Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,
not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the
way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and
this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue
near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?
--
Chris French, Leeds

"chris French" wrote in message
...
Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,
not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the
way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and
this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue
near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?

Chris French, Leeds


Contact the local environment people, who should be able to contact a local
bee keeper to remove this hive for you. These people are the experts at
this sort of thing, and angry bees around a hive aren't a nice thing to come
into contact with. They defend their property to the death, and I mean to
the death. Who's death is another matter.

Contact the experts, sir, Please!!! Don't live with it. They only come
back time after time if you leave them. Maybe not to exactly to the same
spot, but they know when their left alone in an area, so they make it their
home season after season because they think it's safe.

chris French wrote:
Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,

not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks
like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side
of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the

way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to
have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove
it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access
is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and

this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a
good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue

near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load
of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right
in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?
--
Chris French, Leeds

Been there, done it, got the T shirt and I'm a beekeeper. It's your
call on this one but my experience of a local authority is that they
aren't interested, and the local beekeeper won't be able to get them
out either - getting a swarm to go up the way once established is not
easy.

The way I did it for a friend was to get a whole lot of those fuming
things used for cleaning a greenhouse and burn them in the grate with
it sealed to prevent the fumes coming back into the house but allowing
some draft from the bottom. I think in general the swarm left as there
were only a few dead bees came down the flue, but there were a number
on the ground outside.

Rob

chris French wrote:
Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,

not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks
like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side
of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the

way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to
have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove
it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access
is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and

this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a
good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue

near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load
of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right
in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?
--
Chris French, Leeds

Been there, done it, got the T shirt and I'm a beekeeper. It's your
call on this one but my experience of a local authority is that they
aren't interested, and the local beekeeper won't be able to get them
out either - getting a swarm to go up the way once established is not
easy.

The way I did it for a friend was to get a whole lot of those fuming
things used for cleaning a greenhouse and burn them in the grate with
it sealed to prevent the fumes coming back into the house but allowing
some draft from the bottom. I think in general the swarm left as there
were only a few dead bees came down the flue, but there were a number
on the ground outside.

Rob

"chris French" wrote in message
...
Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house, not
bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

Hello Chris, I was wondering when we'd hear from you again!

I'm off to pick up a monitor, mine died, but I'll reply when we get back.

To date the best advice has been Rob's - but don't panic, don't do anything
in a hurry, there's no urgency.

Mary

On Wed, 11 May 2005 02:21:02 +0100, chris French wrote:

Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,
not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the
way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and
this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue
near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?

We have bees in one of our attics, they live in holes in the stone walls.
We have never tried to find anyone to try to get them out, I think access
is just too difficult. They are no trouble AT ALL. They come and go, they
swarm once a year, I understand to set up a new colony, sometimes they go
away or they find a different hole. Last year they set up in a woodburner
flue but the first fires of the season and sweeping the chimney cleared
them out. The numbers seem to die down every winter, might be caused by the
disease varroa?? Anyway, we have four children and lots of visitors, the
bees come and go through two small windows, one directly above the kitchen
door and one above a sitting area. The only time anyone has ever been stung
is if there is a tired/dying bee crawling in the grass and someone stands
on it. I have heard that moving them when there is honey in the hive can
cause the honey to seep into the structure of the building but that if left
alone they eat up the honey as they go along, which would seem to be the
case here. So..... based on our experience, four years now, I think you
could just leave them bee :-)

--
Holly, in France
Holiday home in Dordogne
http://la-plaine.chez.tiscali.fr

chris French wrote:

Have successfully move into a new house (as in 'Nice Victorian house,
not bad nick but plenty of DIY') in the flatlands of Cambridgeshire.

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.

A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.

However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks like
they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and disappearing
into an old flue.

The flue in question is a little odd, it's sort of stuck on the side of
the chimney stack - it appears it was a flue for some sort of
heating/stove in the conservatory. You can see a piccie here of the
swarm on the outside of the flue:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/83014812@N00/13089790/

Not sure if this should bother me or not, they are well up out of the
way of people, but assuming I do decide it isn't a good idea to have a
bee nest set up here.

Suggestions seem to be to contact a local beekeeper who may remove it.

However I'm not sure that they will be that interested anyway, access is
not that easy for starters. 2 story house, with 11 foot ceilings, and
this nest is right near the top of the chimney stack, so I guess a good
30 foot plus up? and how would they get them out anyway.

I did think about smoking them out - there is an open end of the flue
near ground level. But if it worked would we just end up with a load of
angry bees in the garden or on the village high street (we live right in
the middle of the village)?

Any experience of this?

Leave em Bee?

Seriosuly, whan I pulled my old house down, had a huge and very old
honeycomb in one disused stack.

Wondered where the odd lost bee came from, but they bothered me not at all.

Some still come back every year looking for it.

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
chris French wrote:

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.
A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.
However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks
like they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and
disappearing into an old flue.

Leave em Bee?


Yep, at the moment we are just going to leave them to it. Removing would
be a non-trivial exercise.

They are well out of the way and I can't see any great problem they will
cause for us. Handy source of pollinators for the garden as well :-)


--
Chris French

chris French wrote:

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes

chris French wrote:

Anyway, Monday it looks like some local honey bees moved in as well.
A swarm of Honey bees appeared around our chimney stack yesterday
afternoon (quite impressive buzzing sound). A quick Google indicated
best course of action was to leave them and they'd probably move on.
However, a few hours later most of the bees had gone, but it looks
like they have moved it, as I can see a few flying about and
disappearing into an old flue.


Leave em Bee?


Yep, at the moment we are just going to leave them to it. Removing would
be a non-trivial exercise.

They are well out of the way and I can't see any great problem they will
cause for us. Handy source of pollinators for the garden as well :-)


That's what I reasoned. Never knew WHERE they nested, just that they
did, till we pulled it all down.

I don't mind sharing my house with any wildlife that doesn't personally
threaten me or its structural integrity, or is just plain unsightly,
like spiders...