# Thought about how to pinpoint bees location in a wall.



## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I have a thought about a way to locate bees in a wall before even giving an estimate. I don't know if it would work, but I wonder if a thermal imaging camera would pick up the heat from the cluster inside a wall?


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Yes it will. Also the laser thermometers work as well.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Here's an earlier thread with some photos:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?268107-thermal-inspection-cameras


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

One thing to keep in mind, you will be able to see the brood nest, but you may not be able to see the full extent of the hive. The stores probably won't show up.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

That's all I was looking for is the brood nest. I know that the storage areas won't produce the required heat since bees don't cluster there. I live in an area with a lot of historic homes that are basically solid brick walls and have had several calls for removals from these types of walls but without being able to pinpoint them there is no way to tell where to start.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

I use a thermal heat detector, 49 or 59 bucks works great.


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

I used my Harbor Freight $25 (on sale) pistolgrip infrared thermometer last Saturday to more or less pinpoint the brood area. I was shooting through sheetrock and it worked great. Since the sheetrock was going to be demolished anyway I plotted my temperature readings on it with a pen...ended up with a large dinner plate sized area of elevated temperature which ended up being the cluster with only a small amount of brood, but once I had the wall opened up the comb extended from the floor to the ceiling. The HF thermometer is a good, inexpensive tool.

Ed


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

Sharpbees said:


> That's all I was looking for is the brood nest. I know that the storage areas won't produce the required heat since bees don't cluster there. I live in an area with a lot of historic homes that are* basically solid brick walls and have had several calls for removals from these types of walls but without being able to pinpoint them there is no way to tell where to start*.


I've got an expensive infrared camera (thermal imager) for work and use it some on cutouts. 

Just a heads up they don't work hardly at all through brick, stone, stucco, Efis, vinyl siding, or any where the bees are not close to the surface of where you are taking your readings. Certainly not well enough that I'm comfortable tearing apart a brick wall based on what the infrared camera shows. I've found that a borescope works far better in those situations.

While the pictures are neat and the camera will save a little bit of time, any bees that show up using the infrared camara are not hard to find without it. 

Don


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