swarm-list Mailing List: Re: Bees on 7’ wall in Pleasanton - now Extraction

[Paula Breen (paulaellen70]

Hello bee friends,

I’m 95% sure it’s an extraction. I didn’t have a smoker with me, but the bees were very defensive. I got stung right in the honker as soon as I peeked over the wall, lol. I saw a few bees with pollen and I thought I saw one bee dragging a dead larva out of what I think is a hole on the top surface of the wall. I’m wondering if they’ve actually been there for some time and swarmed due to overcrowding. That would explain why there are bees all over the top of the wall looking like a swarm. If they recently swarmed and are waiting on a new queen, or if they are hopelessly queenless, that would explain the saucy attitude. Anyway, without smoke I couldn’t get a great visual on a colony entrance, but you can see in the pic how they are kind of circled up in the middle there.

The homeowners just got back from a month long trip overseas, and this is the first time of they noticed the bees. I suspect the colony has been living inside this wall for at least a little while. The good news is that the top of the wall is already broken as you can see in the photos to the right of where the colony is. Since it’s already busted, maybe it wouldn’t be too hard to break it a little bit more to get the bees out. Beyond my skill set. Another option might be a trap out. You could put a nuc box with a hole on the bottom right on top of the wall over the entrance, then secure it to the peach tree to keep it from falling off. Perhaps one could get them to move up, especially if they’re going through a brood break. A queen pheromone stick in a box on top of the hole might also work, especially if they are hopelessly queenless. The homeowners are hoping that Pleasanton will pay for the removal. I told them not to count on it, but who knows?

I included a pic of me for scale. I am 5’5”. The wall is wide enough at the top to support a nuc box.

4097 Brooks Ct Pleasanton

Homeowner is Mangesh

405-761-7557

On Tue, Aug 12, 2025 at 11:43 AM Elinor N. LEVINE via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:

Paula and Liz took a look. It is now an Extraction and they will repost with photos.
Elinor

> On Aug 12, 2025, at 11:27 AM, Bees & Beeks via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:
>
> If no one has answered this one I can do it ONLY if home owner has ladder (ladder won’t fit in my car).   Mimi
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 11, 2025, at 6:55 PM, Elinor N. LEVINE via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:
>>
>> This is a city wall that is at the back of his yard. Cluster continues over wall to other side.
>>
>> Anyone who can go tonight or tomorrow morning?
>>
>> <IMG_2283.jpg>
>>
>> Elinor
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
> Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
> <https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.
>
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.

To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, to learn how
to filter these messages, or to view the archives, see:
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-list-tips/>.