I received a call from my brother in-law that a homeowner he knows that is looking to get rid of bees that have occupied concrete steps leading to their house. My first question was did they used pesticides to try and get rid of them, he didn’t think so.
They were hit with a tornado a little over two years ago and their steps were moved and cracked in the process. Subsequently bees decided that the void in the steps was a great place to inhabit. They have lived with them for over two years and the homeowner has tried to get rid of them by caulking the crack which was futile as they chewed through the caulking to get out. They don’t want the steps damaged so I'm thinking a trapout would fit the bill.
My thought is to wait until next spring and do a trapout? This should give me the best chance to get the majority of the bees and hopefully the queen. If I tried to get them now I don’t have enough spare drawn frames or honey to think I could get them through winter. Since I have never done a trapout before does this sound reasonable? Am I on the right track or are there other options?
They will be calling me in the next day or two and I would like to give them their options. It is a bit farther than I would like to go for free (60 miles) but this would be my first opportunity to learn how to do a trapout, and I am afraid if they would have to pay for it they may spray them and cut their losses.
As always advice, suggestions, thoughts, or ideas would be greatly appreciated.