House Hunting - Found a wild hive!

[SystemShark]

My girlfriend and I were out looking at houses today and the first house we stop at we found honey bees! We parked and started walking around back to check out the yard and peek in the windows. I see between the cement/basement level and the main entrance level of aluminum siding I saw a bunch of bees making their way in and out of a nickel sized hole.

I was so excited since I've been looking for a swarm / wild hive for a while now and I took the bees a sign that we should buy the house :p Anyway I'm now concerned for the bee's welfare and I was thinking of calling up my mentor to see what he suggests. Maybe we could call the Realtor and let them know about the bees then offer to remove them. Then again I don't have any experience removing home siding or removing bees for that matter so I might run the risk that they would just hire an exterminator to kill them off.

Any suggestions? Besides buying the house I mean ;-) we just saw it today but it is one of the nicer ones we've seen so far.. I'm assuming its okay to remove a problem hive when its in a bad location and get them into a beekeepers hive with brood chambers and frames ect... Any advice?

[asprince]

Tell the Realtor that they are killer Bees and then make them an offer.

Seriously, it can be costly to repair the damage from removing the siding and other stuff that gets in the way. Even if they do use an exterminator, the honey and brood will need to be removed or it will stink.

Steve

[Moonshae]

I would make sure the extraction/repair is done before you buy, there could be a fair amount of damage if it is done wrong and they just spray chemicals into the hole. Dripping honey, mice, bugs...nastiness.

[SystemShark]

See thats why I'm worried too. I know in the grand scheme of things a smaller hive of bees as opposed to my first house don't really "value" up but  as a future beekeeper. I'd hate to tell the Realtor to get rid of them and then they get terminated. I was hoping to get involved to try and save'em.

I like the idea of telling them they are killer bee's though! Get a big discount then do all the bee-removal work with my beekeeping friend.

[MrILoveTheAnts]

A can of raid could end this all, or for that matter a nickel to seal up their hole could end this all. It might save you a few thousand but their counter offer might be to remove the costs of an exterminator form the end price.

House siding is just held on by nails, with the above piece covering the nails to the lower one. Smoke the bees, remove the siding, take out the wall and remove the comb. Rubber bands can be used to hold the come in place on empty frames and they can be slid into a deep easily. Putting the house back together is another issue.

If you feel removing them is best then just close up the hole.

[bluegrass]

I wouldn't tell the realtor. If your interested in the house than get your inspection....when the bug guy comes to do his inspection he/she will see the bees and put them in the report. Make sure at that time you say (honey bees? This time of year they cannot be exterminated....all that honey and brood will rot in the walls) Make them and offer on the house as is and 10,000 under their asking price, you will take care of the bees.....

[Holycow]

Hi,
As far as Raid, or sealing up the hole in the wall goes..BAD IDEA
I've removed some hives from homes where people have done just that several times.. the bees almost always come back. (which is amazing  since all trouble we have keeping bees alive in their standard hives, you often times can't wipe out a hive in a wall or tree. ..without really knowing what you are doing)
Removing it entirely is the only "real" long term solution, otherwise you set yourself up for lots of potential problems down the line.
I can give you more exacting instructions if you do decide to go that route.
--Jeff