I'd like to run an idea by you folks to see what you all think.

The cinderblock bldg company called back saying they want me to remove the bee colonies.  In fact, they think there is a third colony in the wall judging by the distance of its entrance from the other ones...

Anyway, my first instinct approach was to take the cinderblocks out one by one starting at the entrance at the top.  That's a lot of work...

I was brain storming alternatives while installing a window in a brick wall at my house yesterday and thought it would be a lot easier to use a masonary blade [on a saw or a grinder] to cut just through the exterior cinderblock walls at the sides of each hollow.  Cutting down this way through the courses of cinder blocks should reveal the narrow combs in the hollows.  Vacuuming off the bees and cutting out the combs should be a lot easier then, too.  What do you all think about this approach?

The only downside to this approach that I see is putting the cinder block sections back in although mortaring these cut pieces back in should be a lot easier than setting entire cinder blocks back in...

Dee (and anyone else), I have 4 questions for you:

- when you were extracting bees out of cinder block walls, were there two narrow combs in the block hollows?

- how many feet - horizontally and vertically - did the combs extend?

- did you drill pilot holes in the mortar between the blocks to judge the extent of the nest?

- I think the convective chimney effect in the cinderblock hollow should carry smoke with a bee repellent injected at the bottom of the nest's extent up through the nest pretty effectively.  Would the repellent drive the bees and the QUEEN up and out through the top entrance in your experience?
  
This will be my first cinderblock extraction and I'd love to hear everyone's input and advice.

Waldemar

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