, she was killed. I can't remember why - I think it was if she was too far gone to fly. Then one of the other females could develop into a queen and they would follow her and start up elsewhere. They weren't much use at that stage though.

Pollination starts around February but, at that point, there isn't enough nectar to support them, so you have to give them food, which comes in the box. The year I was there, the manufacturers changed the box, putting a plastic slide between the bees and the food. The growers didn't know, the bees all starved to death, the tomatoes didn't get pollinated and several weeks were lost from the season (which only lasts from April to October, at most).

Fascinating post, thanks Mr. Mint.

Agreed. It got me looking in to how you go about purchasing bees and I was amazed to see it can be £40 for a queen.

Such an amazing little insect and I'm happy to provide them with a home for a few months.

[Cf]

We noticed about a month ago we had bees in our garden where they have burrowed various nests under the grass. There were a LOT of them but the numbers have dwindled since. They've never been a problem - just left them to it.

[Longines]

Agreed, bees rock.

Wasps on the other hand. Napalm.