Hello ! I live in an old thatched cottage and have a bee`s nest in the roof at present. I`ve lived there for 25 years and this is the first time it has happened. I`m very fond of bees and don't want to cause them any harm if avoidable but I also don't want any of my pets (cat, dog, 3 ducks and 2 chickens) or me and the trouble to end looking like we have been in an American B movie about Killer Bees! So, as they are up in the roof and so far not in the house do I have anything to worry about and should I contact the council or a local bee`s nest moving firm or should I just be pleased they are having a lovely time in my roof and garden ? Thank you David
You could contact your local bee keepers association who would probably advise or may even want to take the bees away so that they can keep them Find an Association - British Beekeepers Association (BBKA)
Yup - As long as they can get to the nest, they should be able to help. My Mum had an issue with a swarm of bees that flew into her garden years ago. They camped out in one of her apple trees, and looked like a giant pear - This guy came from a bee keepers with all the gear on, gave them a bit of a smoke, then wrapped a huge muslin type bag round them and took them away...
You could always take up smoking cigars. Provided you are puffing away all day long, the bees will not come near you.
A swarm is worth a lot of money (in bee keeping terms) to a bee keeper, as it will be in effect a new hive. the swarm is a new queen that has left the original hive with her entourage of workers etc.. to set up a new hive. We had a swarm land on one of our chimneys, we found a local bee keeper from Yellow Pages and he couldn't get round quickly enough, after all, they could always fly off somewhere else at any time! As above, bit o'smoke, all the gear and away they all went to a new home. They might even have come from the local bee keeper's own colony to look for pastures new; he'd now rehouse them in a spare hive and his honey production would thereby multiply.
