Larry,

I have not done removals from cinder block walls but here are a couple of thoughts:

1.  Smoke the bees and pull the insulation away to expose the area for a better look.  The nest may be right there behind the insulation - the cinder block runs are a bit too small cross-sectionally for a good nest.

2.  Should the nest be in the cinder block runs after all, identify which runs are occupied.  Use a masonary drill to make exploratory holes below and above the entrance to find the extent of the nest.  Use a stephoscope although the buzz may not carry well through the wall.

Once you reach this point, you have two options:

Option 1. Cement the run under the nest and slowly fill the run with water (hopefully the water won't seep out any side holes).  The bees and the queen will slowly emerge from the run and you should be able to collect them with a bee vac.  You won't recover the combs and the brood.

Option 2. Starting at the bottom of the nest, make holes in increments of 12 in. to be able to reach up and remove chunks of comb (if your hand will fit in there).  Smoke the bees heavily first or use Bee-Go (or equivalent) to force the bees up to remove comb chucks easier. Use a bee vac near the entrance to collect the bees.

It won't be easy - good luck!  May want to use scaffolding instead of a ladder.  You'll be there for a while.  Take pictures as you go.

Waldemar
Long Island, NY

PS.1  There was an article in Bee Culture a few months ago about a removal job in a brick home.  They had removed some bricks to gain access to the newly established swarm though.

PS.2 Using a wire mesh cone over the entrance in the wall and a queenright hive next to the entrance is an option but will take several weeks.

---------- Forwarded Message ----------
to remove what appears to be a rather large colony of honeybees from a warehouse wall.  It is a cinder block wall...

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