# Bees nest in wall?



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

They likely already swarmed somewhere else. 

I would get in some protective gear and take down the wall and old hive. 

Don't kill them if they are active and you can request to have them relocated and most areas will do that for free.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Allergy to Bees?
If it was mine I'd be contacting a bee keeper instead of an exterminator.
My fear would be if I opened up that wall there may be live bees in there your not seeing.
There going to have the gear to deal with it, be able to remove the live one and reclaim the honey if there is any.
Main reason they may do it for free or a far lower cost.
Then your face with just removing the sheetrock, replacing, priming and painting. 
I'd also be sealing up how they got in in the first place.


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

It appears that this hive is really old. The bees are practically dust. I am more concerned about fixing the hole


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

There is no just fixing the hole.
Unless you open that up and remove all the old rotted stuff behind it your asking for future issues.
I'm not even seeing any insulation in that wall, that should be added.
Old balloon framing?
Is so then your also missing the fire blocking at the top and bottom of the wall.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

luckyclovette said:


> It appears that this hive is really old. The bees are practically dust. I am more concerned about fixing the hole


Here's one of my videos that would be a good start the ball rolling on repairing your wall. Your drywall repair is a little bigger. But you'll get the idea. :thumbsup:


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

And what good is that going to do to fix the the real issues?


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

I am going to get a utility knife and open the hole more. I will then get some gloves and take out the dead nest. 

I honestly don't know what I am looking for or at. So, I don't know what I am going to need to do. All I know is that I am not looking forward to it. :surprise:


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

Ok, i cut out some of the wall and I have no idea what I am looking at. Help and insight is much appreciated! Thank you!

Not sure if this makes any difference, but I live in a condo. On the other side of this wall is the neighbor's kitchen.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

luckyclovette said:


> Ok, i cut out some of the wall and I have no idea what I am looking at. Help and insight is much appreciated! Thank you!
> 
> Not sure if this makes any difference, but I live in a condo. On the other side of this wall is the neighbor's kitchen.


After figuring out where the bees got in at. I'd say patch and be done with it! :yes:


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

Sir MixAlot said:


> After figuring out where the bees got in at. I'd say patch and be done with it! :yes:


For the life of me, I have no idea how they got it.

We bought this townhome/condo unit 4.5 years ago. We never heard any buzzing or other disruptions in the wall. When I cut the wall open more and cleared out the "honeycomb" debris (what a mess), all that was left of these bees was a bunch of wings. Their bodies had completely decomposed except their wings.

We still have a flexible dryer vent hose (which I think I would like to get a smooth metal one). If there is a crack in the hose (which I don't know), they could have gotten in that way? My initial thought was "not possible, then the bees would have been in the dryer vent, not the wall." But, if the flexible dryer hose has a crack in it, then it could be possible?? On the outside of the home we have a "cage" like thing covering the vent so that birds cannot enter. The folks before us didn't have anything. 

Thoughts?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

The hole to be repaired needs to have straight edges, 90 deg, corners.
It's no harder to fix a larger hole than a small one and your going to have more than enough material left over to do this right by opening up this hole much more toward the floor so you can clean this out before covering it back up.
Consider buying a sheetrock saw.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Task-Force-6-in-Drywall-Saw/1111859


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

joecaption said:


> Consider buying a sheetrock saw.
> http://www.lowes.com/pd/Task-Force-6-in-Drywall-Saw/1111859


YES! That was my implement of destruction! I picked one up yesterday and I also got a utility knife. :biggrin2: It's hard to have a ton of tools living in a townhome/condo (e.g., a circular saw, tool bench, ect).


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

If you are in a condo, you generally own from the paint in. If you don't feel like messing around with the repair, let the Association know what happened, and they should take care of it, including locating and sealing the entry point


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## luckyclovette (Oct 11, 2016)

ZTMAN said:


> If you are in a condo, you generally own from the paint in. If you don't feel like messing around with the repair, let the Association know what happened, and they should take care of it, including locating and sealing the entry point


 I had a pretty heated discussion with the head of the HOA yesterday. 

MY feeling was that if there was something faulty on the outside of the unit (HOA responsibility) that affected the inside of my home, that they should be responsible for fixing my wall.

Whether they are responsible for something faulty on the outside of the unit or not, she said that ANY repair inside the home would definitely be our responsibility.

I asked about having the maintenance crew come and look on the outside to see if there was an entry point for these bees and if so to resolve the entry point. 

Her response was that if the bees got in through the dryer vent, she would charge me for having the maintenance crew come out to look at it. If the bees got in through the overhang or some other hole, then the HOA would cover that cost.


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## DIYknot (Oct 2, 2016)

Definitely need to figure out where they are coming in as stated earlier.


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