Steve wrote:

>>I got a call from a local about a swarm settling on his
house. ...the bees had made their way under his roof two stories up.
...Is it worth bothering with an operation like this two stories off the
ground? What should I be looking for...?

Two stories off the ground is high for most people - be very careful if you decide to use a ladder.  A colony is not worth a broken neck.  Scaffolding is much safer but you may need help to haul it to the site and set it up.

Roofs are tricky.  I'd examine the roof from inside the attic if you can.  Do you know if the attic is finished?  If the attic is finished, the bees will have a very long cavity.  It's fairly easy to open the ceiling in the attic for access.  Put your ear to the attic ceiling first or use a stethoscope to pinpoint the nest's location.  Remember that buzzing carries in hollow spaces over many feet, so look for a spot where its intensity is the greatest.

Personally, I doubt the bees are in the roof as roofs get extremely hot.  More likely, the bees are in the eave.  Removing the facia board should expose the nest.  Smoke the bees to jam their alarm communications.

If you don't have one, I recommend you make a bee vac (beesource.com has a nice design; I made mine from cardboard boxes & reinforced it with wood to reduce the weight).  I can't imagine doing a removal without a bee vac.  When you've vacuumed up most of the bees, it will be easier to hold and cut loose the combs.  The combs will be new and on delicate so use a sharp hive tool or a knife to cut them.

I don't tie combs into frames as I find that frames drawn from scratch have a better cell pattern.  Instead, I put an extra empty box over the inner cover and lean the combs with honey and brood against its walls and each other, separating the combs with 3/8" wood sticks.  Bees come up through the hole in the inner cover care for the brood and take the honey down, as needed.  When the combs are empty 2-3 weeks later, I melt them down.

Good luck.  Whatever you decide, it's best to plan the operation ahead step by step in great detail.  And make a list of tools and materials to bring with you.  I've had a couple of instances where I forgot to bring an extra box or matches for the smoker...

Waldemar
Long Island, NY

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