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Author Topic: Will this work?  (Read 9950 times)

Offline beequeen

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Will this work?
« on: March 27, 2008, 02:38:03 am »
HELP!!!! A huge swarm of bees flew into the vent for my kitchen stove earlier today. Apparently my neighbors saw it and said the whole thing was totally surreal. They said the sound was extremely loud and it looked like about a thousand bees! Yikes!!!! So I haven't been in my back yard or let the dogs out all day....

Anyhow, I  would prefer that they leave on their own free will rather than calling an exterminator who will just kill them. Any suggestions on how I might make their stay more unpleasant?

I've put the stove fan on hoping the air and noise bothers them, and I placed a pan of ammonia underneath the fan hoping the fumes makes them uncomfortable....

Any other suggestions or ideas? Maybe other fumes I could try releasing under the fan? I'd prefer to save these little wanderers if possible.

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2008, 07:23:46 am »
Now is the best time to get them to leave of their own free will.  In a few days they will have build comb and will have to be forcibly evicted.  I've heard that moth balls are effective at driving them out.  Almond extract or Benzaldehyde is a fairly good bee repellent.  But the fumes have to be pretty heavy to drive them out.  The sooner the better.  Maybe just leaving the fan running will drive them nuts with the draft blowing through.  I would keep trying until they leave.  Time is of the essence.
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Offline JP

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2008, 09:23:22 am »
Be aggressive!!! Yes, don't let them set up shop. Hey, call a beekeeper in your area that removes swarms, or call 911 and the dispatch usually has someone, a beekeeper, who will come and get them. Swarms should never be killed, unless they have been there a very short time, and it would be impractical to take the house apart to get them out. Established colonies is an entirely different matter all together. Noone myself included wants to kill a swarm, but sometimes this is done over dismantling. I may catch flack for saying this, but this is the unfortunate truth. let us know your plight.


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Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2008, 11:44:52 am »
A Thousand bees? Ha, try 10,000-15,000!!! :roll:

Do you see them going and coming on the outside of the vent?  If not, they probably didn't stay.

If you have the vent on right now, I don't think they would have stayed in the pipe.  If the fan is on, and there are bees going in and out on the outside, I'd guess it to be more likely that they found a hole to a space in the wall near the vent.  Then the fumes wouldn't bother them.

I agree with JP.  A dog is good.  I call the pound to pick up an easily removed stray. A stray dog camped out in my house dropping loads around that won't be removed is bad. :roll:  Same with bees.

Rick
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Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2008, 12:15:52 pm »
Well.....I was up at about 6:30 this morning. It was still dark so I figured they might still be asleep (?). I haven't heard anything or seen any bees around. I was hoping that if they were going to leave I might see them, but nothing.... I can't imagine they'd have flown away at night. Would they have possibly left before the sun came up?

It's soooo odd! Of course, now I'm a little worried. Would the ammonia fumes have killed them? Any chance I have thousands of dead bees in my stove vent? Ugh!

Also, I hate to think I killed the little guys. I really like bees even if I don't want thousands living in my house with me....  :(

Offline beequeen

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Yikes!!! They are still here
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2008, 03:01:14 pm »
Crumb!!!!  I guess I was wrong. The bees are still here. Apparently, they were just sleeping in. Sooooo.... I'm boiling the ammonia and have the fan on full-blast. Since it is daytime they have plenty of chance to leave. I really hate the idea of having an exterminator destroy them.

Any one knows of some type of smell or fumes that might drive them away?

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2008, 03:09:37 pm »
Got an old pan? Might burn bacon to an ash see if that smoke will run them out.

Strong pine-sol? Pour a big pot full of it and sit it there with the smoking bacon and ammonia.

Keep it up and I am sure they will get agitated and leave. 
« Last Edit: March 27, 2008, 04:35:08 pm by Jerrymac »
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Offline jimmyo

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2008, 04:11:24 pm »
would beequick or some other bee repellant that works on supers do the same thing in a duct? Boiling amonia sounds like it would be hard on everyone in the house, Not just the bees.
Jim   

Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2008, 05:06:01 pm »
I read about Bee Gone or Bee Quick and was wondering the same thing. The problem is I live in a suburb area near Los Angeles and there is no farm or beekeeper's supply stores nearby. The best I have is Home Depot, Osh, Lowes, etc... and I kind of doubt they carry anything like this... but I'm going right now to check!!!

Heck, I wouldn't mind getting one of those beekeeping frames, some pheremones (spelling?), or whatever it is and lure the bees into something else and then do some back yard beekeeping.... but I have a teeny tiny yard and I don't think my neighbors would appreciate it...

Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2008, 06:26:37 pm »
Actually, the ammonia hasn't been so bad. My fan is a pretty good one. I just put bacon on and am trying to smoke them out. But I was thinking, what about using a flare? Don't they create a lot of smoke?

Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2008, 06:30:07 pm »
Whoa, I was just thinking.... doesn't "smoking" bees only calm them? How would it drive them away?

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2008, 06:37:18 pm »
Enough irritating smoke should drive them out. If the place is to "smelly" for settling in they won't stay.
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Offline JP

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2008, 08:25:52 pm »
To get them to vacate, remember it is important to smoke them from the inside, forcing them outside. If you spray or smoke from the outside you will just drive them in, deeper, if there is a deeper place for them to escape to. Have you called 911 yet? Call the number, they usually have someone on board that can help.


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Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2008, 09:15:17 pm »
Oh, I'm definitely smoking them from the inside, I have everything on my stovetop and the fan on blowing it up at them.

Unfortunately I'm finding it difficult to create enough smoke.  And it's getting late over here (California) so they will probably go to sleep soon. In the morning an exterminator will be here. I hate to do it, but my unwelcome house guests just won't leave....  :(

Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2008, 09:17:12 pm »
911? Really? I've never heard of anyone calling 911 for bees...

Offline JP

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2008, 10:47:34 pm »
911? Really? I've never heard of anyone calling 911 for bees...

I get a few calls a week from 911 dispatch about swarms and one yesterday about bees in a vacant house.

Have you tried to get a beekeeper out to your house?

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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2008, 10:49:55 pm »
you probably don't need to call 911.  just call the regular line at your fire dept police office. 
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2008, 12:55:15 am »
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too many beekeepers here in Los Angeles. I've called a few of them. There's one name Walt (San Fernando Valley), but he felt I lived too far away (I'm in the Santa Clarita Valley), there was one more I couldn't get a hold of and he's also in the San Fernando Valley. I left my number, but he hasn't called me back. Then there's one who lives pretty close to me, but he's out of town (in Northern California) at some bee conference or class or something!!!

Sheesh! Where's a beekeeper when you need one!  :-\

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2008, 01:00:49 am »
Kirk-o Hey Kirk-o Where are you? Some one in LA has free bees!!!

Well I tried. He might come around now that we know you are in LA. You might have mentioned it before and I just over looked it. Something might happen for the good yet.
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Offline beequeen

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Re: Will this work?
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2008, 01:09:49 am »
Not only that, they seem "good" bees. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but a few have flown into my house and they had pollen on their legs and didn't try to attack me. They appear healthy (like I really know anything!).