This was the sight that faced me when I went into our bedroom yesterday afternoon to start clearing my chest of drawers so we could move the furniture out as we're having a new carpet laid . . . Needless to say, with a swarm settling in the chimney I had a sudden change of plan! We used to have the bottom of this chimney blocked with a piece of chipboard but it had warped and when I was painting I removed it. A bad move!
We phoned our builder Steve, who happens to be a beekeeper and he advised us that these were probably just Scout bees, ahead of the swarm. Sadly he was wrong (see picture below of swarm on chimney . . .) So then he suggested lighting a smudge fire in the chimney to make it unwelcoming for them. Don't worry he said, the ones in the window will be out before dark and then the swarm will probably come down the chimney as they won't be out overnight. Then he really cheered me up by telling me that they would probably die over the winter anyway. "But it's SPRING now!", I wailed!!
Anyway, this is a better photo taken this morning of the swarm - looks as it did last night actually! - and I am hoping they will take off for another victim. Our next door neighbour up the hill had a swarm in her attic too - the Pest Control people turned up here looking for her (we're the centre of the postcode). This warm weather has set them off early. What was the old saying, "a swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay?"
My good man set too and effected a chimney block with the old piece of wood and Gorilla Gaffer Tape (will have to paint this over since Jungle is not a good look for a bedroom!) and all the bees are evicted now. I have a few to hoover up from the Morning Room too as they came down the chimney there and then got stuck in the cobwebs around the window. Says a lot about my housekeeping I know, but useful on this occasion! I only clean the windows in there a couple of times a year, but now is obviously the time, ahead of the house going back on the market.
I must mention that Steve told me a wonderful tale of one of his mates in the local Bee Keepers Association, who was called to a swarm in a bungalow chimney. This was a dormant chimney which wasn't used. He lit a smudge fire which went up the chimney, then to his horror he realized that it was a chimney which must have been colonized by bees for many years when molten wax and honey (and dead bees) ended up in the fireplace - there was a terrific chimney fire and the bungalow burned down!! So we had to cross our fingers mightily before lighting OUR smudge fire!!
Ah, the joys of country living . . .
