Bees in cinder block walls?

[rayb]

Got a call from a local Big Lots store saying they had bees entering the building behind a security light on the side of the building. After someone blocked the entrance, the bees found a new route that brought them into the store. The exterior walls are cinder block and interior are wall board with only about 1 inch between block and interior wall. I probed all the interior walls and found nothing. I know they can go a long way from the entrance to the nest. My next step might be to open up the inside wall behind the light to see if I can see where they are entering the store. Here's my question:

Is it possible for them to build comb INSIDE the cinder block entering where the security light hole was drilled?     

[lenape13]

Most definitely.

[JP]

Most definitely.

Yep & that's where this colony is situated. Don't bother opening the sheetrock, not enough room there for them to build comb.


...JP

[rayb]

Thanks for your answers...and you were right. I removed the sheet rock directly behind where the outside light should have been wired. Sure enough there was a nice gap where the wiring conduit came in so bees could enter the store occasionally if they didn't feel like going outside. Not surprisingly, loads of bees came in when someone blocked off the entrance. We stuffed the hole and caulked heavily. I'm hoping there are no other entry points. Now the store management has to decide what to do next with them. At least they are no longer in side.

I've gotten easy swarms before never worked like this to seek out their nest. I made two trips (20 minutes each way) vacuumed bees inside the store yesterday and today opened the walls ,caulked the inside entrance and drilled several holes in the block to confirm there were combs inside. Total time spent, including scratching my head figuring where they were, was about 3 hours.

What would be an appropriate amount to bill the Big Lots property managers?

Thanks, Ray

[iddee]

I don't know about Ohio, but here I would charge 2 40.00 service calls and an hour's time, $120.00, if they didn't hire me to trap them out.

If I got the trap job, I wouldn't charge for the preliminaries. I would charge 300 to 600 for the trapout out, depending on the time and complexity.

The free preliminaries is good PR, and they don't realize it is included in the trapout price.