Hi Gilliane,
Are they trying to make the loft a storage space or a habitable room up
there? Most lofts have some ventilation around the eves to allow
moisture to escape. I wonder if the home owners can inject expanding
foam around the area of the eves that bees might be getting in? This
type of foam comes in a pressurised spray can with a long tube attached
to reach into crevices. It expands hugely once it's out of the tube and
sets fairly quickly. I can't imagine the foam will do the bees too much
good but if it only fills the gaps and holes rather than filling the
wall cavity it might work. Just a thought.
Ann
On 02/09/2019 17:22, Gilliane Sills (Redacted sender gillianesills for
DMARC) wrote:
I also believe that it's much better to leave a colony alone than to try to move it - so my question related only to the situation where the bees would otherwise be killed. The new owners of the house are hoping to board the loft and install electric light, and, not surprisingly, potential contractors were not enthusiastic!
In fact, having gone yesterday to see the loft in question, I've discovered that the nest isn't in the loft at all! The bees must be in the cavity wall, and from there, some are getting in to the house and some in to the loft. It may be possible to find the access holes in to the house, but not, I think, those they're using to get in to the loft, which is unboarded. Since the bees are in the wall, there's no question of getting at them to remove them. However, it may be possible to board the loft during the winter months, when the bees will be less active and not straying in to the loft. I hope that the owners may try this - they'd like to keep the bees safe if possible...
Gilliane
On 01/09/2019 09:05, Gareth John (Redacted sender grjohn for DMARC) wrote:
I’d just add my voice to David and Eric’s. From experience, trying to remove a well established colony from a roof space rarely goes well. And that’s even with the use of things like a bee vacuum. These days I advise leaving the colony alone; just closing any gaps where the bees are getting into the rooms below with painters caulk (easier to work with than mastic).
Gareth
On 31 Aug 2019, at 23:00, Eric Asher <eric.asher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:eric.asher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
David is right I think.
Eric
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:*oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of David Gosling <dgosling49@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:dgosling49@xxxxxxxxx>>
*Sent:*31 August 2019 17:45
*To:*oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:oxnatbees@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
*Subject:*[oxnatbees] Re: Colony in a loft
It might be a good idea to suggest that they leave the colony alone. If they have been there for ages without any problems it might be the best solution.
On Sat, 31 Aug 2019 at 15:06, Gilliane Sills <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
I've been approached by someone who's moved into a house in
Cutteslowe in Oxford in which there's a lot of bee activity,
with bees flying around and going in and out through holes just
underneath the roof. The neighbours say the bees have been
there for years, so it's presumably a long-established wild or
feral colony. I've seen photos of some dead bees amd am
confident they're honey bees - at least a couple of them are drones.
The people who've contacted me don't want to kill the bees if
this can be avoided, but I'm not sure they'll be happy with the
bees staying in the long term. I guess it's possible that the
nest may be accessible from inside the loft (though I haven't
seen this and have no idea how likely this is) - and in that
case, it*might*be possible to move the colony if the alternative
was that they be killed. *If*this was considered, would it be
better in principle to attempt this now, or soon, or wait until
the spring? My gut feeling is the spring, when the colony would
naturally be growing, but there may be a counter-argument.
Any thoughts gratefully received...
Best wishes
Gilliane
-- The Map House
Vernon Avenue
Oxford
OX2 9AU
01865 721644
--
The Map House
Vernon Avenue
Oxford
OX2 9AU
01865 721644
