# How do you remove bees from a wall?



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I just got a call to remove bees from a 100 year old farmhouse. They have no idea how large a swarm it is as they don't go outside in the back yard. But she said you can hear them from 10 foot away. The house is needing to be re-sided and has been cobbled up when they replaced the windows with smaller ones, so it's no big deal to tear into the siding.

I realize that these gals are going to be majorly ticked off as it's not a swarm but an existing hive and we'll be destroying their home. What is the best way to tear apart a house with the least disturbance to the bees? Hand saw? Chain saw? Crow bar? Will they be between two studs or spread out? A bee suit, gloves, boots, etc. is pretty obvious, but should I be more prepared than that? 

My first step is to look at the cite to make sure they're honey bees! But what do I tell her as to price for the removal? Or do you offer to do it just for the bees? I think getting a swarm for free is one thing, but doing major demo with a lot of mad bees aught to get a bit more reward for my time... and stings that I know I'll get.

Do I need a bee vac? Other tools other than smoker, hive tool, box to put them in, etc?

Thanks for all your help in advance!!
Catherine

Hey, Ernie!!! Wanna come help me?


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

We did a bee removal this summer out of a barn. We removed one board at a time using the bee vac as we went. Having a bee vac I would think is an absolute necessity. As the guys removed the boards and vac'd bees out. It was a 4 hour ordeal and this was a 3 year old hive. When they finally got a big majority of the bees vac'd up, they cut the comb out carefully placing it in boxes to be brought home. We did have to go back a few days later to vac out all the remaining bees that came back that we missed due to them hiding. Then any stragglers we missed he killed off with poison.

We charged $100 for that removal. Not sure how the guys base their charges. I do know that we do the demolition and remove the bees, but we do not fix. But we do try to do as little damage as possible. The bees were actually quite calm until we started removing brood comb. But the guys were wearing bees suits, so it wasn't a big deal, but the bees did get to ride in boxes strapped on top of the Suburban. 

We made our own bee vac out of deeps and a motor off a shop vac.  It works very well. No bees were killed. We brought them home, tied their comb up into top bars and dumped the bees into the top bar hive. We never did see the queen, so we don't know if we got her or not, but there was plenty of brood for them to supersede with. They are doing exceptionally well in the top bar hive. They were EXTREMELY cantankerous for the first few days after we dumped them in the hive, stinging anyone that got with 50 feet of them, but now they've calmed back down and you never know they're there.


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

We were wondering if a regular large shop vac will work and what difference it would be rather than using the deeps. We don`t have a bee vac so are trying to figure out how to make one is helpfull. Any more suggestions would also be helpfull.>Thanks Marc


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

One from another forum.

http://s606.photobucket.com/albums/tt144/***4hire/Bee Vac/
I would worry about over heating in the sun.


Here is another Idea, I like this one.

http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/bee-vac/


We used to do removals for a flat rate which depended on what we saw at the site, how we had to go about it, how much coverings needed to go down to keep tracking to a minium. the flat rate started at $250.00 and went up.
but many times we got into some thing way bigger like bees we were told were in the ground floor walls nothing said about bees in upstairs rooms. We now charge by the hour. It starts at $200.00 per hour. There are always two of us doing the work.

5 gallon pails are used to hold the honey comb which at this time of year there should be a lot of. I also seprate the real light colored comb from the dark stuff as the selling price of the lite yellow is higher than the brown.
I also take a small folding table to lay empty frames on, take a ruff measurement and cut brood come to fit(mostly in sections)useing giant rubber bands from a office supply place. Use to use rubber bands from old tractor tubes but ran out of old tubes.
Table.


















Once the brood comb is in the frame I install it in the hive bodies I brought with me.

I usally take the hive to the yard where we are going to place it then place the bees in the hive like a package install as my vac uses 3 pound packages to hold the bees I vac up.
Good luck.

By the way most exterminter companys charge in the $200.00 range and do not clean up th ewax or honey so it draws pest like ants and mice to clean up the mess of a dead hive.

 Al

A pail is also handy to sit on. Rubber gloves work best or bare handed to handle honey filled comb. Don't forget the pail of wash water either.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

That second site is almost exactly how we made ours, except, rather than run a hose from the shop vac to the box, we cut a hole in the top of the box and took the motor off the shop vac and set it right down in the hole with a screen between where the bees come in and the motor. It works well, almost doesn't have "enough" suction sometimes. The only problem we had was sucking up too many bees at once and it clogged the hose. Only happened once. I agree that it takes more than 1 person usually. It's rather labor intensive and hot work when working in a suit.


----------



## Judy in IN (Nov 28, 2003)

I did a cut-out last summer. It was in an old brick building about 10 feet up. 

If I had it to do over, I would trap it out first, and then go after the comb. 

I had most of the little town watching me. Noone got stung, which is surprising. Those were some of the meanest bees I've dealt with....


----------



## John Carter (Oct 6, 2004)

well, we built a bee vac with some slight modifications from the original plan.
Ours was straight forward..................it that the hive was in the space between the first and second floor.
Removed one board and got most of the hive.
Did have to remove some sheet rock also, but considering it was my house, well, gave me something to do this fall.


----------



## tnroadkill (Jul 29, 2009)

can do a screen funnel . ladder to set hive(small hive with queen) near hole, bees will leave wall(can not figure out how to get into wall in small end of funnel), they will start going into new hive then after about 3 or 4 weeks bees out of wall then remove screen funnel wipe a little honey around hole bees will go back in wall removing honey and putting in new hive every including stickness,all will be gone except comb

after posting this found instruction on this site to do this


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Well, I had asked these folks to wait until spring so that I could get better prepared and so the bees had a chance to set up their home and be prepared for winter. They opted to poison them.... sigh...
Catherine


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

*"They opted to poison them"*

To bad but they still get to deal with the honey and wax in there. If they don't they should expect other critter problems. Wax moths, ants and mice to name a few.

OH and when they find out that they didn't kill the queen and the colony rebuilds the price I charge has tripled. :grumble: I don't want to do all that work on a once poisoned hive then have the hive fail after I've done all that work to remove them.

 Al


----------



## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I sure wouldn't even want the honey or wax as it's now tainted!! Even if the queen survives, I don't think I'd want to try to save them as they're also sick or poisoned. I was so hoping that they'd just leave them until spring.... oh well! 
Catherine


----------

