Bee emergency in Aberystwyth - can anyone help?

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Bee emergency in Aberystwyth - can anyone help?
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Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 3:51 pm Post subject: Bee emergency in Aberystwyth - can anyone help?

Our main teaching room in the Centre for Legal Practice at Aberystwyth University has a bees nest embedded in one of the external walls just by the main window. We've been asking Estates Management to do something about it for nearly three years now and at best, they have turned up, stared at it, scratched their heads, said "Ooooh - can't get access to that" and gone away again.

The problem is that the bees can get into the main classroom and our Resource Room, which causes problems for us and the students whilst we're teaching.

In exasperation today, I sent off a fairly stiff email to the Estates Management team pointing out that it probably wasn't a good idea to ignore a department of 6 qualified lawyers and a student body of 35 soon-to-be-lawyers where there was a very real chance of an 'avoidable incident' taking place which could put the university's duty of care towards their students and staff in question...

It seems to have done the trick and now they've stirred into action by trying to sort out the blocking up of the holes where the bees gain entry to our classroom. However - it doesn't solve the problem of the bees themselves - which are obviously honey bees.

We don't want the nest to be destroyed if at all possible - so I suggested they contact local bee keepers to see if anything can be done about removing the said bees to a hive.

So, does anyone know any local-ish bee keepers to Aber? Or has anyone else got any other ideas?

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 3:55 pm Post subject:
Oooh fascinating - they may have to remove some of the wall to get the bee's out - the trouble is finding the Queen - get her out and everyone else will follow - unfortunately thats not exactly a simple task - Let us know what happens

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 3:57 pm Post subject:
Lottie. I will give her a ring if you like?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 3:58 pm Post subject:
Wonder if she can save them while I get a hive... Failing lottie, there is someone just up the drive who runs the honey farm locally, I could ask him. (He's never in, probably avoiding me because I want to get a hive. )

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 4:08 pm Post subject:
Spoken to this lady https://www.wbka.com/aberystwyth.html She doesn't hold out much hope for saving them - no way of getting to the queen as Jocorless says. She reckond they'll prolly have to be poisoned or sealed up inside the wall to die...

Dr Rob

Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 273
Location: Moylgrove, nr Cardigan, Pembs

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 4:29 pm Post subject:
I'm distraught

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 4:42 pm Post subject:
I'm afraid Ann's right if they are awkwardly placed there is not much you can do---I would have been useless anyway---as posted earlier on another topic I'm having a kidney/gallstone episode and am as much use as a chocolate fireguard---believe me if there was any chance of taking them you'd have been knocked down in the rush.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 5:44 pm Post subject:
Once they are established in somewhere like that its virtualy impossible to remove the colony intact. I've dealt with a number of situations like that and I'm afraid that if you can't put up with them, then the only answer is destruction.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 5:58 pm Post subject:
Such a shame, especially considering the topic of tonight's BBC4 prog. A.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 7:04 pm Post subject:

Not easy.
The quick way is to remove some of the internal plasterboard & literally cut the comb out of the wall bees & all.
You then wire the combs into frames to use in a conventional hive.
Never done it as I've never been that desparate to get a swarm.
It's possible to smoke them out putting a nuc box very near the entrance (inches) & driving them off the comb with copious amounts of smoke into the awaiting nuc box. again never done it.
Whatever method of capture or destruction they should remove the comb & honey rather than just seal it up as the honey will ferment & grow moulds & bacteria & ciould cause rot to set into the wall. Also it will atract wasps & ants & maybe even another bee awarm if every crack isn't sealed.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 7:38 pm Post subject:
It's possible to smoke them out putting a nuc box very near the entrance (inches) & driving them off the comb with copious amounts of smoke into the awaiting nuc box. again never done it. T.B.H. I know someone who tried something similar in an attic a couple of years ago---It was a dismal failure.

lottie

Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 5059
Location: ceredigion

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 7:45 pm Post subject: Re: Bee emergency in Aberystwyth - can anyone help?

Mary-Jane wrote:

Just a thought but they are definitely honey bees and not masonary bees? 3 years is a long time for native/swarmed bees to be keeping healthy with varroa about.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 9:11 pm Post subject: Re: Bee emergency in Aberystwyth - can anyone help?

lottie wrote:

Just a thought but they are definitely honey bees and not masonary bees? 3 years is a long time for native/swarmed bees to be keeping healthy with varroa about.

Defo honey bees Lottie.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 9:12 pm Post subject:

lottie wrote:

It's possible to smoke them out putting a nuc box very near the entrance (inches) & driving them off the comb with copious amounts of smoke into the awaiting nuc box.

I should mention that we're 3 floors up and the bees' nest in inside an outside wall...if you see what I mean.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 09 9:26 pm Post subject:
The thing is, that after a couple of years in situ you can hardly class them as a swarm.

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