Bees in Chimneys: Identification, Removal and Prevention

Discovering bees in your chimney can be a cause for concern. While bees are beneficial to the environment as pollinators, having them in your chimney can pose risks to your home and family. In this comprehensive blog post, we will cover various aspects of dealing with bees in chimneys. Including identifying different types of bees, understanding the risks they pose, safe removal methods, and long-term prevention strategies.

Bees in your Chimney – Safety First

When dealing with bees, it is important to take precautions to ensure your safety. Here are some essential safety tips:

• Keep a safe distance from the bees and avoid interacting with them.
• Wear protective clothing, including long sleeves, pants, closed-toe shoes, and a hat or beekeeper’s veil if approaching.
• Do not attempt to remove or disturb the bees on your own.
• Seek professional assistance if you are unsure about how to handle the situation.
• Act quickly. Early intervention can prevent the bees from establishing a permanent hive. This will minimize the potential damage to your chimney.

Identification: Are they bees, wasps or bumblebees?

Before proceeding with any removal it is important to correctly identify the type of insect you are dealing with. Here are some key differences between honeybees, wasps and bumblebees:

Identifying Honeybees

Honeybees are typically plump but not round as bumblebees. They have tiny hairs on their bodies and four wings. Their legs are black or dark brown. Contrary to what many think, bees are NOT black and yellow as can be seen in the picture below. The native Irish Honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera, is black or dark brown. Other subspecies of the honeybee, which are imported or hybridized (a mix of imported and native bees – they can breed within the sub-species), can have amber or lighter brown bands or stripes on their bodies. Bees are important pollinators and are often seen collecting nectar and pollen. If you have bees in your chimney, it is most likely honeybees.

Identifying Wasps

Wasps are slender with a smooth and shiny appearance, they do not have hairs like honeybees and bumblebees. They are easy to recognize by their distinctive yellow and black bands or colouring. Wasps have narrow waists and yellow legs.

Identifying Bumblebees and Solitary Bees

Bumblebees are larger than honey bees. They are stout and plump and covered in dense hair. There are many different species of bumblebees in Ireland, all with different markings. They often have black and yellow hairs, but also white and orange. Solitary Bees come in all shapes, sizes and colours, but as their name suggest, they do not live in colonies. If you want to learn more about Irelands Native bees and bumblebees and learn to identify them, the All Ireland Pollinator Plan has some amazing resources.

This article concerns Honeybees in chimneys. The reason they are different from wasps and bumblebees is that they nest differently. Wasps and bumblebees occupy their nest for one season only and are unlikely to return. Honeybees maintain and occupy their nests throughout the winter months as well. They will stay in their nest unless the nest is removed. Honeybees also prefer to build a nest where bees have lived previously. Hence, unless the comb is removed and access restricted, another swarm could move in in subsequent years.

If you want to learn more about Wasp nests and what to do with them, read my blog about wasp nests.

And if you think you’re dealing with bumblebees, you might find my blog about bumblebees helpful.

Why Bees go into Chimneys

Bees see chimneys as a possible suitable location to establish a new hive. In the wild, honeybees establish nests in hollow trees or other similar cavities. They look for places that are protected from the elements and which they can easily defend from other predators. When they cannot find suitable trees to move into, bees may consider chimneys, wall cavities, unused barbeques, compost bins, small roof cavities and other man-made cavities suitable spaces.

When a nearby swarm of bees is searching for a place to build their nest, scout bees are sent out to explore potential sites. They will visit lots of locations for several miles around. They eventually make a decision where to move to as a colony. This process of looking for nest sites and deciding may take several hours or days.

Once the swarm has made a decision on the nest location, the entire swarm will leave their current location. they fly together and move into the chosen nesting site. Upon arrival, they quickly establish a colony and start constructing wax combs, even on the first day.

If you have bees flying in and out of your chimney, this could be for two reasons:

1. Scout bees from a nearby swarm are checking out your chimney as a potential place to move into, or:
2. A Swarm of bees have already taken up residence in your chimney.

It is important that you determine which of this it is, as it will decide your next course of action.

Check the following signs to determine if the bees are scout bees from a nearby swarm or an established colony inside your chimney:

Amount of bees going in and out

Scout bees arrive in small numbers and gradually increase in numbers throughout the day or over several days. In the evenings and early mornings, there will often be no bees around.

Swarms, however, all arrive at once in a big, noisy cloud of bees and descend on the chimney. Swarms usually arrive between about 10am-2pm, give and take a half an hour or so. Usually they will arrive in May and June, especially after a few days of warm, sunny weather.

Flying behaviour of the bees

Scout bees will fly around the chimney, flying in circles and seemingly hover in places. They may appear erratic or purposeless to our eyes. But what they are doing is checking out the suitability of the chimney. Measuring the space and investigating sizes of entrances etc.

In established colonies, bees fly purposely to the entrance to and walk straight in. You will also see bees coming out of the hive and flying straight out. It will be an orderly flow of traffic, in and out.

Behaviour at the entrance

Scout bees will often walk around the entrance to the cavity and walk in zig-zag up and down the outside wall. They will often also walk in and out of the cavity as if they forgot something and have to go back in or out to retrieve it.

As already mentioned, in established colonies, bees fly purposely to the entrance to and walk straight in, usually without delay. Sometimes they are met by a guard bee who will check them first before allowing the bee to enter.

(What you will often find with scout bees as well is that they might be off target by a few meters or so, investigating adjacent holes or cavities, or the back of where all the others are thinking that this is where they were supposed to go. In an established colony, all bees know exactly where the entrance is and go straight for it.)

Dead bees on ground or inside fireplace

You often do not see dead bees on the ground, inside the fireplace or in front of a cavity when there are only scout bees involved.

In an established colony, however, there are often dead bees on the ground. Bees like to keep a tidy house and therefore remove any dead bees from the nest. Sometimes they are dropped just outside the entrance, other times they will fly off with the dead bees and drop them some distance from the hive.

Buzzing sound inside the chimney

If you can hear a loud buzzing sound coming from inside the chimney in the evening, night and morning, the bees have already moved in.

Pollen On Legs

If bees going into the chimney or cavity have pollen on their legs, this is a sign that there is a laying queen inside. The colony has already established and the queen has started laying.

Scout Bees Investigating the Chimney

If the bees you are seeing are scout bees, you can do several things to prevent the swarm from moving into your chimney. Haste is of the essence here because once the swarm has gone in, it can be very difficult to get them out. And costly!

1. Block off the chimney from the top.
2. Light a small smokey fire and keep it lit. This will discourage bees from picking your chimney as a nest site.
3. Insert a chimney balloon, bee screen or similar. (Contact a chimney expert in your area for advice but act quickly!)
4. Ask a local beekeeper to set up a bait hive close to the chimney to attract the swarm into that instead if they have already hade up their minds. Read more about bait hives and how they work here. If you are in Ireland, look up Swarms.ie for information on beekeepers in your area who might be interested in helping you. You can also reach out to your local Beekeeper’s Association. See links below.
5. Hang mothballs in the chimney (as high as you can ideally from the top). You can also try hanging a rag soaked in selected essential oils. See more below but if you do want to try essential oils and scents, you could try rosemary, peppermint, clove, geranium, tea tree, cinnamon or bitter almond oil.
6. Sprinkle cinnamon around and inside the chimney.
7. Alternatively, you can place a rag soaked in vinegar in a dish close to where the bees are flying in and out. (Warning: vinegar contains acetic acid which is corrosive and can damage flue liners, bricks and concrete so use extreme caution.)

Common misinformation about scout bees and deterrents

Killing scout bees deters the swarm

Some advice I have read in other articles in researching for this article says that you should kill any bees that you find to prevent them from going back to the swarm and telling them about the great chimney they found to move into. Please don’t do this, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. There are thousands of bees in a swarm and if a handful have found your chimney, the rest will too. Focus your energies instead on any or several of the preventative measures described above.

Use of Essential oils

Other advice lists herbs and scents that bees dislike that you can use as swarm deterrents. It is said that you can sprinkle some essential oils to ward off bees and while there is some truth in this, several websites wrongly listed lemongrass as a bee deterrent. Lemongrass is in fact an attractant, often used by beekeepers to add scent to baithives. It works surprisingly well, so whatever you do, do not put lemongrass oil (or citronella containing lemongrass oil) on or near your chimney unless you want the bees to move in! If you do want to try essential oils and scents, you could try rosemary, peppermint, clove, geranium, tea tree, cinnamon or bitter almond oil.

Potential Risks and Concerns Associated with Bees in a Chimney

Understanding the risks and concerns associated with bees in chimneys can help you make informed decisions. Consider the following:

1. Fire Hazard. Beeswax is flammable, and if ignited, it can cause a chimney fire. This is relevant both for active and inactive nests, which is why old nests need to be removed even if there are no bees in them. If a chimney fire starts, it can escalate quickly if there is beeswax in the chimney and cause permanent damage to your home. It is therefore not advisable to light anything other than a very small fire (to create smoke) if you suspect there may be bees in the chimney.  
2. Structural Damage. Bees collect nectar and store honey inside in their nests. This can potentially lead to moisture damage to the chimney structure, as well as attract pests such as ants or wasps who like to eat honey.
3. Allergic Reactions. Bee stings can cause severe allergic reactions in some individuals, necessitating caution during removal. Read more about bee stings and allergic reactions here.

How to Deal with an Established Honeybee Colony in a Chimney

These are the first steps you should take if you discover a colony in a chimney:

1. Seal off the fireplace inside the house to make sure bees do not come down the chimney and into your house. Use a bin liner or rubble sack for this and make sure it is secured tightly. Bees only need a very small space to get out.
2. Seal off any internal cracks in the chimney breast so that the bees can only enter and exit their nest through the top.
3. Contact a beekeeper so that you can together explore the options. There is little use in contacting a pest control company first as many of them will not deal with honeybee colonies. It is essential to first try to remove the bees safely, if this is not possible, pest control companies may be able to assist.

 Potential Solutions for Bees in Chimneys

1. Safe removal of bees from the chimney by a beekeeper.

If the nest is near the top of the chimney and there is access, it may be possible to remove the colony by removing the honeycomb and bees at the same time. This is the ideal scenario. However, some chimneys are narrow and have flue liners and some colonies build their nests a bit down into the chimney, making complete removal difficult. In these instances, beekeepers can use a bee-vacuum to remove the bees and then rehoming them in a more suitable location.

Other methods for removing the bees are using comb or brood to coax the bees up and eventually out of the chimney, and by trapping flying bees outside the hive in a rather elaborate set up depleting the colony inside of bees and food, eventually coaxing the remainder of the colony out. This is time consuming and not always successful, but the earlier it can be done, the greater the chances off success.

2. Creating and inhospitable environment for the bees in the chimney.

This can be done using smoke and/or scents causing them to abscond the nest. (This is much trickier than it sounds, bees do not want to leave their nest with eggs, larvae and honey. They will also not leave without their queen, and she can be very slow to up sticks and move.  Best result when trying this, is to do it in conjunction with a bait hive that the bees can move into and then be removed safely.) This should only be done after consulting with an experienced beekeeper. If you do want to try essential oils and scents, you could try rosemary, peppermint, clove, geranium, tea tree, cinnamon or bitter almond oil. You can also try scattering ground cinnamon into the chimney.

3. Destroying the colony.

This should be done as a last resort and only when all other avenues have been exhausted. This can be done by using insecticides or suffocating the colony. Bees can also be killed with a rag soaked in petrol or by pouring soapy water on them, neither of which is recommended for bees in a chimney. If deciding to kill the colony, enlist the help of professionals, and endeavour to kill them quickly. Letting bees suffocate by blocking off their entrance is simply cruel and inhumane and will cause a lot of undue suffering. (Warning: insecticides can prove a fire risk. Mixed with flammable wax and dead bees it can cause a chimney fire and lead to extensive damage.) Killing bees should only be done by pest control professionals or with the assistance of a beekeeper.

After the colony has been removed, you need to ensure that all remaining debris, including dead bees and beeswax is also removed. You do this for two reasons. Firstly, to remove any fire hazards, and secondly, to ensure that there is no wax residue there to attract swarms in the future. Consult professional chimney cleaners to do this job, and then consider investing in chimney balloons, dampers and caps/screens. See below.

Common misinformation about bee colonies in chimneys

Honeybee colonies die off in the autumn.

This is not at all true. Honeybee colonies continue to live during winter and can occupy the same nest for many years. If one colony dies off, new swarms are often attracted to the old nest, which is why it is important to completely remove colonies, both alive and dead.

Beekeepers happily remove bees from chimneys and houses for free.

While many beekeepers will be delighted to rescue swarms from trees etc., removing established honeybee colonies from chimneys and houses is a different thing entirely. It requires a lot of time and skill and is often very difficult and not always successful. It may also bee the case that the bees in the swarm are carrying disease or undesirable genetic traits. Beekeepers are professionals who have trained to master their skills, and will charge for their services in the same way as other tradespeople. During swarming season, many beekeepers are also very busy managing their own colonies and may not be able to assist because of time constraints.  

Planting bee friendly flowers in your garden will attract swarms.

Not so. Bees come to the chimney looking for a place to build their nest, not for food. Bees will fly very long distances for nectar and pollen, usually within three kilometers of their hive, but they have been recorded to cover distances of over 10 kilometers looking for food. Having flowers in your garden that bees like does not influence whether or not a swarm moves into your chimney.  

Bug or bee hotels in your garden will attract swarms.

Also not true. Bug hotels or bee hotels are not attractive to honeybees but to solitary bees and other insects. When bees look for suitable spots to build their nest, they are typically looking for cavities of about 40 litres with a small, defendable opening, ideally a few metres up off the ground.  

Bees don’t come back to an old nest.

Yes they do! Wasps and Bumblebees do not reuse old nests because the queens build new nests each spring. But honeybees are attracted to old honeybee nests, and if a colony dies out or is removed without the comb being completely removed and the site rid of the smell of bees, it is likely that a new swarm will move in.

Professional Bee Removal and Cost

When seeking professional bee removal services, contact local beekeepers or specialized pest control companies. The cost of removal can vary depending on factors such as the location, difficulty of removal, and bee population size. Requesting multiple quotes can help you find the most suitable, timely and cost-effective option for your situation. For more about Colony removals and cut-outs, read this informative blog

Future Proofing your Chimney

Long-term bee control: While removing bees from your chimney is essential, taking steps to permanently prevent future swarms from taking up residence is equally important. By reading this blog, you have already gained understanding about bees and their nesting habits so that you can better predict their behaviour and take appropriate action. To prevent future bee infestations in your chimney, consider implementing the following preventive measures:

1. Chimney Balloon: A chimney balloon can be inserted into the chimney flue to create a barrier and prevent bees from entering your home.
2. Bee-Proof Chimney Cap: Install a chimney cap specifically designed to keep bees out while allowing proper ventilation.
3. Protective Screening: Add mesh screening or wire cloth around potential entry points to deter bees.
4. Regular Chimney Maintenance: Schedule regular chimney inspections and cleanings to address any structural vulnerabilities or debris accumulation.
5. Chimney Damper: Utilize a chimney damper to seal off the chimney when not in use, preventing bees from entering.
6. Seal any gaps or cracks in the chimney structure.

Conclusion

Having bees in your chimney can be a challenging situation, but by following the appropriate precautions, identifying the bees correctly, and employing safe removal methods, you can effectively resolve the issue. Additionally, implementing long-term prevention strategies will help ensure that your chimney remains bee-free in the future. Remember, when in doubt, consult professionals who have the expertise and experience in dealing with bees. By acting responsibly, you can protect your home, safeguard the bees, and coexist harmoniously with these essential pollinators.

Further reading and links:

Read more about what to do with swarms here

Links to National beekeepers’ Associations: You can find contact details to the federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations here and Irish Beekeepers Association Clg here. You can also reach out to swarms.ie.

Hanna Bäckmo

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