Removing bees

[pepper]

Can someone advise me on how to remove bees from my garden. While removing a small conifer I discovered a nest among the roots. The conifer is now half in and half out and I don't know what to do next. I didn't know bees lived underground. They don't seem to want to go anywhere else, and when I move the conifer they buzz about. I live in Lincoln and would appreciate any advce from someone who knows bees. Thanks.

[G4WIL]

Hello Pepper,
sounds like you've disturbed a bumble bees nest :(.
My advice is always "leave them alone":).
How you proceed from now on depends on the amount of damage already in flicted on the nest?. If it's indeed possible to leave things as they are until Autumn, when the colony will disappear of it's own accord then fine:D, however if the conifer is large and unstable then it is possible to remove the nest into a box/ plant pot , at the end of the day when flying has finished, then take the box/plant pot to a sheltered spot ,in a hedge row (for protection from the elements) and make sure it's at least a couple of miles form it's present location! . You will need to borrow a veil and use gloves to avoid stings !. Success isn't guaranteed ( a large percentage don't prosper when re-located) hence my advice "leave alone if at all possible.

Regards John Wilkinson

[Chris]

As per the above post - this is a bumble bee nest.

They often nest in old mouse burrows and the nest only remains active for the spring and summer periods. During late summer a bumble bee nest dies completely.

Now that you have accidentally ripped their nest in half their survival might be questionable, but if the damage is not too great they might survive with some repairs, and this is especially the case if you could perhaps cover the nest from the elements with some kind of cover.

But if you're the type of person that likes killing things, then there are lots of poisons available from the local DIY store. You can then poison them and delight in watching them die before your own eyes.

I am afraid I don't really understand your intention of 'removing bees from your garden'. It might be better all round if you could leave the stump in place until the bees have finished their lives - that's if you value wild creature and value 'life'.

[Chris]

I make no apologies for my interest in bees and issues of animal welfare. I'm just not into killing things.

[Bcrazy]

Hi Chris,

I have been reading some of your posts and your forthright, straight forward approach reminds me of myself a few years ago. Within our association there are times when I am outspoken and it upsets members, but that is confined within the association. Any problems that arise can be sorted out 'one to one' by contact. Unfortuneately its just the opposit on a Forum.

Chris for the last few weeks there has been very few problems, due to the strict policy of clamping down on abusie, offensive and inflamatory posts.
The New Moderators Guidelines are quite clear in dealing with such posts.

Chris can I please ask you to be cearful what you write and how you write your posts. This is only advice nothing more.
Thank you,

Regards;

[whiskywill]

As we don't have a description of these bees, could they not be harmless miner bees?

Pepper, this site should help you identify them.

http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm

[ftm]

I make no apologies for my interest in bees and issues of animal welfare. I'm just not into killing things.

Unbelievable! The original poster was politely seeking advice and used the word "remove" rather than "kill". I've had enough of the bickering on this forum. Never thought I'd see the day when we'd get beekeepers squabbling on like kids. It would make a great sketch on The Fast Show.

It's response like Chris's above that immediately put off members of the public and gives them the reason to think of beekeepers as a bit "odd". It's a stereotype of course, but they can't really be blamed for thinking that after seeing such a response.

It's a shame. I found this forum to be informative and useful but it's become increasingly difficult to pick out the useful posts from the squabbling. I'm not sure what hidden agendas there are among posters, but it's all very sad that it comes out on a public forum.

Good luck with your beekeeping all, but as somebody relatively new to beekeeping I'll be seeking help with my local association from now on. They don't argue like kids.

[Chris]

FTM - The idea is to offer people advice. You were perfectly entitled to come on here and offer advice on this particular thread. It is seemingly easier for you to knock those individuals that do bother to come on and offer advice.

With 300+ posts on this forum and 1000+ on the last, yes, I might get the measure of things a bit wrong a few times.

This is a website for a beekeeping charity. I, for one, am not into providing advice on how to 'remove' or 'kill bees. People who want to remove bees should contact a pest control company.

[Chris]

And Wilko - May I respectfully remind you that you are not a moderator anymore. Unlike you, I leave moderating to the moderators.

And the moderators are well capable of thinking for themselves and without the PM's they most probably get from you everytime you see something that you disagree with.

[Bcrazy]

GENTLEMEN

YOU EITHER PACK THIS IN NOW OR I WILL SHUT THE THREAD DOWN.

Bcrazy

[Kevinles]

Hi,

I have a colony of bees (there seem to be hundreds of them) living in the stone work outside my bedroom for the last couple of years. They have been no problem at all. I need, however, to have some building work carried out right next to where the bees are. Is there anything I can do to encourage the bees to leave - there is no immediate rush.

[Richard Bache]

In response to kevinles:
Do you know what sort of bees they are? When you say they are coming out of the stonework- is there a reasonably cavity they could be living in? I am never quite sure what hundreds of them means- is there one or more per second on a sunny day? Are they all coming from the same hole?
If there are many seconds between bees, they are coming from different holes and there is no cavity that they could be living in, I would suggest they could be mason bees which, as with most solitary bees are quite harmless and I would leave them alone.
If there are several seconds between bees, they are all coming from the same hole (or at least two holes which join up) and there may be a small cavity (such as a gap between stones), then it is possible they are bumblebees (big, round, fluffy striped things). Most bumblebees are reasonably harmless and will probably tolerate some building work nearby (although I warn you they are clumsy and will fly into things, but not because they're viscious, simply because they're clumsy).
If there's a nearly continuous flow of bees on good days, they are coming from the same hole (or multiple holes that connect) and there is a good sized cavity, they are probably honeybees. They might give you some notice if you are working right next to them with builders and their tools! How easy would it be to access the cavity- if easy enough and without disturbing the bees too much, it might be ok to remove them with the assistance of a local beekeeper. If getting at the cavity would mean demolishing the house, the solution is not so easy. Would it be possible to screen off the area that you are working in (but not the entrance holes) with a fine mesh? (just a thought as I have never tried the last idea).
So, you firstly need to identify the bees (in a very broad sense) to see what sort of problem you are up against. try http://www.leahouseapiaries.co.uk/Bee%20and%20Wasp%20Identification1.pdf or wikipedia.

[Kevinles]

Richard,

they are honey bees - on a good day there are dozens arriving/leaving at any time. The stonework in question is some large pieces of stone masonry located aprox 30ft up in a balcony and impossible to move. I was hoping that there could be some plant or something which I could place near the entrance holes which the bees would rather not live next to and would decide to move house!

[Chris]

Mason bees look a lot like honeybees. Mason bees excavate tiny grains of mortar from old brickwork, and although they are solitary, a lot can choose the same place to live, thus giving the look of a colony.

Honeybees survive over winter, and you will see the odd one flying on warm winter days. Mason bees do not survive over the winter as adults.

If they are honeybees they might be in the wall for a good while, but not indefinitely. Honeybee colonies have a really tough time without the helping hand of a beekeeper and it is unusual to find ones surviving year after year. If you could give them time they will most probably die out of their own accord. Honeybees in the UK suffer from this thing called the varroa mite - the mites usually kill off a colony sooner or later.

[Kevinles]

Chris,

thanks for the info - they have been in this nest for a couple of years and I'm certain they are honey bees. I can hold off on the work for now but come next spring I'll have to try something if they haven't moved on.

[Chris]

If a honeybee colony dies off it is most usually spring, and late spring at that.

[Richard Bache]

hmmm.....tricky. I wonder if the chemicals that the American's use to clear supers are good enough to clear a whole colony out of its cavity? This would cause absolute mayhem though, and would be best done by a beekeeper!
Short of the suggestion about using mesh screens I am otherwise out of ideas. Does anyone else have any thoughts?

[Chris]

Precisely, the only real option is to have them killed.

[Kevinles]

I have no desire to kill the bees - hopefully they will move on of their own accord. I just hoped that a plant that they dislike and would move away from was an appropriate type of solution.

[ChrisBroad]

Kevinles,
can you post a photo or two? Positive identification is needed. I for one have had many calls from folks insisting they have honeybees, only to discover they have wasps, bumbles, or mason bees when I turn up. I've even known the Red Mason Bee to fool a beekeeper.
Also, do your bees ever fly on a sunny winters day? If they do then definitely honey bees. If they don't then it's doubtful they are honey bees.
If mason bees or bumbles you could carry out your building work nearby and they wouldn't be bothered.
Regards
Chris

[pepper]

Dear all,

Thank you for the advice. I think the bees are still happily living in the roots of this ex-conifer as I there are plenty iof them flying in and out. As they are temporary guests I'm happy to leave them until nature takes its course and they move on later in the year.

Just for the record, I would not kill bees. I'm a keen gardener and appreciate that without insects and bees my garden would be a barren place. But being a lay person where bees are concerned I'm afraid I didn't know how to tell honey from bumble.

By the way, are bees getting bigger these days? There are some whoppers flying around my garden (not coming out of the above nest).

[Michael Bush]

>Thank you for the advice. I think the bees are still happily living in the roots of this ex-conifer as I there are plenty iof them flying in and out. As they are temporary guests I'm happy to leave them until nature takes its course and they move on later in the year.

If they are bumble bees, the queen will find a place to spend the winter in the ground somewhere and there will probably be none of them during the winter as the rest die off. That would be a good time to finish your removal of the tree or whatever work you wanted to do.

>But being a lay person where bees are concerned I'm afraid I didn't know how to tell honey from bumble.

Bumble bees vary greatly in size and color as there are many different kinds of them. Honey bees vary somewhat in color (from brown to black) but are all roughly the same size (if you discount the drones). Honey bees are consistently smaller than bumble bees and longer and less rotund.

>By the way, are bees getting bigger these days? There are some whoppers flying around my garden (not coming out of the above nest)

As I said, there are many different kinds of bumble bees. Some are quite large. Some are barely longer than honey bees, but usually fatter.

[Kevinles]

Some of the bees popped out to sun themselves yesterday

[jadaro]

They look like honeybees, could you get a close up of one or two of them. I think there are too many to be anything else but it is unusual for honeybees to be underground, is this path raised above ground level ?.

[Chris]

Looks like they've swarmed.