The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Bees & Beekeeping => Topic started by: Gardners Cottage on September 10, 2019, 12:09:28 am
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Hi all,
While doing some renovation work in my loft I have discovered a pretty large hive. Not sure if a wasp or bee one
I think I should remove this or get this removed from someone with experience.
Could you please share any advice, suggestion you may have?
Many thanks
GC
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If it's a round papery ball hanging with stripey black and yellow wasps, they'll die out soon for the winter leaving just the queen hibernating. Usually in a small gold ball size nest.That's quite easy to take down and squash - wearing protective gear of course.
A colony of honey bees build sheets of waxey comb, usually filling a cavity.They'll now be preparing to hunker down for winter.
You're local beekeepers association will have a swarm collecting contact who'll collect them if they're safely accessible and your sure they're honey bees.
There are of course lots of other types of bees, but they don't usually form colonies in lofts.https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wasp-nests.htmlhttps://www.montybees.org.uk/swarms.html (https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wasp-nests.htmlhttps://www.montybees.org.uk/swarms.html)
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Hi all,
While doing some renovation work in my loft I have discovered a pretty large hive. Not sure if a wasp or bee one
I think I should remove this or get this removed from someone with experience.
Could you please share any advice, suggestion you may have?
Many thanks
GC
A hive is the man made box that bees are artificially kept in so we can take advantage of their honey making , wax production & pollen collection .
Some wasps colonies in roof voids can over winter if the temp is right and can be 14 feet long three feet high and eight or nine feet wide . I've taken several out the biggest filled 22 large rubble sacks .
If the nest is a wasps nest and it's this years it might be a bit bigger than a proper foot ball .. the wasps will be a bit drunk on fermentig fruit & as it's startig to cool off will be quite mean with it . So be careful half a dozen wasp stings in a small area can make you quite ill .
RAID black aerosol can be used to knock them down but remember the survivors will head to the trapdoor if there is light coming up through it . Also a wasp sting is viable when still in its body for a good 24 hrs after it has expired .
Occasionally you get wild comb from bees hanging from the rafters like inch thick sheets of bath sponge but they do seem to prefer spaces a lot smaller than a roof void .. more like a 3 foor high porch roof over front door or patio doors where the floor of the porch roof is the same height as the ceiling of the room .