bee hive in the wall of my house

[steverea]

Hi, I am not a beekeeper, at least not by choice. A hive of what I think are honey bees has taken up residence inside a hollow place in the walls of my house. It is some sort of a chase in the wall, but the point is there is lots of room in there. There are lots of bees swarming around about a 6 foot section of an eave. The bees go into little cracks at several locations. The bees are on the small side and look like honey bees to me. They are definitely not some sort of wasp or hornet. One of my neighbors thinks they are Mason bees, but from what I've read that doesn't fit. There are thousands of these bees in presumably one nest and no signs of mud structures. Could they be some other kind of bee besides honey bees? We are located in Nevada City, California at about 3000 feet in the Sierra foothills. Right now the bees are not causing any known problems. They don't seem to mind people walking by and they are right by a well used footpath. Will they become more aggressive later in the year? Should we try to have the bees removed? What will happen if we just leave them alone? Could some one get the hive to swarm, capture the queen and relocate the hive? At that point we'd have to open up the wall and remove the nest. Any info greatly appreciated. Thanks

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Welcome Steve! A swarm is reproduction in superorganisms. That means you would hve the new hive plus the hive in your wall. Until you cut the comb out there will be food and other attractants to bugs and rodents. They can stay as long as they are not a nuisance. If it was me I would already have glass on the interior wall. I love to watch them work.

[Daniel Y]

Welcome Steve, I have visited Nevada city many times. Beautiful town. We used to camp just outside Nevada City every year at Diamond Arrow.
It woudl almost be worth the trip to check out your colony of whatever they are just to visit the town again.
Yes bees can get testy when food runs short, they loose there queen or they are otherwise being harassed on a regular basis. My bees got pissy for the first time yesterday and I really don't know why. the only thing I can think of is the heat. Maybe a bit of robbing going on so they where a little more on guard and jumping at anything that moved. This would not be good for the passer by.