2 bee or not 2 bee

[Jack Feldmann]

Bees turn house into hive. [VIDEO] (http://www.wimp.com/beeshouse/)

[Dub Smith]

A house only Winnie the Pooh could love:D

[Phillip Stojanik]

My father was a beekeeper and he did bee removal from houses for many years here in the Houston area. I had occasion to help him with a few jobs when he needed a hand but that is by far the worst infestation I have ever seen.

[Darrel Hood]

What makes a specific building attractive to bees? Are there any specific characteristics we can identify during an inspection?

[Phillip Stojanik]

What makes a specific building attractive to bees? Are there any specific characteristics we can identify during an inspection?

The bees are opportunists and houses present a variety of opportunities for bees to set up shop. They can move through relatively small gaps in the construction to gain access to interstitial wall and ceiling spaces. These hidden areas make good places for the bees to build their hive.
　

If the house is decently built however (with reasonably close tolerances) then the bees are unlikely to find an easy way in and will move on to continue the search. They are looking for more than just a small hole through which they can go in and out single file and seem to have a preference for gaps that form a wider slot. Bees will force air for ventilation through the hive during hot weather with their wings so they need enough of an opening to keep their space well ventilated.
　

The jobs I did with my father were typically up high and the one thing they probably all had in common was some bigger than usual gap in the exterior cladding system. Common points of entry were where upper siding met brick veneer or where some trim or siding material had pulled loose leaving a gap through which the bees could easily move in and out of the cavity behind.
　

For my dad, correction always involved removing as much of the honey and comb as possible from the building cavities and then sealing the area back up to help make sure the bees did not just move right back in. The honey and comb by the way will eventually go rancid if left in the building cavities and will begin to ooze out making a sticky and very smelly mess. If you ever see a dark tar-like material coming out of a wall at the baseboard it might just be decomposing honey.

If you see bees flying around during an inspection just take a moment to watch their behavior. Try to determine the focal point of their activity. They may just be visiting the yard for nectar flying around the blooming plants. If they are flying close to the building though follow them with your eye and see if they are entering. If you find their entry point you will see the bees coming and going at a good pace during the warm season.

They bees will go pretty much dormant during cold weather though so they could be in the wall and you would not know it. But if you see a gap in the exterior cladding that perhpas has a yellowish discoloration around you just might have found their door. The yellow is from the pollen they track in and there can be a waxy residue that will smell sweet if the bees have been there for some time using that opening.

[Darrel Hood]

Phillip,
Thanks for the education.

[David Fraser]

Very cool.

[Ted Menelly]

I have removed a lot of Bee Hives from homes but never had that great opportunity to remove one that size. Very awesome.

[Jim Hintz]

Just had an inspection last Friday that had bees. One point of entry was the Service Entrance (panel was in the basement, bees were in the panel) and the other was under a canted upper room where someone had previously drilled a hole to run the CATV through. Still managed to get the dead front off and flip all the breakers off and on without getting stung, however, the buyer was outside and got nailed smack dab in the middle of her forehead near the end of the inspection - must have liked her perfume - or disliked it :eek: