Thread: Bee hive

Found a bee hive today...pretty cool to see via IR if nothing else

I don't see no beehive!

How was it determined that this was a bee hive?

Interesting.
Last summer, I saw bees coming and going from a soffit. However, my IR didn't show anything special going on in the soffit or the house walls/ceiling. I still called it out.

Originally Posted by Ken Rowe

How was it determined that this was a bee hive?

because the bee people were there trying to figure a way to remove it..

Originally Posted by Marc M

because the bee people were there trying to figure a way to remove it..

So! What were the IR pics all about?

Originally Posted by Roy Lewis

So! What were the IR pics all about?

seriously? What's with all your pent-up aggression (!). Its just a picture.

Originally Posted by Marc M

seriously? What's with all your pent-up aggression (!). Its just a picture.

I use my IR camera all the time for "just the heck of it" photo's.. It is a great way to learn about IR and how things look or don't look!

Originally Posted by Roy Lewis

So! What were the IR pics all about?

That's a rather strange question, but I'll help you out with the answer. Marc sent it out to help all of us identify the funny and not so funny things that we see in this business. Some posted photos are to get help and others are to provide information. Those are great informative photos.

Originally Posted by Scott Patterson

I use my IR camera all the time for "just the heck of it" photo's.. It is a great way to learn about IR and how things look or don't look!

I was just wondering how it related to bees?
Thats all.

Originally Posted by Roy Lewis

I was just wondering how it related to bees?
Thats all.

Ok, fair enough.

I happen to be an entomologist so the IR photos didn't raise that question with me, but now that you ask, I see how it might to someone not familiar with bees.

Bees generate heat in their hive. It's basically friction heat. They are constantly beating their wings. When it's warm, the action moves the air and cools the hive below what it might otherwise be. But when it's cool or cold, the friction caused by thousands of bees beating their wings will generate enough heat to keep them from freezing. They are consuming the stored honey to power their heat generator.

Marc's IR "saw" the heat being generated by the bees. Of course, since IR reads relative heat, this heat even if luke warm, looks like a hot spot against the cooler ceiling surfaces. This hot spot would be worthy of notation even if Marc had not known the source.

So, the problem with bees in the ceiling or wall is that it is very humid and of course, mold and rot can be promoted in that humid environment.

Originally Posted by Lon Henderson

Ok, fair enough.

I happen to be an entomologist so the IR photos didn't raise that question with me, but now that you ask, I see how it might to someone not familiar with bees.

Bees generate heat in their hive. It's basically friction heat. They are constantly beating their wings. When it's warm, the action moves the air and cools the hive below what it might otherwise be. But when it's cool or cold, the friction caused by thousands of bees beating their wings will generate enough heat to keep them from freezing. They are consuming the stored honey to power their heat generator.

Marc's IR "saw" the heat being generated by the bees. Of course, since IR reads relative heat, this heat even if luke warm, looks like a hot spot against the cooler ceiling surfaces. This hot spot would be worthy of notation even if Marc had not known the source.

So, the problem with bees in the ceiling or wall is that it is very humid and of course, mold and rot can be promoted in that humid environment.

Now I understand the pic.
I'll be 62 next month and have been a keep since I was old enough to light a smoker.
At the moment I have about 40 colonies. I have been raising resistant queens for over 20 years.
Mostly for personal use.

Thanks
Roy

Originally Posted by Lon Henderson

Ok, fair enough.

I happen to be an entomologist so the IR photos didn't raise that question with me, but now that you ask, I see how it might to someone not familiar with bees.

Bees generate heat in their hive. It's basically friction heat. They are constantly beating their wings. When it's warm, the action moves the air and cools the hive below what it might otherwise be. But when it's cool or cold, the friction caused by thousands of bees beating their wings will generate enough heat to keep them from freezing. They are consuming the stored honey to power their heat generator.

Marc's IR "saw" the heat being generated by the bees. Of course, since IR reads relative heat, this heat even if luke warm, looks like a hot spot against the cooler ceiling surfaces. This hot spot would be worthy of notation even if Marc had not known the source.

So, the problem with bees in the ceiling or wall is that it is very humid and of course, mold and rot can be promoted in that humid environment.

Hey Lon I never knew you were an entomologist, that's pretty cool. I like the answer it makes all the sense in the world now and who better to know this than you. I'm a little surprised the bee removal guys didnt articulate that. I was asking if it was the bees making the heat or whatever it was they were building. They did, however, speak about potential interior damage to the structure. I was really surprised to see bees in the winter though. I wanted to get closer up images but I'm deathly allergic to them.(Doc says I have to carry 2 epi pens). Thanks for the info..

Originally Posted by Marc M

Found a bee hive today...pretty cool to see via IR if nothing else

Originally Posted by Marc M

because the bee people were there trying to figure a way to remove it..

Now I get it. Your original post made it sound as if you found the hive and identified it using thermal imaging.

Lon wrote in part:

So, the problem with bees in the ceiling or wall is that it is very humid and of course, mold and rot can be promoted in that humid environment.

Lon are you saying the bees create moisture? Enough to create a problem with mould or even rot?

Thanks,

A few of my fears:
Falling off a roof
Ladder slipping out from underneath me.
Getting bit by a Brown Recluse spider
and (drum-roll) getting into an attic that has bees/ wasp.

Originally Posted by Raymond Wand

Lon wrote in part:

Lon are you saying the bees create moisture? Enough to create a problem with mould or even rot?

Thanks,

Yeah, all that honey and comb are wet, not to mention humidity from the respiration of thousands of bees. And being trapped in a confined space creates a very moist environment that mold and rot will thrive in. The high sugar content in honey inhibits bacterial and mold growth in the hive, but the surrounding micro-environment can and will grow mold if the surrounding material will support mold.

Years ago, and before IR became common, a local HI reported dead bees in the basement during an inspection done in winter. The buyers bought the house and that spring, became alarmed when bees were buzzing along the back of the house. When the back wall was opened up, there was a hive spanning three stud chases. The bees had mined tunnels through the studs to access the hive in the chases and removed the insulation. The studs, siding and the back of the sheet rock was rotted and/or destroyed. The repair was a couple of thousand dollars. The buyers sued the HI and the sellers but lost because the HI had reported dead bees and the sellers had noted recurring bees in the basement in their property disclosure.

The judge ruled that even though the HI and sellers had not noted the scope of the problem, they had separately made commentary that should have triggered further evaluation.

Thanks Lon. Makes sense.

Two years ago in a house I tore down there where honey bees in the wall cavity. The combined combs in the two walls was 40 pounds.

Happy New Year!

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

A few of my fears:
Falling off a roof
Ladder slipping out from underneath me.
Getting bit by a Brown Recluse spider
and (drum-roll) getting into an attic that has bees/ wasp.

Hey Rick, add crawlspace with raccoon or in my case once, pit bull.

Originally Posted by Roy Lewis

Now I understand the pic.
I'll be 62 next month and have been a keep since I was old enough to light a smoker.
At the moment I have about 40 colonies. I have been raising resistant queens for over 20 years.
Mostly for personal use.

Thanks
Roy

Roy, I assume you mean VSH resistant queens. I have only been a beek for 3 years and have not gotten into the queen raising yet other than swarm cells. I got 6 colonies now. going to bundle them up today for the dropping temps. How many generations after they are introduced does it take to dilute the resistant genes? If I use swarm cells from your queen cells for splits how many generations' to dilute the gene?

I am a beekeeper in Houston and remove about 40 hives a year, they should ALWAYS be removed by an experienced beekeeper. If you don't remove them the hive will continue to get larger, split off swarms that may set up a new nest in the same house (one house had 4 beehives), become Africanized if the queen mates with an Africanized drone, and eventually die of colony collapse disorder. Exterminating them is a VERY bad idea and reputable/national chain exterminators won't do it. You will end up with 3-10 pounds of dead stinking maggot infested animal material, the comb will drop and honey may drip thru the ceiling, the honey will attract, mice, rats, roaches, ants and robber bees from other beehives. I have had customers with maggots dropping thru the ceiling and damp ceilings collapse from the weight of the honey. On top of that new swarms love to make a new hive where an old hive used to be and I have had customers with multiple re-infestations at the exact same spot. Alive or dead you will have to remove the hive so you might as well do it alive. Their favorite spots are floor joists (typically with a brick exterior bottom story and siding on the second story) and soffits. They seldom go into walls because modern insulated walls do not have enough space for a decent beehive. Depending on your location you may run into fully or partially Africanized bees. The Texas Apiary Inspection Service says that 75% of all feral bees in Texas are partially Africanized. You cannot tell by looking at them, only from their behavior. And once you have gotten their attention it is too late. Call a pro. Mark aka Katy Busy Beemaggots.php.jpgtwo studs wide.jpg

I had a hive recently. They were in the soffit. I had to remove the fascia to get rid of them. That's right, I killed the bees.
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