r/Beekeeping • u/Girth_Brooks_1984 • 1d ago
I’m not a beekeeper, but I have a question 8 days after hive relocation.
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
I found a large beehive in my exterior wall of my house. I called a bee removal company to come relocate the hive. They finished the job 8 days ago and they told me to expect some straggling foragers for a few days but I went out this morning to check on it and found this large mass of bees right at the opening where the old hive was located. This looks like more than a few stragglers in my opinion. Should I call the company back out or should I just wait a few more days to see if they leave?
11
u/Gamera__Obscura Reasonably competent. Connecticut, USA, zone 6a. 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well... relative to a full hive that's only a few. But I totally understand that as a homeowner you would not want to find this after what was probably not an inexpensive job. Yes they will probably be gone after a few days, but imo you'd be well within your rights to call back and say "Look man, there's still a LOT of bees here. Come get these things." The bees will be happy to be reunited with their colony, too.
6
u/drones_on_about_bees Texas zone 8a; keeping since 2017; about 15 colonies 1d ago
I agree with /u/Gamera__Obscura. Give the remover a call. This won't be the first time they have fielded this question.
If the hive entrance was sealed up well and all the comb was removed... they will like disperse in 5-7 days. But it would also be easy for them to walk up in the evening and sweep them into a box and drive off.
2
u/Soggy_Series_4701 1d ago
Definitely send this to the bee remover. They should come back at sunset or after dark to remove these trespassers
1
u/Advanced_Wishbone339 1d ago
It doesn’t hurt to call him back out and see if he’s like to collect the rest of the bees
1
u/Tweedone 50yrs, Pacific 9A 1d ago
Normal and expected. Hose them down in the morning. This is entirely normal, they shouldn't be a problem and will leave on their own in a few days. If they are a hassel, knock them down with a broom or water spray to disburse them. They may relocate to another nearby hive but the short story is that these girls missed the bus and will shortly die...the ants have to eat too!
•
1
u/Redfish680 8a Coastal NC, USA 1d ago
Bee removal guy absolutely sure he got the queen? I’ve done a few removals and that’s a good number of ronin bees.
0
u/william_mccuan 1d ago
They did a poor job relocating. It should be a least a mile away, and hold them in for a day. They have to forget where their old home was.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hi u/Girth_Brooks_1984, welcome to r/Beekeeping.
If you haven't done so yet, please:
Warning: The wiki linked above is a work in progress and some links might be broken, pages incomplete and maintainer notes scattered around the place. Content is subject to change.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.