I am impacted by a feral nest. Its been there for several years, but this year the bees have become aggressive, and can’t be allowed to continue.
I tried to save it but no-one wants to know about it. It is in the trunk of a living tree and the entrance is about 3.5 feet high directing the bees into conflict with anyone in front of the tree.
Anyway the weather is turning cold, so I got out at night and sealed the entrance. I figured if I didn’t see any bees in the following days I would have to nuke the nest. If I did see bees then they have a second entrance.
Turns out they have a second previously unused entrance that is about 6 feet high and points in a different direction. I thought this might be enough to cause them to reorient and maybe their new flight path may be less problematic.
Its been a few days but they still head to the old entrance. And have actually become more problematic as they circle the old entrance and the tree. I have sprayed the old entrance with bleach but it hasn’t deterred them.
Hense my question, can I force the reorientation or do I just nuke them?
You could try putting a shrub in the way (in a pot) or something that obscures the entrance, and also makes it look very different. If it looks like a different location, returning foragers will have to re-orient to find the new entrance
I felt uncomfortable about destroying the nest, although I knew they were probably going to continue being a nuisance. If not to me then to managed hives nearby.
It appears my actions have led to an early demise of the colony. My timing sucks.
The tree is actually next door. The property has been abandoned for over a year and the owner did not want to acknowledge the nests existence. It appears it has been sold and the new owner has noticed the increased activity and sprayed them and sealed the second entrance. There are a lot of confused bees returning from foraging, how long will these bees live outside the nest?
The spray he used was a knock-down spray so it hasn’t killed the nest, he just sealed them in alive. I guess they will overheat and die eventually … How long will this take?
I still have the option of pouring something volatile into the nest, but not sure what to use … petrol? … at least a quick death. But I don’t want to kill the tree in the process.
Hi there, I’m sorry to hear about all this and am impressed by your diligent effort toward a humane solution.
The foragers are the most elderly bees so they don’t have a long season ahead of them. They may just exhaust themselves trying to get back in the usual entrance, or may find their way to another hive and beg their way in with nectar to offer.
It’s tough to advise you from afar about how to hasten the demise of this colony you say has been sealed in but not killed en masse. I’ve never had to euthanize a colony myself, but am aware that strong dish soap like Dawn in some proportion with hot water is effective. I don’t know for sure if it would be less damaging to the tree, but as my arborist husband confirms, if this tree already has a large-enough cavity to house a bee colony then it won’t last long either or could pose a hazard.
I commend you for your advocacy for these pollinators, and wish you a peaceful season after this sad episode
