UKC

Bees in the attic

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 bluebealach 25 May 2014
Looking for advice before I go to the council

Yesterday morning I noticed three or four bees buzzing aimlessly round a corner of my bungalow. They were still there several hours later but this time I noticed that they were getting under the eaves. Last night I went into the attic and in a small gap in the loft insulation, I saw maybe a dozen or more just resting on what would be the ceiling of a corner of the bedroom.

This morning there is now about a eight or nine but they are a tad more noticeable and seems like the problem is not going to go away if I turn a blind eye.

I don't want to kill them and am rather fond of bees and the part they play in the eco system but these are just too close for comfort.

Any ideas of how to get rid, (old wives tales accepted if they work), or will it be the council on Tuesday morning??
 mypyrex 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

Find an established bee-keeper. I'm sure he/she will happily remove a swarm. They may even give you some honey.
 gd303uk 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:
Before they start making a hive block their entrance, and if possible catch or chase the ones in the attic out. A local bee keeper as mentioned above might do this for free. At the moment you only have a few, it's a nice day for a bit of DIY.
Post edited at 13:06
SethChili 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

Definitely go to a local bee keeper before bringing in 'pest' control . Bees are interesting and very much in decline . This decline should worry us a lot as bees are pretty much essential for the pollination of our food supply . As others have said , beekeepers are always on the lookout for a new swarm .

Check that they are not Tree Bumblebees . This species is pretty much harmless and often takes up residence in human buildings .
OP bluebealach 25 May 2014
In reply to all:

Guys, thanks for the replies and link and I have now contacted a local bee keeper and awaiting a reply - he's conducting a bee keeping course.

According to his good lady, it seems that as they appear to be 'honey bees' they may have been in the attic quite a while as they don't just 'appear' unlike the bumble bee.

Mrs BB wants a hive in the garden which may be an option but I'll need some convincing.

This could be interesting !!!



 gd303uk 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

Honey in exchange for providing a safe home for the bees and you get to help the bee population and pollinate some flowers, win win.
bees arent arsholes like wasps,
keep us informed.
 Skol 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

A wife asks her husband what he would like for his birthday.
He replies have a bee tattooed on each arse cheek , then I will shag you doggy when I get back from the pub .
The mrs obliges and goes to the tattooist, and asks for a bee on each arse cheek.
The tattooist says he can't do bees but can do butterflies.
The wife explains the situation and asks him to do his best at the bees.
Birthday boy arrives home, pulls his wife's knickers down and bends her over to receive his present.
The mrs asks if he likes it.
Who the feck is BoB he exclaims
 Firestarter 25 May 2014
In reply to Skol:

Excuse me if I've got this arse about face, but haven't you? 'Can't do bees but can do butterflies'? Would make more sense the other way around ?
 Skol 25 May 2014
In reply to Firestarter:

What about the punchline?
OP bluebealach 25 May 2014
In reply to Skol:

1 like!!
OP bluebealach 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

Update!!

It would seem that there will be no honey....

What I seem to have is a nest of 'Bumble Bees' They don't sting (apparently) and will be gone by the end of the summer.

They may provide a bit of nuisance value but my garden should flourish this year.

What I took as honey bees, are young males which grow into the yellow/black bees that we associate with the Bumble. So still to speak to a bee keeper locally about moving the nest but me thinks that I will be doing my bit for nature conservation this year and letting them live with me rent free!!
 Skol 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

I have three jokes. Two involve bees and one a wasp! I love it at the end of spring when these creatures come out to play
Hope you get them sorted.
In my last house I blocked up the holes that the wasps were using to get under the floorboards. They got into the kitchen via the ceiling lights! Scary!
 craig h 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

Live and let live, I have 3 bumble bee nests in the garden which I'm happy with, the wasps nest in the shed however is no more even though the do pollinate flowers and dispose of other garden pests, I draw the line somewhere.
OP bluebealach 25 May 2014
In reply to craig h:

In the garden I'd be happy, but its with them being in the house which is giving me an uneasy feeling.......

Just off the phone to the bee keeper who isn't interested. Long story but they wont do any harm to me or the house - hope Mrs BB sees it that way!! Seems that we've officially got lodgers till the Autumn.

Hey ho......
 Skol 25 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

> In the garden I'd be happy, but its with them being in the house which is giving me an uneasy feeling.......

> Just off the phone to the bee keeper who isn't interested. Long story but they wont do any harm to me or the house - hope Mrs BB sees it that way!! Seems that we've officially got lodgers till the Autumn.

> Hey ho......

You are now running a bee and bee? 4th joke
 Clarence 26 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

I have a bees nest in the loft, I just taped an old net curtain around it so the bees can only get outside, not into the house. We get on fine, the bees and me.
 daWalt 26 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

> Long story but they wont do any harm to me or the house -

yea, that pretty much sums it up.
your bee-keeper's right, I'm not surprised they tried to talk you out of removing them.
there's an ongoing problem with the overall decline of the bee population so you really would be doing you bit for the ecosystem.
unfortunately most pest control companies will kill off anything you pay them to.

bumble bees are totally not aggressive any will tent to just ignore you and go about their business.
they do have a stinger, but they're very reluctant to use it (I think they know it'll kill em), you really have to try pretty hard to get stung.

I'd give them all names and treat them as temporary pets
OP bluebealach 26 May 2014
In reply to daWalt:

I'm coming to terms with them now I think, but they seem to be changing all the time!! The 'honey bee' brown appearance seems to be less prominent after day 3 and there are more of the archetypal bumble bee shaped/coloured bees knocking about.

I've been very close to them with gardening waste this morning and I ignored them and they ignored me......seemingly a result!!

As for going into the attic......well what I don't know wont harm me and if I need to go into it, it will be at night with the back light from my bike - apparently they don't see red light!!

Pets?? Hmmmmmmm
ceri 26 May 2014
In reply to bluebealach:

I'd love bumblebees in the loft! I tried to rescue a nest of bumblebees last year: a neighbour found an old bag of soil had a nest in and was going to kill it, so i put the bag in the corner of my garden where it was safe. Sadly the move must have upset them or damaged the nest and within a week there were no bees left

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...