The thermal camera made this roof colony look manageable. It wasn’t. Every time we opened another section of ceiling, the colony of Apis mellifera scutellata (the African honeybee) carried on past the next beam. What looked like a routine roof job turned into one of our biggest removals.

As we always say, you don’t really know until you open it up.

Opening the Roof

We started with one careful opening, using the thermal image as a guide. The first cut confirmed the colony was there, but it didn’t show how far the nest ran through the roof.

As soon as the vacuum went on, the bees moved off the comb and further back into the cavity, beyond our first access point. That’s exactly where we didn’t want them.

A Colony That Kept Going

Each new section of ceiling revealed more comb, built right across the beams. Cutting more of the ceiling would have been easier, but we tried not to cut into the comb too much so it wouldn’t drop.

After opening four sections of ceiling, we were only halfway through the comb. Above us hung a mass of bees roughly the size of two soccer balls, with more spread along the other side of the roof.

Pro Tip: A thermal camera is a great guide, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. It shows you where the colony is, not how far it extends. Always plan for a bigger job than the image suggests.

The Vacuum Problem

With that many bees, we had two new worries: whether our vacuum box was big enough, and whether the hose could reach the deepest part of the cavity. It couldn’t quite reach, so we had to change the whole setup to get closer.

Winter Made It Cleaner

It was mid-winter, and we had expected the bees to be pulled into a tight cluster. Instead, they were spread right through the roof. The cold did help in one way, though: the honey had partly crystallised, so it didn’t run everywhere the way it does in a hot summer roof. The roof’s waterproofing was also in good condition, which isn’t always the case.

Of all the roofs we’ve done, this one was definitely not easy, but it wasn’t the worst either. The only real challenge was its size.

Closing the Cavity

Once every bee was vacuumed up and every piece of comb removed, we closed off the cavity so it wouldn’t be easy for bees to return. Before leaving, we also collected a small clump of bees that had gathered outside during the removal.

Settling Into a Bigger Home

Because of the sheer number of bees, the colony went into a large hive box. By then it was around midnight, and the bees were warm, lively, and climbing all over us. They didn’t want to leave their comb.

We placed branches at the entrance of the box. This gives the bees a new landmark as they leave, which helps them reorientate to their new home instead of trying to return to the old one.

Think you have bees in your roof? Don’t wait for the colony to grow. Get in touch with Bee Sanctuary, and we’ll remove them safely and humanely.