Bees in neighbors roof

homer · June 23, 2008, 05:15:15 PM

Is there any way of "coaxing" bees out of a roof and into something, rather than having to tear into the roof? There is only a very narrow opening that can be exposed by removing soffit. I'd love to get them out rather than him killing them.

KONASDAD · June 23, 2008, 05:30:25 PM

whether the homeowner "traps" out the hive or does a cut out, he will have to open soffit to remove the hive contents. Trap outs will work on a tree, but the homeowner in this instance will have wax and honey in house and no bees to care for it. it will melt(fire hazard) flies will be attracted as will moths and any other unwanted critter that eat honey and brood. As a homeowner, i empathize w. neighbor, but sounds like a cutout is needed. the sooner you start, the samller the hive will be and less damage will result to home.

homer · June 23, 2008, 06:33:54 PM

Quote from: KONASDAD on June 23, 2008, 05:30:25 PM
whether the homeowner "traps" out the hive or does a cut out, he will have to open soffit to remove the hive contents. Trap outs will work on a tree, but the homeowner in this instance will have wax and honey in house and no bees to care for it. it will melt(fire hazard) flies will be attracted as will moths and any other unwanted critter that eat honey and brood. As a homeowner, i empathize w. neighbor, but sounds like a cutout is needed. the sooner you start, the samller the hive will be and less damage will result to home.

How do you do a "trap" out? It sounds like he is content to just kill them and live with what's left, but if I can get the bees for mysefl, I'd love to!

JP · June 23, 2008, 10:58:29 PM

Quote from: homer on June 23, 2008, 05:15:15 PM
Is there any way of "coaxing" bees out of a roof and into something, rather than having to tear into the roof? There is only a very narrow opening that can be exposed by removing soffit. I'd love to get them out rather than him killing them.

Do you have a really, really good idea as to how long they have been there? Remember, people unknowingly underestimate how long they've had bees all the time, and some downright lie.

If the colony has been there for a very short time, I would say under two weeks, you could try and force them out, but remember people usually don't know exactly how long they've had them unless they see the swarm or they're in a high traffic area, like near the front door.

Report back for feedback and ideas.

...JP

qa33010 · June 24, 2008, 04:17:43 PM

Is there enough room to get in there and do a cut out, or, is it like the typical home down here with a shallow roof angle and little room above the ceiling to get up in the attic?

For instance my house has no peak other than the center and angles down to all walls instead of two or three sides. No way to cut out a hive unless doing quite a bit of damage. Good reason to start remodeling though!!! :-\

homer · June 26, 2008, 09:09:46 PM

Well, he's cut the bees out of this same area a year ago. Whether he misses some of new ones just came back, no one know for sure. All I know is that he's not willing to cut a hole again, he's content to just fumigate them with some insecticide and have it done with. He's insistent not to worry about what's left behind inside his roof.

Moonshae · June 26, 2008, 09:18:25 PM

Quote from: homer on June 26, 2008, 09:09:46 PM
Well, he's cut the bees out of this same area a year ago. Whether he misses some of new ones just came back, no one know for sure. All I know is that he's not willing to cut a hole again, he's content to just fumigate them with some insecticide and have it done with. He's insistent not to worry about what's left behind inside his roof.

Sounds like he's made his decision. Try to convince him to seal up the opening, so your bees don't rob out the hive and bring the pesticide back with them.