Hated to do it....

There is always the answers.. no, sorry I can't help you, you want me to do WHAT?,etc. Why didn't you seal it also? What was your lethal weapon of choice?

what about the rotting meat (dead bees) and soon to be fermenting honey? This doesn't sound like a solution to me. just setting them up for a lot of damage in the future.

Sometimes, even when you tell them they don't want to hear it - you only can do what you can do. I wouldn't have touched it after they rejected a more expensive option - unless you have good business insurance coverage and a signed waiver. I have found that the people with the expensive houses that don't want to pay to do it right are the ones most likely to complain.

JC

fieldsofnaturalhoney said:

There is always the answers.. no, sorry I can't help you, you want me to do WHAT?,etc. Why didn't you seal it also? What was your lethal weapon of choice?

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The home owner waited almost a month for me to be able to get there and he is also a stucco contractor who loaned me the scaffolding to be able to find out that I couldnt get them out without tearing up that much of the house.....they really didnt want them killed either...but didnt want to pay that much for repairs plus my charge to get them out...I didnt seal it as part of deal from the start was for them to repair and seal all cracks....he will get his employees to do it, Im sure. I used boric acid dust, as it has a long term residual to remain even after the bees have gone.

BeeTech said:

what about the rotting meat (dead bees) and soon to be fermenting honey? This doesn't sound like a solution to me. just setting them up for a lot of damage in the future.

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I explained all these problems to them and they understood...I dont think its a long term solution and dont like it either, they understand and willing to take responsibility for them.


They were going to kill them anyway, regardless of who did it.

I would like to hear how this all unfolds for them from here on out.
I do understand where you were coming from, but myself..... I would have walked.

It's a very frustrating position to be in, been there myself. I understand the logic behind it ... someone is going to terminate the colony anyway, why not get paid for the effort.

I've partnered with a local exterminator and we work together on these types of situations. He forwards me his swarm calls, and I'll follow up on them. If it's within my power I'll capture the swarm and be on my way. But occasionally I'll run into a situation like this where there is no way to extract the bees.

At that point I'll refer them to my exterminator friend. I personally prefer that "exterminators" shoulder the burden and stigma of terminating bees, not a beekeeper. Not at all trying to criticize D1 for his decision, I just look at it differently. Someone IS going to have to kill the bees in these situations, but I don't want it to be me.

All good points, but I couldn't have done it, and as a home owner it is the last thing I would do. Way to much risk of future problems, but seemed so cheap and easy last year To me it is only a matter of time until a home owner who made this decision regrets it & pays the money they didn't want to pay in the beginning to really fix the problem. Now the problem is all the hive stuff they left in their walls, and who knows what quantity that is? Other issues I see,, Let's begin with when you have multiple people dealing with the job, even an extermination & sealer (in this case I wonder who will get blamed if unsuccessful :scratch: How does one ensure the boric acid dust actually penetrates ALL of a hive they can not see? How do you know how much you will need/use? Is it legal? Is it true that some states have laws making it illegal to exterminate honey bees? I have been told CO does, but have been unable to read/see it on paper (& I have looked):s