Hello James, > Would you like to come to Jackson, New Jersey and capture a small new hive for yourself? Sounds interesting but think I will pass and only advise. > Can we safely wait for the cold of the winter to remove it all? I would remove the swarm before long. > We have worries of the ceiling coming down and bees coming into the house. damp sheetrock easily fall releasing the brood nest into the room.. > > What would you do in our situation? What I would do and what you would do are probably different. If I were you I would contact a professional or a beekeeper in the area and see if he would help. To remove the offending hive I would go into the attic and bee vac up all the bees from the comb. Remove the comb. clean up the mess . I would let you replace the sheetrock as I only do bee removal when the people are desperate and the others will not help. I do charge for bee removal in my area and base my fee on the amount of time spent on the project. Those doing bee removal for a living in our area say my fees are below their fees. I have always treated people the way I like to be treated. Don't let a professional BS you and try to charge a couple thousand dollars for 2-3 hour bee removal. Get a close estimate from the bee remover or you will be at their mercy. . A attic brood nest between rafters with only insulation around them is a easy bee removal. Don't forget to plug the entrance as swarms like to swarm to places bees have nested before. I sell a bee removal video but would recommend getting a beekeeper (with a bee vac) or a professional. Cost is always cheaper if you replace the ceiling damage yourself. Hope I have helped! Sincerely, Bob Harrison