Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Tonight we’re in St. Leger’s Valley for a job that’s a perfect example of why bees are so persistent. Looking at the ceiling board, we could see the tell-tale signs of previous patch jobs—bees had been removed from this exact cavity before.

In the beekeeping world, we call this “re-inhabiting.” If you don’t clean out the old wax and scent perfectly, a new colony will sniff out that “ready-made” hotel and move right back in.

The Setup: Tight Squeezes and Tough Comb

This was not a “party” removal. The colony was tucked into a punishingly narrow space between a structural beam and the wall.

• The Access: We couldn’t go through the top because of the corrugated iron roof—replacing and re-sealing that would be a nightmare for the homeowner. So, we went through the ceiling board.
• The Space: Ethan could only fit one arm and a shoulder into the gap. The comb was over half a meter long, stretching from the ceiling board all the way up to the iron roof.
• The “Clumping” Factor: During big removals like this, the bees tend to clump onto our suits. While they aren’t being aggressive, we have to vacuum them off regularly. If you accidentally press a clumped bee against your suit, she might sting through the fabric out of reflex!

The Strategy: Volume over Precision

With a colony of this size—easily hundreds of thousands of bees—finding the Queen is like finding a needle in a haystack.

• The Speedrun: Because it was already late (sundown wasn’t until 7:30 PM), we made the call not to hunt for the Queen. Instead, we focused on vacuuming every single bee as efficiently as possible.
• The Suction Test: We always test the vacuum pressure first. It needs to be strong enough to collect them, but gentle enough that it doesn’t “batter” the bees as they enter the box.

The Extraction: “Tough” Comb and Fresh Eggs

The comb in this hive was remarkably tough, requiring some serious muscle to cut through.

• The Honey Crown: We found a beautiful crown of honey at the top, which we moved into a bucket. We don’t put much honey into the transport hive because it can leak and suffocate the brood during the move.
• The Brood Frame: The Queen had been busy! We found gorgeous capped brood and fresh eggs. We mounted these into frames using our elastic band method, making sure to cut thin recesses so the frame wires could sit inside the comb for extra sturdiness.

Mission Accomplished (Against the Clock)

This was a marathon removal that took several hours. In fact, it was so long that we actually ran out of battery on all our cameras and lights before we could film the final transfer at the apiary!

Despite the technical difficulties, the mission was a success. We secured the brood, vacuumed the colony, and moved them to a sustainable 10-frame hive where they can grow without having to hide in a cramped ceiling.

Want to see if we can find a Queen in our next massive roof rescue?

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Quick Question: If you had bees in your ceiling, would you rather have the beekeeper go through the roof or the ceiling board? Let’s talk logistics in the comments!