We have 2 lots of bees entering the roof. At the moment they are getting out into the upstairs bathroom and downstairs kitchen. Had no option but to kill a lot in the bathroom but managed to let many out of a velux. We can hear them in the walls. Don’t want to have them exterminated but run out of options. Does anyone know of someone who can do this? Had a lead from a neighbour but he’s too busy and it’s Bank Holiday.
We are in 17120 area.
Hi Chris, lookmin your local Pages Jeaunes for aApiculture?.they might come and take them for you free of charge…otherwise ask in village if anyone keeps bees…apiculteur…normally they will come and take them. Good luck
There is one near us but not keen to get up on the roof to try and find them. I think they prefer an easy to deal with swarm. Can’t say I blame them!
Our local beekeeper placed a “lure” nearby to persuade a swarm to leave the totally unsuitable spot they had chosen in a friend’s house…
A bit like leaving a bar of delicious chocolate within reach of a child (or me for that matter)…
Fascinating to watch the beekeepers at work… hope you find someone soon…
2 Likes
Unfortunately if you can’t live with them the only practicle solution is to have them destroyed. You can try and remove the wall or plasterboard, but if the queen is killed in the procedure then the colony is lost. 99% of French beekeepers won’t touch it.
So regrettable it’s a DIY job or get an exterminator in.
Rob
I’ll always come out for a bar of chocolate!..
Sadly I’ve killed around 100+ today and see no alternative other than to get an exterminator in. Honey bees are having a tough time…it’s a shame.
Chris… before you go the extermination route… why not contact your Mayor…
He will know everyone around you and should be able to summon up someone to take the Queen away.
It’s “8 mai” VE celebrations everywhere today… 11am is when it will all be happening…so you should be able to talk to him face to face… but best to make contact before they get round to the aperitifs 
Today is all quiet. No bees in the house and can’t hear them in walls. Doesn’t even seem to be any entering or exiting the roof. Is it possible they could have moved on? or am I kidding myself…
I had a horrific experience with wasps last year, I could hear buzzing from behind the plasterboard in my sloping ceiling upstairs. When I touched the plasterboard it was hot and vibrating. I called the pompiers and explained the situation, the captain and one of his men arrived. They ‘kitted’ up and one went on the roof with gas:poison while the other went upstairs to call out instructions. 5 minutes later a large portion of the ceiling collapsed bringing down with it a large nest full of wasps that were mostly dead or dying. The captain told me I was extremly fortunate because if that had happened when I was up there I would have had a swarm of 2000 angry wasps in my bedroom and would not have survived the attack ! The wasps had eaten all the insulation and the inside of the plasterboard, it was only the thin layer of paper that ‘held’ them in. I couldn’t sleep up there for 3 days because of the smell of the gas/poison and also didn’t want to be watching a large hole to see if anything came out ! Ceiling has now finally been repaired. Take this as a warning that any buzzing sounds are worth investigating as one never know what’s making them !
Fortunately we also have a bedroom and bathroom downstairs, and we have taken up residence there until they’ve either gone or been destroyed. We were chased by a swarm some years ago…not a pleasant experience! Your tale sounds worthy of a horror film:honeybee:
It could be they have moved on if they didn’t like it. We have a problem every year and our local beekeeper puts a small hive on the roof to entice the bees in.
Last year we had four swarms. Three used the thoughtfully supplied hive and the forth and final swarm didn’t like the hive and after a couple of hours moved down the road a few yards and by the next morning were gone completely.
I feel a bit disappointed that our house wasn’t good enough but relieved as well. Great idea to put a small hive on the roof though😀
1 Like
Ha ha… Chris… they’ll definitely come if you leave “the chocolate” out for them…
Think of your house as an impromptu comfort-stop on their journey… and be thankful they didn’t decide to stay permanently…
1 Like
A number of years ago I had a problem with bees creating a hive between the shutters and the window, while the place was empty. I contacted a local beekeeper who managed to find the queen twenty feet down on the ground, which he picked up very delicately with his beekeeper gloves on, and enticed a lot of the bees into a temporary hive to take away. The following year a whole load more bees appeared in the same location. It was explained to me that they will continue to return unless we get rid of all trace of the hive. After much scrubbing to rid of the wax and scent, they havn’t returned since. You may not find it so easy as they were in your roof. We also had loads of bees in our roof and they were getting into an upper bedroom around the timbers. I used filler around the beams to keep them out. Fortunately (?) since then, we’ve had the roof replaced so aren’t expecting any return of the bees.
Sadly, with the decline in bee populations you’ll find that many bee keepers are willing to come out and entice swarms to a mobile hive so they can move them on to a new home. I know someone who has done this several times.
Without looking I don’t know what area you’re in, Chris, but beekeepers may know other keepers who have lost hives and will travel if there’s a chance of a new colony.
We need all the bees we can save at the moment.
Just realised your code is not far from my in laws, the lady I know is not that far from you, in the Poitous Charentes!
All gone now thanks Dorinda. I’ve been reading about mobile hives to lure swarms into. Certainly something to think about should it happen again.
Just goes to show… what can happen… when dealing with bees, you need the professionals…
Yes, that kind of accident should be a salutary lesson for the rest of us.
A temporary swarm venue is in chimneys, best option if possible is to keep a very smoky fire burning for at least 24 hours, it starves the oxygen and more often than not they’ll get the hint and move on. If they are established, the 2 options are live with them or unfortunately have them destroyed. It is vary rare that a bee keeper or client will go to the expense (and risk) of demolishing chimneys or walls to extract bees. If the queen dies during the extraction, the colony will die anyway and you still have the hefty bill.
With regard to the death of a beekeeper; very sad, but if you’re allergic to bee or wasp venom, anaphylactic shock can be brought on very quickly. If you’ve never been stung before, you’ll never know. I always carry hay fever tablets (antihistamine) just in case. Every year I can guarantee being stung by bees, wasps, and both types of hornets. No matter how well I protect myself, the cunning critters always manage to find a way into my bee suit.
Basic training required but you learn very quickly in this job!
I’ve not heard of bees returning to swarm in the same place the following year, but using smoke should remove traces of queen pheromone.
2 Likes