Bees in chimney

[shivvy]

I seem to have a colony of honey bees living in a disused chimney in my house.  However many of them seem to be very lethargic and loads of them are dying.  Anyone got any advice about a) whether they are all likely to die, or b) how I get rid of them.

PS - the chimney is bricked up at the bottom which means that I can't smoke them out from below, but they can get into the room and all the dead ones are falling into the room (which is my bedroom -yuk - the stuff of nightmares!!)

[camille79]

This happened to me - honey bees are a protected species and so you are not legally allowed to disturb them in any way (including smoking).  We faced this problem for years (with the bees coming into the house via chimneys etc) until, at our wits end, managed to find a slightly dodgy pest controller who sympathised and smoked them out as "wasps".  Even this didn't work (you need to completely seal the chimney to prevent the bees or another lot resettling there and we used it as a flue for our gas fire.  Eventually they swarmed and moved off somewhere else.  I'd contact your local council for advice.

[lilyfrog]

We had them in the roof of my office and someone actually came out and took the whole lot away, He did have access to the roof though, a bit easier than in to a chimney. A local conservationist may also be able to help.

[shivvy]

I have heard so much conflicting advice.  Some say that they are protected - others say not.

I have trried the council and bee people to see if they will remove them but they both say that they won't touch them because they are down the chimney (anywhere else eg a tree would be no problem apparently).  They also say that rentokill type people will say the same.

It looks like we are on our own so we are planning to make sure the fireplace is well taped up and then we are going to block the top of the chimney (thankfully we live in a bungalow).  I presume that they will then die and fall to the bottom so that after we clean them up, the chimney will remain blocked to prevent it happening again.

I am not keen on killing them but I certainly can't live with them!

Thanks for the help camille and lilyfrog - I will keep wearing the bicycle clips till they are all gone!!

[bazwillrun]

Could you not block the place where they are falling into the bedroom, then drill a small access hole into the chimney and via a tube of some sort smoke them out that way. I cant believe that a pest controller cannot sort this out, the council dont want to get involved because it involves thinking about the solution.

[Kilala]

If they are honey bees it is worth finding a local bee keeper/ bee keeping association, as they will value a new swarm.  They will also know the bext way to move them on, which is surely the best bet if they are dying.

Once gone though, you MUST get your chimney swept, otherwise they will only return to their old haunt!

Let us know if anything works! 

[shivvy]

I'm pleased to report that my bedroom buddies are now gone.  Unfortunately I had to have them killed (I would have rathered move them on elsewhere) but no beekeeper would touch them because of their location ie too tricky to get at.

A pest control guy came out and said that although they may be a protected species, if they are somewhere that poses a health and safety risk eg a kiddies playground, hospital or bedroom chimney(!!) then they can be destroyed.

Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone - all very much appreciated.

[Kilala]

Just remember to do what you can to prevent another swarm from settling, it would be a real shame if you had to call out pest control again.

[shivvy]

Yup Kilala I have made the chimney bee-proof - though interestingly many of the bee people I have been talking to say that it is quite rare for them to colonise a chimney.  They also thought that they could have been dying because the weather was very warm and they (like us) need to be in a cool environment with fresh air - not down a sooty old disused chimney.

I was not pleased to have to have them killed and would always do whatever I could to protect all types of flora and fauna but I had just exhausted any other option I could think of on this occassion.

[3bigbass]

Honey bees are not a protected species in th U.K. and it is perfectly legal to destroy them. There are several insecticides licenced for the purpose but it is a job best left to a professional, and yes, I am one!

[michael678]

What you need is a C-Cap (pron. Cee-Cap), which is a cowl that fits over your chimney pot, incorporating a special disk to deter swarming bees.

You can buy via the website www.chimneycap.co.uk, where there are links to three internet suppliers.

It costs less than �20 (plus fitting of course). Get the chimney sept clean by a qualified chimney sweep and then fit the C-Cap. Easy.

[shivvy]

Thanks Michael but I haven't had any problems since I got rid of them back in the summer of 2005.

[KevD]

It is not illegal to kill a bee colony in a chimney but it is essential that the chimney be swept as soon as possible afterwards as the residual honey may attract another colony. It is also important to seal the chimney until a sweep can arrive as foraging bees may investigate the flue in search of honey and may carry the insecticidal residue back to a commercial hive where it may kill the occupants and enter the human food chain via the honey .