# The Little Bee Hive



## zozo (16 Nov 2020)

Haven't been on the attic a few months and this morning I find this. 






And loads of little dead wild bees below it, it's abandoned and empty by now as it seems. Maybe lucky me, not getting there all these months at the hight of the activity. Seeing its size there must have been 1000nds of them if they would have attacked me I wouldn't know where to go.

I'm trying to find a way to preserve this thing and get it down in one piece as much as possible. Yet don't know how hairspray maybe?? It's awfully fragile and thin..


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## hypnogogia (16 Nov 2020)

They're amazingly pretty.  Lucky to have had bees.  At least they cause no damage.  Wasps would have been a different matter.


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## Andy Taylor (16 Nov 2020)

Natures beauty at its best.


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## DeepMetropolis (16 Nov 2020)

That's a big one.. Pff be glad they moved on. 

Greetz, Luciën.


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## zozo (16 Nov 2020)

I've had Hornets a few years back, above the kitchen window in the roller shutter box... They really are nasty blighters... They had dug themselves through the ceiling boarding to get in the kitchen.


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## zozo (16 Nov 2020)

DeepMetropolis said:


> That's a big one.. Pff be glad they moved on.
> 
> Greetz, Luciën.



Well, they always do, the complete population dies in the fall and only the queen lives on but flies out and moves away. They build a new nest each year again.


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## DeepMetropolis (16 Nov 2020)

Okay, I only know about honey bees they go to winter hybernate.. 

Greetz, Luciën.


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## dw1305 (16 Nov 2020)

Hi all, 


zozo said:


> And loads of little dead wild bees below it,


I think they must be "wasps", purely because wasps make paper nests and bees use wax.  In the UK those scalloped outer nests covers are made by _Vespula vulgaris, _I'm not sure about mainland Europe, where you will have more different social wasps.  

The little bees might be an insect that has "lodged" in the wasp nest, there are a whole range of parasitic/commensal insects that occur in wasp nests. 

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (16 Nov 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I think they must be "wasps", purely because wasps make paper nests and bees use wax.  In the UK those scalloped outer nests covers are made by _Vespula vulgaris, _I'm not sure about mainland Europe, where you will have more different social wasps.
> 
> ...



I was in doubt as well, because I couldn't find any images nor a description of such a style bees nests. But I find loads of small dead bees around the nest and 0 wasps. So I assumed it was some wild bees nest. I must be much longer not entering the attic than I thought... In my memory, it was a few months, but I can't imagine that wasps and bees occupy the same nest in such a short period. 

Amazing actually, wasps finding my attic to build a nest, go away and then bees find it back to lodge in it...


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## Karmicnull (16 Nov 2020)

Yeah I second wasp - I've had to deal with several wasps nests over the years and they all look like that.


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## aaron.c (16 Nov 2020)

It’s wasps

Bees make their nests in cracks and crevices from wax, not paper

Be careful, there may still be wasps in there. Not fun in an enclosed space.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Zeus. (16 Nov 2020)

Very impressive 😃


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## Karmicnull (16 Nov 2020)

Dug out a photo of the one in our bike shed from a few years back (this was before I sprayed it with wasp powder and ran like hell).  The patterning is virtually identical.


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## zozo (17 Nov 2020)

Karmicnull said:


> Dug out a photo of the one in our bike shed from a few years back (this was before I sprayed it with wasp powder and ran like hell).  The patterning is virtually identical.
> View attachment 156515



Indeed it is identical in construction... If you ever have one again there is no need to make a run around for Wasp powder.
Wasps are similar to Houseflies and Mosquitos from the order Hymenoptera. Then all you need is a spray can against housefly and mosquito from the supermarket. They do not add wasps to the label nor to the description, but it kills all Hymenoptera. I guess they don't publically advertise this to prevent people from doing stupid things.

Then fix a tube to the spray nozzle, I once did it with such a nozzle adapter from a gas can to fill lighters. This adapter fits in a 4x6 mm tube and on the can spray nozzle. The Hornets nested above the kitchen window in the roller shutter box. Looked up the entrance they used stuck in the tube sprayed the nest for a few seconds and made a run for it. They all went mad and the box started buzzing so loud it sounded like it wanted to fly away completely. About 30 minutes later all were dead.

Even better if the nest is located at a place you can avoid, then do this and wait for the winter. Most likely by that time, it will be abandoned, but always make sure it is before you try to remove it.


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## mort (17 Nov 2020)

I love wasps and have been watching them enjoy the flowers on my fatsia which has been full of them over the last few days, enjoying their retirement before winter takes them. 

If you have a shed or wooden fence you will probably be able to see little lines where they have stripped the wood to make the nest. Wasps can take over bee hives for the honey but I don't think they kill bees for food, unlike hornets which make similar nests.

I regularly find the little overwintering wasp nests in my shed and did have a large nest full of wasps last year in there but luckily it's far enough out of the way to not worry about, so I left them to it.

Be thankful it wasn't a nest of murder hornets.


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## Zeus. (17 Nov 2020)

Read somewhere that the wasp lava can be good for fishing as they are so much bigger than the lava aka maggots which have be used of fishing for some time. Could have a nice sideline there Zozo if the wasps return


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## zozo (17 Nov 2020)

Zeus. said:


> Could have a nice sideline there Zozo if the wasps return



Haha, a few decades ago morality took ahold of me after accidentally killing a juvenile Carp that took my bait and i hooked it to late (faulty rig). It swallowed the hook into its stomach and it riped internally... It kinda made me very sad having that baby carp dying in my hands and thought wtf are you actually doing and why? This ain't a sport nor is it fun it's worst than malicious pleasure... Since that day I gave up angling, gave all my stuff away for free and never fished for sport again.

Tho I still would for food, that's different, then it has some purpose and a well-prepared trout or pike or bass can be delicious.

But there is no water near my place worth fishing and to catch a fish for dinner. Then it's still cheaper and easier to buy one.


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## Witcher (17 Nov 2020)

zozo said:


> About 30 minutes later all were dead.





zozo said:


> that baby carp dying in my hands and thought wtf are you actually doing and why?


What about baby wasps dying from your hands? 

Wasps: Why are they Important?


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## zozo (17 Nov 2020)

Witcher said:


> What about baby wasps dying from your hands?
> 
> Wasps: Why are they Important?



Well i didn't do it for the fun of it...  And it were freaking big hornets above my kitchen window and they chewed a way through the ceiling into my kitchen. Thus occasionaly i had them flying around indoors... And it was also next to my bathroom that always has an open window for ventilation... One night i had to pee and walked barefoot into my bathroom and a didn't notice a few hornets crawling over the floor and i steped on it before the light was on.

Have you ever been stung by a 2 inch big hornet in the sole of the foot while you need to pee?

I did and then i made a little dance, swearing the hell out of them almost wetting meself... 

That did it for me,i know they are important but in this case...



Bye Bye no more baby Hornets for me nesting at this specific location terrorizing my house.


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## Oldguy (18 Nov 2020)

zozo said:


> I'm trying to find a way to preserve this thing and get it down in one piece as much as possible.


I would try painting/spraying with a 'rotten wood' harder. Its a polymer in acetone/methyl ethyl ketone. Ronseal do one.

We had a wasps nest behind the tumble drier in a garden shed. Sprayed it with commercial carpet moth killer. Wasps fell out of the air. As for stripping wood, they can buy their own garden furniture.

I'm not against nature but there has to be a balance, not many people keep wood worms or death watch beetles for pets or feel sorry for tapeworms.

Very happy for cockchafers in the lawn and the occasional mole and for sparrows and starlings to nest in the roof.  We all draw a line somewhere.


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## mort (18 Nov 2020)

I think wasps get a lot of hatred from their bad reputation and if people knew the good job they did, they would consider them more like bees. I do complete get why you wouldn't want them living in your house though, I think even people who love bees, wouldn't want a hive in their home.


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## Wolf6 (19 Nov 2020)

We have a lot of wood in the garden that the wasps come and chew bits off for their nests and thats fine, because they also eat aphids and musquitos and the likes in the garden, of which we have plenty in summer. But when one started making a nest in the kids treehouse, I also drew the line. I removed it asap before it could grow big enough. Also had them nesting in between the wooden paneling covering the house a few years back, near a window. Had to exterminate that as they kept flying into the house and buzzing loudly in the early mornings. As said before in this thread, somewhere we draw a line. In summer we also have a lot of hornet visits, those are scary big. Glad they nest further away up in high trees, if one of those nested in the garden or house I'd wet myself.


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## PARAGUAY (19 Nov 2020)

A few years ago Bees took over the Blue tit nest box at the front of the house .Our worry at the time they were all over the front garden and possibility of small children about. The local Bee Society told us they were Bumble Bees quite harmless and by September would vacate the box. Which they did. I have heard that the worst time for wasps is around August in very warm weather as they get agitated


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## Tim Harrison (19 Nov 2020)

zozo said:


> Haven't been on the attic a few months and this morning I find this.
> 
> View attachment 156507
> 
> ...


Wow, that has to be the biggest wasps nest I've ever seen. I've found several much smaller wasp's nest over the years during the course of house renovations etc. Probably a different species.



mort said:


> I think wasps get a lot of hatred from their bad reputation and if people knew the good job they did


I think that's true too. They get an enormous amount of bad press. Generally wasps seem to be associated with a great deal of hysteria. Coming from a conservation background I love all gods creatures, except myriapods and slugs and snails 

I once freed a female giant woodwasp, a type of xylophagous sawfly, from under a glass at a kids party. A well meaning parent had fallen for its disguise and mistaken the ovipositor for a stinger and was scared stiff the obviously deranged and psychopathic insect would go on a mad stinging rampage, maiming and grievously injuring innocent children.


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## not called Bob (19 Nov 2020)

PARAGUAY said:


> A few years ago Bees took over the Blue tit nest box at the front of the house .Our worry at the time they were all over the front garden and possibility of small children about. The local Bee Society told us they were Bumble Bees quite harmless and by September would vacate the box. Which they did. I have heard that the worst time for wasps is around August in very warm weather as they get agitated


end of summer/early autumn when drunk on rotting fruit and hives are starting to collapse and they are out of a job is when they normally cause the most upset. rest of the time its folks that swat at them etc and wind them up that results in a sting


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## zozo (19 Nov 2020)

> Wow, that has to be the biggest wasps nest I've ever seen. I've found several much smaller wasp's nest over the years during the course of house renovations etc. Probably a different species.



It indeed is a beast...  I've never seen such a big one too... I have 3 options, try to preserve it and remove it. Or keep it hanging where it is. As it seems nests are only used 1 season and never again and also seem to prevent other wasps to use the same area. Or just destroy it with the vacuum cleaner...

Maybe i just leave it as is and see how it goes... I rarely use the attic anyway... But then I will rarely see it.


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## Witcher (19 Nov 2020)

zozo said:


> I did and then i made a little dance, swearing the hell out of them almost wetting meself...


Like the chap on this video? If you can't love them, you can eat them 



That guy eating the larvae is quite popular ethnobotanist and wrote fascinating book about living in the nature: On the Wild Side: From the Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers to Postmodern Foraging


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## zozo (19 Nov 2020)

Witcher said:


> Like the chap on this video? If you can't love them, you can eat them
> 
> 
> 
> That guy eating the larvae is quite popular ethnobotanist and wrote fascinating book about living in the nature: On the Wild Side: From the Anthropology of Hunter-Gatherers to Postmodern Foraging




It probably does taste good too...  But i never did... I once did eat some Hormigas Culonas and they taste similar to salty roasted peanuts. 





https://eatyourworld.com/destinations/south_america/colombia/santander/what_to_eat/hormigas_culonas


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## RHill24 (1 Dec 2020)

Man, I really am not an outside person. It's the first time I saw a beehive.


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