Bees
There are three types of Bee we get complaints about
BUMBLE BEE SOLITARY BEE HONEY BEE
Bumble Bees :- What to do if you find a nest
Really the best answer to this question is do nothing. You should consider yourself quite lucky. You can enjoy watching these fairly harmless creatures come and go, as they go about their business pollinating your flowers.
However I realise that you are reading this information because you are worried about where the nest is located and what might happen. Bumble Bee nests are not like Honey Bee nests, they last only a few months, and are usually small enough to hold. Bumble Bees are not as ferocious as Wasps, They are unlikely to sting unless they feel extremely threatened, and even then the sting is no worse than if you brushed against a nettle. Bumble Bees do not cause any damage, so should be left alone.
Should it be necessary to move a nest, this can be done by scooping the nest into a waterproof container such as a biscuit tin or sandwich box. The container should then be packed out with dried grass or moss. A hole should be made so that the bees are free to come and go. This should be done in the evening just before dusk when most of the bees will be in the nest but it will be cooler and therefore the bees will be less active. The nest should be placed in a sheltered south facing position.
It is imperative for the survival of the nest that you catch any late returning workers and place them in the new nest. The number of food gathering workers is quite low and the loss of a few can mean the nest will not have enough food to survive. The workers will return that night or the following morning.
As a very last resort where the bees could be life threatening ( the occupier has an allergy to stings ) and it is impossible to move them, then the bees could be treated with an insecticide
Solitary Bees
A number of different types of Solitary Bee reside in and around our homes, the most common are probably 
the Masonry Bee and the Miner Bee. Because of their frequent association with humans, these insects often evoke agreat deal of anxiety. Solitary Bees rarely sting, unlike Honey Bees, Hornets and Wasps they have no queen or nest to protect, and although there may be many hundreds flying around your property they are not actually a swarm, but all working individually.
Sometimes because these bees arrive in large numbers it is difficult to know if a bee is social or solitary. Generally they can be distinguished by looking at the nest or burrow to see how many individuals are coming and going from a single entrance. Social Bees exist in colonies associated with an elaborate nest, thus many individuals will be active at the nest entrance. In comparison Solitary Bees do not have large nests, there is only one individual in each burrow and will be spread out over large areas of the ground walls or roof tiles.
Masonary Bees only attack weak and crumbling mortar. They do not cause enough damage to physically weaken buildings. The easiest way to prevent these bees from nesting in walls is to re point the building. Sometimes these bees will find their way indoors but if a window is left open will usually find their way out.
Although any insect spray will kill these bees there is no need to treat, normally these bees are only active for a few weeks of the year and do not pose a threat to humans pets or buildings.
Honey Bees
Swarms of bees occur because the first new queen to hatch in the hive kills off all the other new queens before they hatch and then drives off the old queen. The old queen leaves the hive taking half of the workers and drones in the hive with her in search of a new home. Ideally this would be an empty hive somewhere. Unfortunately more often than not she has to make do with a disused chimney, air brick or some other cavity in and around domestic dwellings. During this search the queen will stop and rest and the workers and drones will gather round her. Scouts will then be sent out to search for suitable locations to set up home. At this stage the bees can easily be collected in a box and moved to a suitable hive. Though I would stress that this should only be done by an expert. Whilst the bees are in flight or resting they are usually very placid and unlikely to attack, having said that there are horror stories of bees attacking people and pets because of disturbance.
Feral swarms of bees often take up residence in disused chimneys. Often they can live there for years without causing too many problems for the occupiers of the property. Problems do occur when the comb which is made out of wax or the honey starts to fall down the chimney causing problems below, or when the swarm starts to split in spring the old queen may move into other cavities close by.
Once the queen has taken up residence in the fabric of the building the only course of action is to kill the swarm using insecticides. By law now, once treated the comb should be removed to prevent foraging bees from taking contaminated honey back to domestic hives. This can lead to extensive removal of bricks or roof tiles, will involve scaffolding and then a builder to make good any damage caused removing comb. The comb then becomes licensed waste which has to be disposed of through waste contractors. The cost for this can be thousands of pounds. A lot of companies no longer treat feral Honey Bees.
IT IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO PREVENT DOMESTIC BEES ACCESS TO TREATED NESTS
Most of our home grown bees are fairly docile and placid and will tolerate quite a bit of disturbance around them, However some of these bees have been interbred with foreign bees that are a lot more aggressive and will attack in large numbers at the slightest threat. So great care should be taken when in close proximity to a bees nest
We cover Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stow On The Wold, Moreton In The Marsh, Chipping Campden, Burford, Lechlade, Fairford, South Cerney, Swindon, Malmesbury, Tetbury, Stroud, Avening, Stonehouse, Painswick and every village in between
Able Pest Control
6 The Hemplands
Chedworth
Cheltenham
Glos GL54 4NH
Tel 01285720651 Mobile 07971236281 e mail dennis@ablepest.co.uk
