Removing a bee hive

amandstu

I have a bee hive in a dangerous position that I would like to remove and my plan is to smoke them out so that they may find somewhere else to set up house.

I think we are coming into the right time of year for this (warm enough for them to scout out somewhere else to live if I can make life a little unpleasant for them where they are now.)

I think there is a product for this purpose which produces an unpleasant (for them) smell.

Can anyone remind me the name of this product and where it might be got?

Failing that, would common or garden smoke around the entrance do the trick?

I don't want to evict them summarily without the chance to find a new place.

Should I wait for the period around the time when they swarm naturally so that they have had time to find somewhere else when I start the process of "suggesting" that they leave?

(Yes ,I have offered them to a local beekeeper but it is in too dangerous a position)

Apiarist

Yes, there is a product like that. You can use it to clear bees from honey frames before harvesting. It will not make the bees move to another place. Most of them may get out the nest temporarily, but they will come back when it clears.

Even if you could kill all the bees or somehow persuade them to leave the colony, you will be left with honey comb which is irresistible to any passing bee swarm. Unless the location is completely sealed, you will have bees again, and probably very soon.

I have heard that there are really mad beekeepers who can climb walls and get bees out of chimneys and such like. They are rumored to congregate on the Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bees.ireland/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/775123459365084/

amandstu

victor8600 wrote: »

Yes, there is a product like that. You can use it to clear bees from honey frames before harvesting. It will not make the bees move to another place. Most of them may get out the nest temporarily, but they will come back when it clears.

Would you know what that product is called? (generically or specifically)

Maybe ,repeated use will persuade them to regime themselves permanently.

Before they found this place (they have been there at least 5 years) they lived in different tree trunks around the place.

I imagine they would go back to that routine if that was all that was on offer.

Not a great person for Facebook.

Markcheese

Most bee-keepers will be only too keen to remove a nice of bees for you ...

Markcheese

If you say roughly where you are , I'm sure someone on here will either pm you or suggest a beekeeper who'll move them ,

Hillybilly4

You could try https://swarms.ie/

amandstu

Markcheese wrote: »

If you say roughly where you are , I'm sure someone on here will either pm you or suggest a beekeeper who'll move them ,

Well,when the first beekeeper I approached said it was too difficult ,I gave up that approach.

There are plenty others around here ,so I could ask around.

The problem is they are under the flat roof (torch on) where they got on through the fascia board.

Apiarist

amandstu wrote: »

I imagine they would go back to that routine if that was all that was on offer.
.

It does not work like that. The bees (though not all) may get out temporarily, but they will just fly around until the smell clears. Then they will get back.

Look, your only choices are:
1) get a beekeeper with a bee vacuum to make a big hole in the facia or the roof to remove all bees and all comb, then seal all possible holes.
2) get the exterminator and kill all bees, remove the comb, then cover all possible holes.

If you do do not remove the comb, it may attract other bees, rodents and ants. It may start to deteriorate in time and the honey may leak out.