Hi Richard,
 
    You'll find that homeowners don't always know the facts on bees the
way beekeepers would like them to.  I've been called out on umpteen
places where homeowners swear they know the difference between
yellow-jackets & bees, only to find they didn't.
    If there were bees in the building for the last five years, there's
always the remote possibility they're there from a repeating
population.  However, with the mite devastation, it's more likely the
bees were killed time & time again - only to be replaced by another
swarm.  Bees will quickly find any 'empty' bee-site which was previously
populated.  The remaining wax is a dead giveaway when the temperatures
start to increase.  To get an idea how powerful the smell of melting wax
can be for bees, leave some comb out on your deck or porch when it gets
hot.
    Many times, pesticide places will be called back year after year, as
the bees come back to the same house time & time again - until all
available space (large enough for a hive) is filled with insulation.
Good luck with your hive removal & feel free to e-mail me if you need
help.
 
Matthew Westall in Castle Rock, CO
 
 
Richard Spiekhout wrote:
 
> I have had my first request to remove bees from a building.  My
> question is, if they have been there for years( 5 or more), how did
> they
> survive?