bees in loft - anything to worry about ?

[Jethro_uk]

Yesterday finally got around to refitting a soffit ventilation grille (circular plastic thingy) which fell out a few weeks ago (yes, very lazy : ( had to wait for the correct combination of weather, free time, and umph to get the ladder out).

Anyway, as I was putting it back I noticed a bee hovering, looking purposeful ... and today I've seen a few bees around the area, which makes me suspect they may have found a way in.

Since it's the corner of the roof (and therefore buried right into the eaves) I'm reluctant to go poking around in the loft. Also given that SWMBO and I have no problem with bees (if it was wasps they'd be gone already) is there any problem with leaving things be (see what I did there ;)) ?

Not being an apiarist, my definition of bee is "furry stripey flying thing".

What's the odds of some free honey ?

[Huge]

We had a bumble bee nest in the eaves, 2 years ago. Advice here was to ignore it, which I did. They didn't come back after the winter.

[RayL12]

I believe that to be true. I found this in trying to find out...

..and this piece on wasp and bees nests...

As an ex roofer there was once or, twice when ripping a slate up tore open a bees nest. Frightening, especially as we did not use scaffold.

The biggest(abandoned) nest I ever saw was in a large property and was as near round as could be and, easily 3 foot in diameter. I am so glad that wasn't active, though I did see it from the far side of the roof where I was working..

[Andrew Gabriel]

Parents had a bees nest in the eaves a few years ago. I doubt it got very big, but they suddenly vanished.

Another year, a swarm arrived in the garden just as I lit the BBQ. We got the local bee keepers to come and take it away - they have a list of people with empty hives waiting for a swarm to found for them. The kids found it all very interesting.

[The Other Mike]

Use this for identification

If they are bumbles then they could be in an old mouse nest. No chance of anything but a thimble full of honey. Maximum number of maybe 50 bees.

If they are honey bees then they will be in their thousands and won't survive without the aid of a beekeeper (the varroa mite that came to the UK in the early

1990's and is all but endemic ensures that all unmanaged colonies will die after a couple of years)

See if you can spot where they are accessing the roof space. If you have blocked their previous access point then they could re-emerge anywhere.

You might have just seen a scout bee from an existing colony about to swarm and looking for a suitable cavity.

If there is any wax or honey from a previous infestation and the bees can small it then it will attract a swarm, so don't be surprised if you end up with a huge lump of bees hanging from the eaves in the next few weeks.

If they are established in the roof space and causing no harm then leave them, and check again next March /April and see if you can see any activity. If they don't survive the winter then seal off any external access otherwise you could get another colony invading and the resulting nest could be extremely heavy and unstable. Leave it long enough and you might even end up with a collapsed ceiling or soffit with honey oozing down the walls.

[Rick Hughes]

There are 3 real insects here ...

Bumble Bees ... leave alone so few in a colony and so few colonies - let them live, no damage caused.

Honey Bees ... small black, again no damage and best left alone.

Neither of the above will sting you, leave them alone and they won't bother you. If they sting they die, as barb on sting rips out their insides when they fly off. If you do want rid call local beekeeprs they will cone and collect them (done it myself many times) ... find local Beekeepers via Google for local club/society.

Wasps - bright yellow bodies .. longer than bees, evil things, will sting for fun of it, due to risk of being stung best to get rid of them. Some councils will come and remove them for free. You can get wasp removal powders - but risky.

[Fredxx]

I can assure you if one is in a shirt as you put on the shirt, it WILL sting you! Or even a sock in one instance.

Things I can testify to! Though its easy to get the barb out and I found it less painful than a wasp sting.

As a result I'm not so keen on having bees next close to the house.

[Huge]

You forgot hornets. They make wasps look like Mary Poppins. I say take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

[alan]

There are 30+ bees native to the UK. While you may find honey bees in colonies of 100,000s most social bees will have colonies of 200 or fewer.

I have mason bees (nothing to with masonry) which are completely harmless and safe with kids (they do have a minor sting but are ultra docile). They don't swarm or have a queen because they are solitary, although many hundreds will nest in the same location. They don't produce honey but arguably they pollinate more plants than bees kept for commercial purposes.

My collection hasn't done too well this year - one hot spell and a lot emerged followed by a couple of weeks of very cold and wet weather. Of the potential thousands of bees in the tubes I currently have a few dozen working hard providing for next year's generation.

They make five or six chambers in each tube using mud (red mason) or chewed up vegetation (blue mason) and lay an egg in each with a large stock of pollen as food for their offspring.

[Rick Hughes]

I only mentioned Bees and wasps as people confuse them.

It annoys me when people kill Bumble bees these are so placid you can put one on palm of your hand and it won't sting you ... and so few in a colony killing just a few can wipe it out.

I actually plant specific species of native wild flowers to attract them to my garden.

[Rick Hughes]

Been a lot of Bee rustling in this area ... people turn up at their hives, open them up to find the central frames have been stolen.

[The Other Mike]

A bumble is not always placid. I warmed one up on my palm a few years ago, first thing it did when revived was sting me. Compared to a 'normal' honey bee sting, which I've had many hundreds over the years, it was agonisingly painful.

But left alone they are rarely aggressive and there is no need to kill them but they aren't always the fluffy friendly things some make them out to be. They can sting ankles of anyone who just happens to pass by. They are a bit like dolphins with that 'smile'

P.S. When a queen bumble finds a new nest they have been reported to sting the occupants (mice) to secure their new home.

[stuart noble]

A friend in Berkshire had a hornets nest a foot above her back door. Not one ever came in the house, or came anywhere near the occupants (including 2 young children). They didn't seem to go through that dopey stage in the autumn either

[Dave Liquorice]

their

Only if you swipe 'em off. Let it bee and it walk sideways in a circle and "unscrew" its sting. Chances are you ain't going to let it do that when the first thing you know about it is the pain. B-)

What don't you understand about "leave them alone and they won't bother you"? Any creature will defend itself when attacked. Getting squished in a pocket or sock is a murderous attack as far as the Bee is concerned.

[Dave Liquorice]

Again they'll only have a go if you threaten them. Screaming, shouting and waving ones arms trying to knock 'em out of the air is a threat. Just sit quietly but keep an eye out for 'em so you don't accidentally squish one. They'll fly about for a bit but if they don't find anything interesting, like food, they'll soon buzz off.

Wasps will also get through a significant number of garden pests as well. So unless they have decided to build their nest in an inconvenient location let them live.

[Tim Streater]

If they sting *humans* they die due to our thick skin. They can happily sting other insects and get away with it.

[Fredxx]

I don't think you understand the consequence of not knowing a bee is in a sock or shirt before putting it on.

I would happily leave bees alone and in this case its irrelevant if the bee considered my actions an attack. The very fact they can is the issue.

I will also make sure it doesn't happen again to myself or any other member of my family.

[RJH]

Possibly a masonry bee? Anything like this:

(last pic)

Rob

[johnjessop46]

Have a look at J P the bee man cutting beehives out of buildings on you tube

[tony sayer]

Can't say I've ever found a Bee where a bee don't oughtabee there are so very few of them around nowadays . From just next to where I have this PC in a converted garage there is a nest most years and I hear a gentle humming sound from time to time and you can see them fly of outside a lovely reddish colour..

Had a bumble bee fly in thru the door the other day, just let it land on a bit of paper and redirected it outside hardly noticed it being moved such humble creatures;)..