where are the Bees

Haddon · August 17, 2011, 12:23:44 PM

Little old lady wants me to remove the bees from her house its only like 3 miles from my house so Its at a heavy discount on price, but I can't find the bees. I think they must be in her wall but I don't get any heat changes on the wall in her house and I don't hear them when I knock. I am at the point of making pilot holes just with the drill just hoping to hit wax and honey.

Although I might just try a trap out what do yall think here is a pic from out side and they are not in the eve I went in their last Monday threw the vent above the hive entrance there is no why they are getting in the eve.

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Kathyp · August 17, 2011, 12:35:36 PM

what's behind the board above the entrance and is there space behind/in the brick? how about that vent on the wall. is there space around it?

kingfisherfd2 · August 17, 2011, 01:01:10 PM

I would think above the Sill Plate, or behind the brick between the stud wall and exterior.

Haddon · August 17, 2011, 01:03:29 PM

Vent in the eve is where I started first nice huge empty pace but no hive.

I was actually worried they may be behind the brick but not in the wall. I don't know if there is enough space for them to get there but I am just guessing at this point.

The wall on the inside sounds hallow when I knock soild but hallow and I don't hear any buzzing from inside.
I also used a laser temp gun and couldn't get any change of more than 5 degrees and that might have been the gun, temps first day was around 80 all over the wall then Monday it was 55 to 60 degrees all over the walls it was a cooler day.

BeeMaster2 · August 17, 2011, 01:09:22 PM

The space between the brick and the wall should be about 3/4". How old is the house?
I doubt if they are in the attic, our attics run about 120-130 in the summer.
Jim

D Semple · August 17, 2011, 01:11:37 PM

I would double check the area around the stained brick to the left of the entrance in the picture. They may be attached to the roof above it, directly behind the brick in the wall, or between the ceiling joists behind it. I've got a nickel says they are attached to the roof above it. Whats on the brick right above the shutter?

Coincidences are rare regards

Don

rbinhood · August 17, 2011, 01:40:38 PM

They will be in the space behind the freeze board it will run the full length of the board and be about 5" wide and about 8" high. Pull down the board and you will find the largeest portion of the bees in about a six foot long section. If the house is old enough it could have 1 x 8 or some other similar boards running at a diagonal and the bees could be in the wall behind that, if so you will have to go in through the inside wall to get too them.

schawee · August 17, 2011, 02:54:45 PM

that is honey stain to the left of the bees.don is dead on.i would say they are behind the ban board between the ceiling joist to the roof.had one just like that i did 2 1/2 months age.they attached comb to the roof a good 1 1/2ft,up.

schawee · August 17, 2011, 03:04:54 PM

another thing i would do is go inside and take a reading on the ceiling. i bet you will get a reading there. ......schawee

Haddon · August 17, 2011, 04:04:18 PM

Okay the attic is a no go here is the video from where I shoved the phone in the eve/attic threw the vent in the eve.

http://youtu.be/X7jcAOLx4L0

no bees

I did hit the ceiling with the temp gauge inside the house no change really there either and I would think they would be getting in the house seeing there is a vent inside right next to that spot.

I think I will sell the trap out.
I will feel bad just stabbing wholes all in the ladies sheet rock in her house.
The honey staining puzzles me my first thought was the eve/ attic but I saw no signs of them.

schawee · August 17, 2011, 04:26:17 PM

ooookkkkk ,thats the reason i don't gamble :-D.well its a good chance they will be between the brick and the blackboard not in the wall itself.i would try and drill a hole in the morter between the bricks and use your scope to check it out. schawee

Haddon · August 17, 2011, 04:59:07 PM

If they are between the black board and brick how would you suggest getting them out. I am thinking trapout is my only option.

schawee · August 17, 2011, 05:08:43 PM

i agree a trapout will be the best way.i went with jp to look at a job and the bees were between the brick and black board .he has a carpenter friend and they did jobs like that.he would have to take the wall down brick by brick where the bees are.jp has a video of a job like that.im sure he will chime in on this soon. schawee

JP · August 18, 2011, 10:46:33 AM

My .02 here Mike. IMO this house would not be a candidate for a trap out. I will explain more later as I have to walk out the door but in a nut shell you are dealing with brick construction which has a double void space, one with no restrictions (space between the brick and soundboard) and of course between the soundboard and interior wall and probable weep holes.

The honey stains could be from a dead out so you may not have an active hive above the stains now.

Did you check the space above the window behind the frieze board? I have removed them from there before.

Have to run, later!

...JP

Haddon · August 18, 2011, 12:07:51 PM

weep holes do you mean in the brick or into the wall.

How much space is behind the frieze board I don't know the construction of a frieze board normally so I didnt know the space that might be behind it. I started pulling it off and realized it was going to split so I stopped.

The honey staining to the left I believe is from a dead out now she has had bees in that wall on and off sense 2002 when she bought the house and god only know how long the previous owner had bees in that wall. She wants them gone but there is no way I will be able to convince here to take down the brick and no way I would do it for the money I could get out of her.

Trap out

The exterior of the house seems very tight now my first thought was that trap out was not a option but the more I looked around that side of the house it just seemed tighter and tighter in its construction. I would need at least 3 tubes of caulk for just the frieze board but what other problems do you see?

Thanks For Yall's input,
Michael

JP · August 18, 2011, 01:33:24 PM

You have wood framing between the soundboard and the interior wall. Usually this boxes the bees in, of course you could have a hole in a vertical stud or the top plate which would allow them entrance into another section.

You have no framing between the brick and the soundboard and this is where it gets tricky. If they have adequate space (at least enough for the thickness of one comb) you could theoretically have comb left and right as far as the wall is wide, and top to bottom.

Weep holes are between the bricks every so often above the foundation. There could be a few weep holes or several.

The space above the window is not very big and can only house a small colony. I'll try and find some pics for you.

Another thing I meant to ask you, and don't take offense but are you certain you currently have an active colony? Is there heavy activity with bees coming in with pollen?

If not could be robbers is what I was thinking trying to get at that spilled honey from the dead out.

...JP

Haddon · August 18, 2011, 02:10:21 PM

Its not a offensive question and yeah Monday I watched at least one walk in with pollen. Its seem to be a active little colony I don't get the impression that its large one but I could easily be wrong on that one. Just feels like standing next to a nuc or small hive trying to build up. Or the could be just really really gentle.

JP · August 18, 2011, 02:18:25 PM

The problem with trying to trap them out of any building is sealing every hole but one. That's why I think it would be tough on a building like this but if you can seal every hole they could access by all means go for it.

BTW, you likely will need to get you a borescope at some point if you continue doing cut outs. They really come in handy, especially on a job such as this.

...JP

montauk170 · August 18, 2011, 03:58:51 PM

I'd let you borrow my thermal imager if you were close by. But if you read nothing with your thermal gun, even on that cooler day, it might be tough to find.
Gotta search that entire wall, probably do it from inside if possible, with your thermal gun. But if there's sheetrock and black board, might not even show up.

BeeMaster2 · August 19, 2011, 12:23:37 PM

Quote from: montauk170 on August 18, 2011, 03:58:51 PM
I'd let you borrow my thermal imager if you were close by. But if you read nothing with your thermal gun, even on that cooler day, it might be tough to find.
Gotta search that entire wall, probably do it from inside if possible, with your thermal gun. But if there's sheetrock and black board, might not even show up.

Especially if it is a small colony as you have suspected.
Jim