Bees in House Wall

[bmacior]

We were at a house watching another beek vaccuum bees out of a wall this aft when a lady stopped.  She also had bees move into the outside wall of her house a couple of weeks ago.  Her husband is willing to tear the wall apart and she wants to keep the bees.  How do we go about locating the colony before tearing into the wall?

Barb

[iddee]

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/ir/irgun.html

[Bill W.]

A stethoscope helps as well.

[G3farms]

I have heard some say they use a non contact infrared thermometer, link to one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/NON-CONTACT-INFRARED-THERMOMETER-TEMPERATURE-GUN-LASER_W0QQitemZ310141917469QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMeters_Testers_Probes?hash=item4835e6191d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1240%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Put your ear to the wall and give a little tap, you will hear the "humm" of the bees.

I just watch to see where they are coming in and out at and kind of size up how the house or wall is build. Look for nail heads, that will tell you where studs or joist are. After you pop a few boards loose most of the timeit's not hard to figure out what is going on.

Pics would help, let us know what you find.

G3

[bmacior]

Thanks.  My husband has a heat sensor, my daughter a stethascope. and me knuckles for knocking so it sounds like we're pretty well set. 

How long would we have to screen them in the hive with sugar water so they reorientate and don't go back to the house.  Don't want to move them away and then back again.

[Kathyp]

this would be one of the time when a queen excluder under the boxes for a few days might be helpful.  that, and making sure that after you are done, all holes in the house are closed.