# Bees in air conditioner



## jcx (Jun 11, 2009)

Hi. I apologize if I put this post in the wrong thread as I just joined this forum.
I just discovered several days ago (maybe a week now), that there are bees entering and exiting the bottom of my covered air conditioner. The air conditioner is outside and stands on its own. Normally by now we would have uncovered it, cleaned it, and started it, but havent done it yet as its been a cool spring. Tonight my husband wants to take the cover off and clean it out. With the cover off, it will be easy to see in and see if there is a honeycomb. I'm guessing these are honey bees. They are definetely NOT bumble bees, carpenter bees, wasps, nor hornets. This I'm sure of.

My questions are:
Is there anyone in my area (Toronto, Ontario) that would be interested in removing and keeping this bees?
If not, is there any safe way, I can just let them go and allow them to make a new home elsewhere?
If they were wasps, my husband would have bought the can of raid already.. but if honey bees... (and all the talk about honey bee decline, etc), I'd rather let them make a new home elsewhere... (hopefully MUCH further away )
Judy


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## 11x (May 14, 2009)

buy me a plane ticket and i will be there tomorow. sounds like a good chance for you to take up beekeeping.:applause:


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## LBEE (Jun 4, 2008)

Hi Judy.

Here is the website for a bee supply company in Toronto. If you call them, they may be able to recommend a beekeeper.

http://www.fwjones.com/

Larry


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Hi Judy!
How many bees? If it is honeybees, they've only been there a couple of weeks, and you will likely see LOTS of bees flying, we're talking about at least one coming and going per second, with a small cloud of bees in the afternoon.

It is a bit early in the year to see many wasps.

Try the bee supply company, or if you see somebody with hives, stop by and ask them. There are lots of beekeepers in any area, the trick is finding them.

And if you can't find somebody, you might want to consider an exterminator vs. the can of raid. And don't feel bad about killing a beehive in the wrong place, if you've done your best to find a beekeeper to help. A wild beehive in your yard is as bad as a wild dog in your yard....

Rick


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## NewbeeNnc (May 21, 2009)

Thanks for not spraying them or killing them. Like the previous post, would be a good time to try your hand at keeping bees. It's a blast.


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## Rebel Rose (Apr 5, 2009)

I call it my 'addiction'! Once you get hooked by those bees, you are in it for life! 

Many new beekeepers get started either by finding a swarm or by locating a colony as you now have. 

I also thank you for not killing them! :thumbsup:

Brenda


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## jcx (Jun 11, 2009)

Update: So after carefully taking off the vinyl air conditioner cover, then unscrewing the metal top, we finally found the bee's nest deep inside the insulation. Comparing it to pictures on the internet, its what I think is a bumble bee nest. The round things and the bees were deep in the insulation. I would have preferred to somehow save them and transfer them, but hubby was too impatient to clean them out and get the a/c working. I probably don't have any good spots to put them anyways, as our backyard is very small and in the city. I wish they would have just flown away. Sadly, hubby sprayed them with foam wasp/bee spray and the next day vacummed them out.
The only positive thing is that there werent too many, perhaps we caught it as the nest was just starting. There were lots of bees but not hundreds. Its too bad they weren't honey bees because I was looking forward to seeing the honey and honeycombs. As I look around my backyard and see the occasional bumble bee, I now feel real bad that we had destroyed their home and part of their colony.
Judy


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