Hey, that's interesting... West 113th St, and the 
Butler Library at Columbia U is just to the North, 
the article said? 

Well, I was speaking at Columbia just last week about
non-bee subjects, and afterwards, I was asked to look
at a Columbia U staff residence just a few blocks away 
from 113th.  I was shown, judging from the sorties
per minute, a very large colony that had set up shop 
in the hollow area between the layers of brick of the 
double-walled brick building 4 stories up.

In the photo 
http://bee-quick.com/columbia_u.gif
one can see unsuccessful attempts to patch the openings 
in the mortar and thereby starve the hive to death.  
(Not surprisingly, the bees found altenate entrances - 
the mortar is riddled with bee-sized holes.)

They wanted the bees out, but not killed.  They care.
They have a resident who claims the usual 
life-threatening "allergy" to bees, yet carries 
no Epi-Pen. I was asked to subcontract under 
their pest control company to cover licensing 
and insurance issues.

I explained that the job would be anything but cheap,
moreso given that this was a "historic structure"
demanding care in the removal and replacement of the 
brick to get the combs out, and would cost even more 
if I had to go in from the outside, rather than out 
from inside, as "height + bees = risk".  They offered 
me a very nice fee.

But this observation by Peter poses an ethical dilemma.

I wonder if Mr. Graves and Ms. Goodman still have a
hive on 113th.  I know that Graves still sells lots 
and lots of "New York City Honey" every weekend at 
the farmers markets at prices you would not believe,
so if he is truthfully labeling the honey as to its
origin, perhaps these are his bees, and he'd like
them returned.

On the other hand, perhaps Columbia would want to
recover their costs by back-billing my fees to 
Graves & Goodman for negligently letting a hive swarm 
in the middle of a city where beekeeping is not strictly 
legal, even though Graves sells so much "New York City
Honey", he either has dozens of hives spread across 
the city, or misleads his customers.

Columbia is my client in this little project.  
Their check already cleared.

If I say nothing, I may get many more fun and exciting 
high-altitude colonies that need removing in the future.

If I say something, I'd expose Graves and Goodman
to regulatory problems, and perhaps the wrath of
Columbia U.  

Suggestions?  I'm inclined to remove the hive, and
not speculate as to the possible source of the bees.

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