| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Caron |
Posted - Apr 14 2011 : 10:13:02 AM
Ladies, I have bees building a nest in the guttering above my front door. I called a local beekeeper but he never showed up. My husband and I do not want to kill them, but we do want to move them from our front door area. Any thoughts on what we can do?
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| CMac |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 8:13:19 PM
I'm so glad it worked out well for you Caron. And you know who to call if you ever have another swarm!
connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| Caron |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 8:08:25 PM
I was thankful our beekeeper was able to remove the bees through our living room wall which is sheetrock instead of through the outside which is shingle siding that has been there since the 1950's and is not sold anymore. We will have to put up new sheetrock on that wall which is not costly,and some paint (I thought we would get to repaint the whole room but that looks like now it won't happen so we'll repaint that wall). Most of our bees comb inside the wall was brood so we got some honey but not a lot. I hope our bees are doing well in their new home. A few forgotten ones were in the house but I got them out, and a few scout bees came by to check things out and look over the tarp laying outside that had some honey on it. But thankfully nobody is trying to move in!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| CMac |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 06:21:19 AM
I hear stories like this all the time. They can really cause some trouble. We do everything we can to keep them from swarming but sometimes they don't give any signs in advance. Bee keepers don't want to lose their bees. And we sure don't want to cause problems for other people. We had a bee tree on our property that swarmed and we never knew where they went. Sure would have loved to catch that swarm.
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| Annab |
Posted - Jun 03 2011 : 03:56:23 AM
We had an incident similar to this that is costing quite a bit to repair. Not mch from the ees, but b/c siding needed to be removed to remove the bees, and it just kind of escalated from there.
Come to find out, the wall h=behund the chimney was totally rotted out. So we are into a very costly repair and will get new siding in the process.
The bees were "removed" by our bee keeper friend, but they never settled down in their new location, so the queeen was never successfully. About a week later, I gues from all the banging and carrying on, they swarmed and then headed for the woods.
I felt so bad, but they made sawdust out of our insulation. It was too soon for honey, but there were 3 walls of comb with baby bees in them. The chickens got a treat and the bees found a new home.
A few stragglers did find their way into the kitchen (our newly remodeled kitchen -not eve a year old) so I was kind of freaked out when the damage was going to be so close to the new drywall and such
I hope your story unds up not costing much.
Good news was, when my uncle passed, brother and I each received 1,000 so nothihng gained, nothing lost. His is going to help pay for a crusie next summer, and we get new siding and a beefier home structure |
| CMac |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 08:36:41 AM
Thanks for keeping us posted despite the craziness going on. Good luck with the repairs!
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 06:16:54 AM
I bet that honey is good, Caron. I'm so glad he came and got them for you. Now comes the fun part! I hope you have help.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Caron |
Posted - Jun 01 2011 : 05:46:37 AM
I did taste the honey, it is mild and delicious! This cone is new as you say, probably about a month and a half old. Part of the comb had snapped off and fallen to the floor inside the wall. It had begun to rot and was full of maggots. Ewwww. The beekeeper said that's why we were seeing some bees coming into the house, from that fallen part they were finding the crack and coming out.The honey I saw on the ground outside and on my floor for a couple of days was from the fallen piece.
Most of the comb was full of brood, so the queen had been busy laying eggs this past month and a half. But still there was enough of honeyfilled comb to provide some good jars of honey for us!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| CMac |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 5:30:52 PM
You have brand new comb less than a year old. It yellows as it ages. Bees fill the holes and cap it off to use for winter food. They will keep filling and emptying as long as the comb holds up. It can get quite dark. What you have will be almost white and will have a very mild bee's wax smell.
Have you tasted the honey yet?
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| Caron |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 5:14:38 PM
The beekeeper is still at work but the bees had filled up a third of the wall and were working on a second section!It is just amazing how fast they can work. Sadly the honeycomb fell out of the wall onto the floor but I have salvaged a pretty good chunk ( plus all of the second comb they were building) to get some honey from.
I didn't realize the comb is such a light color I guess I've only seen it inside a jar of honey before. Kinda pretty!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| CMac |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 1:20:43 PM
Really clean will do for honey. You can use stockings too. It might be a little hard to get the comb in them. You could double filter by putting the stocking over the rim of the jar and securing with a rubber band. If you had a wide mouth container you could stretch the stocking over the top and secure it and put the comb right on top of that. Just watch out for dust or pet hairs they will find their way into honey like crazy. I usually don't double filter. But it is a personal preference thing.
Have fun with it.
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| Caron |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 1:02:03 PM
I will do that Connie! Do the jars need to be sterilized first? I have a muslin drawstring bag, also I heard nylon stockings can be used and I have clean new pairs of those.
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| CMac |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 09:12:13 AM
Caron- Please let us know how it goes today. Be sure to take some pics too! I really hate that this turned into such a mess for you. It never occurred to me they would migrate to inside the house. I figured they were just hanging out till a scout found them a new home. I didn't follow this thread to know they stayed so long or I would have warned you they had found a new home in your wall or attic if they were still there.
Have some clean jars ready. You can take the comb and crush it in a muslin bag (or an old pillow case) hang it up to drip into a bowl or bucket and get some honey from it. The wax left in the bag can be melted and cleaned for candles. I hope he will help you get some good comb.
I'm hoping the process will not be to destructive. Pick a pretty color!
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
| Caron |
Posted - May 31 2011 : 08:46:36 AM
Zan, you're right it is odd that they charge since they are getting a nice new hive for their work, which if they sell honey is a money-maker for them. However I also contacted another guy who works more as a bee exterminator and he said he gets the same price or the lowest he goes is 275.00
Anyway, today is Tuesday and they will be here at 6:00p.m. (central time) and this will end. Then the fun part (for me anyway) will start which is I get to have the room re-painted! It's needed painting for years but we just put it off. I'm happy about this!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| Farmtopia |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 1:10:11 PM
Oops, I didn't read all the way through to notice that you had already caulked up the crack :( I am so sorry about your situation, hopefully it's a quick 24 hours til the keeper comes!
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
View My Work:
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N |
| Farmtopia |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 1:07:33 PM
Wow, this is crazy, I didn't even see some of these earlier posts!
Hmm, we had an incident where we had to take out a friend's wall to remove a hive that took over a house! I'm surprised your keeper is not coming faster AND that he is charging. Usually professional beekeepers don't charge for swarm removals, as the exchange of money illicits a contract and that means should anything go wrong, you CAN sue this person.
But I digress. I am so sorry this is happening to you. IF there is a way to find the entrance of where the bees are coming in, I suggest blocking off with caulk or strong tape. However, I guess if the bees are coming through it, you may not want to get close to them 
I hope this resolves for you soon, and easily!
~*~Dream all you dreamers~*~
View My Work:
art/dolls: www.vagabondcreations.blogspot.com
The Horse Drawn Project and Farming!
www.beyondvagabond.blogspot.com
View the blog and radio show!
Renegade Farming!: www.therenegadefarmer.com
N |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 07:29:50 AM
One more day!!! You can do it!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Caron |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 06:53:44 AM
Thank you Kris, I appreciate your words!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 29 2011 : 06:43:32 AM
Caron, I will be sending up a prayer for you. I can't even imagine what you are going through. It reminds me of the book about the little girl that had the bees in her wall. I can't remember the name but I loved that book. I so hope that Tuesday he comes bright and early in the morning and gets them out of there. In the meantime, stay calm. Maybe go away for the day. The less stress you have the better for the bees and for you. You don't want them to get agitated in the house! So go have a good day away.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Caron |
Posted - May 29 2011 : 05:03:42 AM
Ladies, bear with me I need your ear to cry just a bit. I had a good panic attack last night. The bees have found a crack in the corner of the living room wall and are getting into the living room.They get on the lamp, the curtains the walls, the floor. The living room is all in a mess, and I still have to move a lot of stuff out or around the room.We caulked the crack,they ate through it. Last night my husband put wall mud in the crack and so far it's holding them back. Please send a prayer up or a good thought up for me to "hold on" till this is over.I feel like I am at my breaking point and it's only Sunday. Beekeeper won't be here till Tuesday night.
Caron
I'm editing to add I just noticed some of the bees have moved over to a new spot and must be building a second hive there now. I called the beekeeper to tell him he will have more work than he originally thought.Oh boy.
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 06:05:44 AM
Oh my, Caron. What a mess. But what else do you have to do? I am kidding, of course. I would be very upset too. I am so sorry. You should at least get some honey out of this.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Caron |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 05:31:40 AM
Another update on my bees: they found a way into the wall of my house and multiplied greatly. I finally got a beekeeper to come over (by actually calling an exterminator who then recommended him) and he will return to remove them on Tuesday. By now though they are in the thousands in my wall so the wall will have to be cut to get them and the hive/comb out. What a mess! If only someone equipted to help had come at the first when they were only in the gutter area, it wouldn't be such a problem and cost ($300.00 to remove them plus the repairs to the wall we will have to do AND a bunch of work for me because the wall is home to a big bookcase and lots of books which have to be moved).They also found a wall crack so some are getting into the living room but that will be solved on Tuesday.
I admit I am a bit angry now at this whole thing. In the future when I hear of a bee problem I'll save the people some time and call them with this guys name. At least he will show up!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| Caron |
Posted - May 02 2011 : 3:15:06 PM
Here's an update on my bees: I never got anyone to come get the bees. I took the beekeeping class where I learned a lot about regular bee boxes as well as a little on Top Bar hives.I'm going to take a follow-up class on the Top bar hives.
In the meantime,most of my bees have died off,I don't know why. There are only about 10 or so bees left, so I'm just leaving them where they are for now and we'll see what comes up next.
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions,it helped a lot! No matter what happens it was a learning experience and that's always good!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| Caron |
Posted - Apr 21 2011 : 09:11:49 AM
Kris, I thought about it and just called to reserve my spot at the beekeeping class. Hey, it never hurts to learn something and the class is free so it'll be(Bee, LOL) good.
Thankfully I am not near the fires though we have not had rain in a while and are under a burn ban. I live down on the coastline so the humidity is higher than other areas of Texas and that helps us. I am certainly praying for those dealing with the fires.
I'm gonna leave my little bee friends where they are till I take the class and then we'll see what's next!
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Apr 21 2011 : 09:00:01 AM
Caron, that's so sad about that couple. Are you anywhere near the fires? I read that you don't have rain forcast for some time. I saw that on the weather channel. It sure doesn't look good. I wish we could send you some of the rain we are getting here. But you will get some soon. I hope you can get the bees into a hive soon.
At the end of my road there was an old oak tree that fell over in a storm last year. I noticed some cutting on it then nothing. Then one day I saw a few bee hives by the tree. I figured it out then. It took a few weeks for all the bees to get in the hives then they were gone again. And the beautiful old oak tree became someone's firewood for the winter. Life goes on.
Yes, you should take the class and get a hive. I saw plans for a top bee hive on coldantler blog a few weeks back. It looked really easy to build. There are lots of good bee hive plans available. It can get expensive to buy all the equipment. Good luck and stay calm!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| Caron |
Posted - Apr 21 2011 : 08:46:22 AM
Well, the latest bee guy I called came(not a professional), looked and saw they are in the gutter only not into the wall (a good thing) but beyond that he was not equipped to do anything (he couldn't get a bee box) so I have one other option, calling a beekeeper that works at our local city garden. He in fact is holding a free beginners beekeeper class next Thursday, maybe I should go to that class, maybe these bees are a sign! 
Anyway,a call to him is next...
I am thankful they are not the africanized bees. There was an elderly couple killed here in Texas yesterday when they disturbed a hive of them while cleaning out a hunting cabin. So it could be worse than just having a few in a gutter.
Caron
Happy Farmgirl Sister #254
"An Apron:Its strings gently tug at us, tenderly, softly calling us to turn back to the old ways".-Above Rubies Magazine |
