Honey Bee's as a pest

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
If you're sure that's what they are, then definitely call someone and see what they can do.
They may've faced your situation before and have other options that you don't know about besides a sledgehammer

 

[NGT ANGL]

Boyd - Please try to have someone remove your bees rather than killing them...Colony Collapse Disorder has decimated honey bee colonies and we really need them in order to pollinate our food crops. I plant specific flowers in my yard just to attract bees and while I just kow they will reduce my log home to a pile of sawdust one day, I even put up with the carpenter bees (look like bumble bees but with white faces) because they are very good polinators as well! I Googled it and MSU has a list you might try to contact some one on. It says "The following is a list of members of the Michigan Beekeepers Association in Oakland County who may be able to provide assistance
in capturing swarms and/or information on bee care.
By law, these people can remove a hive or swarm from outdoor locations only. Removal of hives from inside a home must be done by
a licensed exterminator. Beekeepers are interested only in honey bees. Try to determine if you have honey bees or wasps or yellow
jackets before contacting these people." The link to the list is http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/content_revision/download.cfm/item_id.208012/workspace_id.-30/OC0133%20Bee%20Info.pdf/

Good luck!

 

[ticker9400]

Hi
I used to live in Michigan and we had a swarm invade our side wall outside and they got inside the wall.. we called the exterminater and they were going to charge 300.00 dollars to remove them, so my friend called a local bee keeper (sorry dont remember name) and they came and took the queen (used smoke ) and the bees left without the queen and we sealed the hole ... done
hope this helps

edit ps cost was nothing....

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

I keep bees (and now chickens).

If they've been there for years, they very likely have hundreds of pounds of honey stored in your walls. Killing them and sealing them in your walls will probably turn into an odor/sanitation/decomposition/mouse issue. You probably have thousands of bees not hundreds. An active hive has about 20,000-40,000 workers, even though you may only see 10 or 20 at any given time.

Beekeepers love bees and will do anything to save them, usually for free, but I'm afraid structural damage isn't covered in most hive removal!

I agree, call a local beekeeping club, or your county extension agent. They can direct you.

Good luck!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Pack them in a box and send them to me! I have been wanting to start a few hives myself!

The local beekeepers here offer $10 rewards for being alerted to unwanted swarms!

-Kim

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
Agree, I keep bees to and removing them from an that situation is goign to mean removign some wall so it probably won't be free to have someone come do it and you'll have to do the repairs. BUT killing the bees and letting all the comb and honey rot in your walls it a worse option. Not only is there a really good chance you'll get a nasty stenchand some really foul moulds, but after it dries out it becomes a major fire hazard. The pest guys who just want to kill them seldom warn people about that aspect.

I consulted with a homeowner about a year ago who had a massive nest in a wall of her garage. When I explained how much drywall had to be removed she refused and had her husband saturate the nest with pesticide. Long story short the smell was horrid then the mould started sprouting. She ended up having to do twice the amount of drywall work as I would have removed.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Best of luck with the bees! I agree with having someone come relocate them. There is obviously a swarm somewhere near my house because my holly bushes and now my boxwoods are literally covered in honey bees. You wouldn't believe the amount of apples and pears I have on my trees though! They've done an amazing job.

A family member came by, saw all the bees and called someone about it. I had people calling me wanting my bees. The problem was, I didn't want to get rid of them!! So, for now, we see thousands of bees, but have no idea where the hive is. Just hope someone is getting some tasty honey.

 

[sparkles2307]

We had a colony that was on the move...when new Queen takes over she kicks the old queen and her proginy out of the nest... so the old queen and her followers go nomadic till they find a new place. We had one where the Queen landed on our flowering crab, and the ENTIRE colony landed on her to cool her off. We were freaked out a bit, it looked like they were going to break the branch with their weight, so we called a local beekeeper. He came right over, put a bee box up on a forklift under them, put the lid half on, and waited about 20 minutes till they all settledinto the box, then he said Thanks a Million and left

Very easy remedy, just call a beekeeper

 

[sundance]

please call a bee keeper, we need every honey bee we have and more a beekeeper will know just how to move the colony marrrie

 

[Boyd]

ok, sorry for so long between posts, i was out for the day

While I was on my way doing errands I called the local county extension office for genessee county, and they put me in touch with the michigan association of bee keeper's president. I left him a message, and awaiting a return call.

I didn't know much about these guys and have been trying to get rid of them for YEARS... not worried about the hole getting sealed in or creating a fire hazard, because my exterior walls are literally cement block! Anything happens, won't really effect the inside or outside of the house.

There must be a pretty good colony coming from my doorwall, because year after year I've tried to get rid of them. Colony wasting disease?! ACK, I just got done reading a quick article about it and that is some scary stuff! Glen Beck also had something about in a couple of months back in his magazine Fusion, but it was one that I forgot to finish reading.

Well, anybody from michigan wants to come out and relocate you're more than welcome. I'll try to smoosh one without crushing and put up a good pic!!!!