Mr.Johnson , I'll go along with W.Allen Dick's statment . Dusting or spraying the bee's may solve the problem now , however : 1) next sping , a colony will be back . 2) The dusted bee's will probably contaminate other colonies . 3) When robbing occurs on the weakened ( and dieing ) colony , other colonies will again be contaminated , weakened , and die . Both 2 and 3 could result in a lot of nasty things happening next spring ( diminished flora , drop off in horticulture production , and increased vegtable prices in your local area ... not to mention a lot of pissed off farmers and beekeepers ) . You best long term solution is to call the local beekeepers club and get sombody to remove , supper , and move the colony . Any stragler bees left in the attic can be eliminated with a short burst of a CO2 Fire Extinguisher . Them seal off the entrance's to the house attic with boards , caulk , and silicone sealant . Next sping if you suspect a swarm , do a quick inspection of the area . If it's the start of a swarm and no beekeeper is avalibe , CO2 'em . Otherwise , repeat the beekeeper procedure . What would be really supper is if you freind with this problem took up beekeeping , because it sure sounds like he has a real healthy family to start with . Chao , Marion L.Bristow - Jefe , Seccion Informatica Agriculture Sciences Campus Universidad de Concepcion , Campus Chillan Casilla 537 Chillan , Chile e-mail: [log in to unmask]