[missybee]

We have a house down here in Florida, just came down to it. This is what we found. They moved into a decorative out cropping and chewed through the dry wall.
What kind of bee? It is tiny, fuzzy, probably a florida native bee, it does sting, got stung picking up a "dead" one. The stinger did not stay in my finger.

 

[mamm7215]

Looks like a honey bee.

 

[missybee]

I thought the same but it is so small, maybe 1/2 or less the size of our MD bees. We were thinking of trying to do a cut out and haul them north but I do not think they would survive our winter.

 

[missybee]

Here is the size difference.

Florida bee under two cells in size (dead one laid there for size)


Maryland bee three cells in size.

 

[MJC417]

Like most insects, honey bees dry up and shrink when they die leaving an exoskeleton.

 

[missybee]

Like most insects, honey bees dry up and shrink when they die leaving an exoskeleton.

This was a just dead bee, my hubby swatted at it. Our pup is highly allergic to bee stings, we have the ones coming into the room contained in the room with a closed door. But this one was out near her so it was swatted at.

 

[missybee]

Maybe Florida bees don't need to be fat and sassy!

 

[Oldtimer]

It's a bog standard honeybee. Size can vary.

 

[missybee]

We will see if we can find a Florida bee keep to take them. I do not think they could survive the move to Maryland, it is in the 20's (night) 40's day there. Low here is 73

 

[Barhopper]

Where in Florida?

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

We have a house down here in Florida, just came down to it. This is what we found. They moved into a decorative out cropping and chewed through the dry wall.

Don’t know what a decorative out cropping is. Why so many dead inside? Chewing through dry wall, doesn’t sound right, but anything is possible

 

[missybee]

We are down in delray beach area. East side of Florida.

It is a stucco covered "long box" up near the roof line. No access to the attic, no access into the house. The bees chewed through the joint between the wall drywall and the ceiling dry wall. Once they get into the house they can not figure out how to get back into the hive. They fly to the window and eventually starve/die.

This is one end of the outcropping, you can see a few bees on it. The other end about 2 feet away to the left is where they made/enlarged a hole to make a home, behind this is the wall they have chewed through.

If we attempt a removal it will be a little destructive. We did bring our bee stuff, box, suits, etc. Last time down here we saw them going into the structure and were thinking of attempting a removal. But with our cold at home I doubt we could keep them alive this time of year at home. And we are not down here until it warms up at home. We will be home while it is still darn cold.

 

[newbeezer]

Definitely a honey bee.

Rats may have opened up the original hole in the stucco or it was just missed when the house was stuccoed. Maybe carpenter bees moved in originally or you have an infestation of termites and they chewed the wood and the stucco didn't have the backing to hold and it fell off.

If you don't want to do a destructive removal, then do a trapout. You will have a 30 to 40 day wait for the bees to fully move into the trapout box. But you should be able to take 2 nuc boxes of bees (you'll need eggs or queens) out before you're done based on the number of dead bees. My concern is why so many dead bees on the floor? Is this a new home for you and if so, did the previous owner spray the bees with a poison or is the hive crashing from varroa?

If it was my house, I would do a cutout to remove all the comb and remainder of stores if there is any. Leaving the comb in the wall is not a good idea since rats, ants, ****roaches, wax moth, hive beetles and the yuck that will be running down the inside of the wall/ceiling will make you regret not doing a complete removal in the first place.

Strap the comb in frames while saving the brood, some of the stores and also the queen so you'll have a viable hive when you're done. I'm in the Tampa Bay area or I would help with your project.

Get a simple and inexpensive ($20 - $30) Infrared Thermometer to use to find the exact location of the bees. By the size of the exterior box on the house, that would be my guess as to their location. But using the Infrared should give you at least a 5 - 10deg. temperature difference when you check the ceiling, wall and exterior box.

You may want to find a beekeeper in your area that is knowledgeable in doing removals. With your help strapping comb and doing the cleanup you may get off pretty easy and he/she can take the bees when your done. Moving them north is not a good idea since you may be breaking the law in your state by moving them in.

Hope it all works out!