Looking for some advice/assistance if possible.

[Lisa]

Hi there

I found this forum after doing a google search on Bee Hives, hope you don't mind me joing up to ask some advice?

I was wondering if anyone can help. I live in the Paisley area and suspect there is a bee hive underneath the decking in my back garden.

There seems to be a lot of them going in and out between the slats but I am afraid to take the decking off in case they see it as a threat and attack! I have no idea what type of bees they are but most of them do seem pretty small, like the size of the tip if my index finger maybe... They fly at you if you go out the back door but dont seem to want to sting just warn you off. But I was wondering is there any way I could get someone to move them to a more suitable location? Or would this harm them as I wouldnt want them to die.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice anyone can offer?

[gavin]

Hi Lisa

Very happy to see you here - the forum is open to all!

I'm not sure if these really are honeybees as there are other kinds of bee that might take up residence in your decking. Honeybees are roughly wasp-sized and vary from blackish-brown to brownish with a couple of orange stripes. See some here:

http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/entry.php?14-The-best-day-yet

If they are one of the solitary bees they'll do no harm to you and your family, and disappear within a few weeks but possibly reappear next spring.

I'll send you a private message with contact details for a beekeeper in Houston in case you'd like to try him.

best wishes

Gavin

[Lisa]

Hi Gavin

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post :)

I had a look at your pictures and I think the ones in my garden are def smaller but I can't be sure as I have never seen them close up, they dont stay still long enough hehe.

I might drop Peter an email thanks very much for sending me his information. They are quite facinating to watch actually from behind glass lol I am not brave enough to get up close to them and I do often wonder what they are doing under there.

Oh well thanks again for your help, if you think they will be away soon might just leave them and see what happens.

[gavin]

Hi Lisa

They do sound like one of the other bees such as a mining bee. Very unlikely to sting. Although solitary in that they do not share the raising of young as do honey and bumble bees, they often do nest colonially.

There is a gallery of photographs here which demonstrates the diversity of bees there are around. The south of England has most, but quite a few can be found in Scotland. Three times this spring I've found the nests of one of these solitary bees in empty beekeeping equipment - usually a string of single mud-lined cells each provisioned with dry pollen and with an egg laid in each.

http://www.bwars.com/Gallery.htm

I see that Kelvingrove has an entomologist. If you are curious, they might attempt an identification for you.

http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/assets/fileStore/SubjectGuidetoSpecialismsOctober2009.pdf

best wishes

Gavin

[Alton]

Burn some leaves down their hive which produce black smoke. by this hope they will permanently gone and never come back. Don't burn their hive. Just put some burning leaves in a huge quantity which make black smoke. It the hive is on a tree then put the burning leaves near the roots of the tree but the smoke from it directly goes to the hive in a great quantity which make breathing problem to bees and hope they will leave that place permanently.

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