Sounds like you will need to use several approaches. I would use my shop vac to remove the majority of the bees before they have time to get an established nest. I have a special shopvac which captures the bees in a box prior to entering the vacuum. I would combine these with a new queen and write off the other unless I happened to find her and collect her in good shap. I would place a bee escape over the entrance to allow bees to exit but not return, the bees collected from inside with a queen would be placed in proximity to the entrance as a bait hive. Many of the bees will eventually drift to the new position after it is obvious they are not getting back in. finally I would kill any bees remaining (after a period when I felt I could not gety any more) and seal the entrance to prevent a repeat occurance. Hope this helps Cheers Mike >Bee-listers, > >I went up into an attic tonight to inspect a swarm that moved into its new >quarters over the weekend. > >The swarm has set up housekeeping in the attic space near the chimney, with >the entrance where the chimney meets the eaves. Great location, nice and >warm. > >While in the attic, I can see the upper part of the swarm but it was a foot >out of reach, wedged in between the ceiling and sloping roof rafters. > >As in all swarm removals there are 3 choices: > >1. Remove the outside wall = stucco. Not an option at this time. > >2. Destroy with soapy water. Owner is very understanding about the >diminishing bee population and would like to save them, Also she has heard >of a Chinese proverb that states "Bees in a house = a house that is >blessed". Where did this saying come from? > >3. Bait the swarm out. > > ATTIC APPROACH. Would a few frames of brood placed near the swarm entice >them to move away from their newly formed comb? (They have only been there >since 5 days ago) > >OUTSIDE APPROACH. Use a bait hive and wire screen funnel to remove most of >the field bees. > >Any input into this project would be helpful. > >Paul Cronshaw DC >Cyberchiro and Hobby Beekeeper