[KingChiron]

Hello!
A swarm decided to make a home in a hollow brick façade in the front of my house. Since I have a garden, and I can’t hear them inside the house, I didn’t pay any attention to them. However, now I’m curious and wondering if there is a way I could have them move out of the hollow brick column and into a setup I could buy and start my first step toward bee keeping. Is it possible? Or am I getting in over my head? Any advice that would help me understand and get my bearings is appreciated.
Thank you everyone!

 

[Gray Goose]

search swarm trap
most hive swarm to "propagate" catch 1 or 2 from the ones in your place or from where they came from.

GG

 

[123989]

Hello!
A swarm decided to make a home in a hollow brick façade in the front of my house. Since I have a garden, and I can’t hear them inside the house, I didn’t pay any attention to them. However, now I’m curious and wondering if there is a way I could have them move out of the hollow brick column and into a setup I could buy and start my first step toward bee keeping. Is it possible? Or am I getting in over my head? Any advice that would help me understand and get my bearings is appreciated.
Thank you everyone!

Are they in a column? If so I would spray an empty box with swarm commander and set it close then I would drill holes with a masonry bit at the top and bottom and spray something like Honey-B-Gone in both holes.

 

[AHudd]

A little more info would be helpful to those wanting to respond.
Just a general geographical location would help.
Also, was this a recent swarm, if so the quicker you do something the better, before they get much comb built.
If this is a swarm that has had time to grow into a colony with comb and brood. it is much more difficult to do a trap out. If they can be coaxed out with the trap out method then the abandoned comb is very attractive to any future swarms searching for a home.
Doing a cut out and sealing up all cracks and holes is usually the best option to eliminate the problem, although with a brick facade, it may only be accomplished from the inside.
I have very little experience with this, but those are some things to consider. Good luck.

Alex

 

[Vance G]

Are they in a column? If so I would spray an empty box with swarm commander and set it close then I would drill holes with a masonry bit at the top and bottom and spray something like Honey-B-Gone in both holes.

I would definately not do this! It is not going to accomplish anything except cause possibly foul the interior of your home with the bee go stench. A better approach might be to bore a hole in the back of a hive and basically force the bees to enter and exit their colony thru the bee box you build a platform to hold. The idea is that the queen will start laying in the exterior box and you can then put an excluder blocking her path back into the wall.

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Hello! A swarm decided to make a home in a hollow brick façade in the front of my house.

Got Pics? I assume you know they are honey bees for fact? How long have they been there?

 

[KingChiron]

Wow, you all are sweet!

GG - I'll look into a swarm trap. Hopefully, it's as simple as I'm assuming.

fadder - Yes, they are in a hollow brick enclosure attached to the house. My father used drywall joint compound to limit their in/out holes to one. I'm not keen on chemicals. I could MacGyver a tube and computer fan to smoke them out, but they aren't a nuisance. I just want to look out for them.

AHudd - Ok, I live in Los Angeles, CA. It's been like 2 years, so they are quite settled with comb and brood. Given that much time, I can only imagine what they engineered inside the hollow brick. If I can get them to relocate into one of those wooden boxes I see on TV, or even a Flow Hive, and tend to them, I think that would be a better relationship for the future. Then I could seal up the way inside the brick enclosure and hope what's inside doesn't become a health hazard. It feels a shame to write off what's inside the brick as waste, but I'm really wanting to care for these bees now. I really don't want to take a sledgehammer to the brick and rebuild with new brick because my house wouldn't look right. I've watered my plants, and used a leaf blower around them. I've only gotten stung once, and that was when I was raking up leaves around the hive entrance. Hence me owning a leaf blower now. So I don't think these are Africanized. But they may just be used to my body odor. I'd rather let an expert tell me what's what though.

Vance G - This is a VERY INTERESTING proposition. Could I not just bore a hole in the back of a bee box and fashion a tube to the original entrance/exit of the hive at night? Kind of like putting an addition to their hive, having them populate it, then cut-off access to old brick hive? I'll look into this same as GG's swarm trap idea.

 

[KingChiron]

Ok, my phone sent that bigger than I thought... lol

fieldsofnaturalhoney - Sorry the pics came out HUGE. They've been in there for at least 2 years. My family just really let them be, but now I really want to do something with them. I water my plants and use a leaf blower to clean up around their hive and I've only gotten stung when I used a rake once. So I don't believe these are aggressive Africanized bees.

 

[123989]

I would definately not do this! It is not going to accomplish anything except cause possibly foul the interior of your home with the bee go stench. A better approach might be to bore a hole in the back of a hive and basically force the bees to enter and exit their colony thru the bee box you build a platform to hold. The idea is that the queen will start laying in the exterior box and you can then put an excluder blocking her path back into the wall.

View attachment 62216 View attachment 62217

Ok, my phone sent that bigger than I thought... lol

fieldsofnaturalhoney - Sorry the pics came out HUGE. They've been in there for at least 2 years. My family just really let them be, but now I really want to do something with them. I water my plants and use a leaf blower to clean up around their hive and I've only gotten stung when I used a rake once. So I don't believe these are aggressive Africanized bees.

My bad , when you said column I assumed you meant a free standing column. From the pictures you are looking at a cutout from the inside. The chances are very much against getting the queen to come out into a box are close to zero.

 

[Gray Goose]

look at Russ's trap out thread using the hogan style set up

search this site for "Hogan trap" there are a few threads some with pictures, may find that inspiring.

A traditional trap would trap the emerging swarms, once the parent dies out then seal the holes.
could be a swarm or 2 or never if the existing cavity is optimal for the bees.

the Hogan style trap out uses a funnel into a bee box, baited with open brood to bait out the Queen. Think minnow trap with brood as the bait.

do some reading and prep and when it gets warm give it a try.

Good luck
GG

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Yes, they are in a hollow brick enclosure attached to the house. It's been like 2 years, so they are quite settled with comb and brood.

That brick doesn't look hollow to me, more likely they are in the wall. Run an infrared thermal camera along the inside walls. What's that piece of wood sticking out in the middle of the brick? Is it part of the structure or just added to the outside? If you try to trap them out (long process) and are successful you would still leave comb and some honey in the wall. This will attract rodents, wax moths, etc. & another swarm of bees if all cracks and crevices are not sealed after the trap out. Or if another crack or crevice is created. Reach out to someone locally who removes honey bees from structures, they should be able to help you identify where in the cavity they are, & the best way to get them out. May even take part for a minimal fee?

 

[KingChiron]

are close to zero.

Since the colony is definitely established, I would assume leaving a trap long term and waiting for a new queen to come about isn't a viable option? I'm thinking the new queen would return to the original brood comb instead of propagating to the box? And there would be zero chance the colony would split between two new queens?

 

[KingChiron]

What's that piece of wood sticking out in the middle of the brick? Is it part of the structure or just added to the outside?

That wood shelf was just added to the outside... like 40 years ago. I'll definitely think about what's best given the complications. TYVM!!

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

That wood shelf was just added to the outside...

If the top of that water line goes through the brick into the house (hard to tell for me, although I do think I see some type of grasshopper perched on the top?)..,it may have been the initial access, & if it also goes through a floor joist., it would be my starting place what’s the foundation? Any 👀 in the crawl space or basement if possible? If all of that is ruled out, I would definitely run an infrared camera on the inside walls..

 

[MajorJC]

Here is an example of what you would be getting in to. I love this guy's video's.

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[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Here is an example of what you would be getting in to. I love this guy's video's.

I love Mr. Ed's & his wrangler's spirit😁, and it is not just because they are from the Bayou, but I would caution one going the route he does in this video. He even states how lucky they were. I would love to hear/see a follow up on this colony because they had to have left eggs and bees in the column. What if there was more than one queen? Do you think they just sealed up everything and hoped for the best? Will they have a honey & wax melt down in the summer? Did the bees make a new queen and find another way in & out to continue the colony? Someone call Mr. Ed