A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

Thank you,
Nick.

On 04/05/2013 22:10, Nick wrote:
A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

Thank you,
Nick.


http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/techni...-masonry-bees/

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 04/05/2013 22:10, Nick wrote:
A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft
brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of
any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to
kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young
children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

Thank you,
Nick.


http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/techni...-masonry-bees/

That appears to be spot on.
How best to deal with the occupants is another question

They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young
children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

It's far better to educate the humans. Why are they bothered?
They are flapping over nothing - I don't know if those bees can
sting, but I am pretty sure that they never do.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thank you Nick,

I agree entirely.
Unfortunately this infestation is on the S facing wall at the front of the
cottage. Warm weather, windows and doors open. Children playing. Insects
buzzing around within the house. I feel this would be naturally worrisome to
caring (young) parents.
At dusk windows and doors close. Insects trapped within the building. They
will be fretting, as will the other occupants.
The link sent by David Hill seems to describe the situation very well. It
also appears that the female of the species can sting (why does this not
surprise me).

Regards,
Nick.

In article ,
Nick wrote:
A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

It's far better to educate the humans. Why are they bothered?
They are flapping over nothing - I don't know if those bees can
sting, but I am pretty sure that they never do.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Nick wrote:

I agree entirely.
Unfortunately this infestation is on the S facing wall at the front of the
cottage. Warm weather, windows and doors open. Children playing. Insects
buzzing around within the house. I feel this would be naturally worrisome to
caring (young) parents.

Well, only to ones who have lived all of their lives in cities,
which I agree is most of the UK. I am not saying that education is
necessarily easy, because they will have been indoctrinated into
the Synthetic Society all of their lives.

At dusk windows and doors close. Insects trapped within the building. They
will be fretting, as will the other occupants.
The link sent by David Hill seems to describe the situation very well. It
also appears that the female of the species can sting (why does this not
surprise me).

It's like bumble bees. When one gets trapped inside, I usually just
cup it in my hands to let it out. I get stung a couple of times a
year, but only by treading on them in bare feet, never just by handling
them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
On 04/05/2013 22:10, Nick wrote:
A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft
brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of
any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to
kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young
children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

Thank you,
Nick.


http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/techni...-masonry-bees/

I would not know a mason bee if I saw one but I did get some snaps of a
Ruby-tail wasp which is a parasite on mason bees.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1132818...eat=directlink
The photos show the wasp entering a nest where the mason bee had laid an
egg. The circular 'tunnel' is in fact a countersunk screw-hole about 6 mm in
diameter, plastered over by the bee, which shows what a tiny creature the
wasp is. Quite the most gaudy colour I have seen on any animal.
R.

On 04/05/2013 23:01, Nick wrote:
"David wrote in message
...
On 04/05/2013 22:10, Nick wrote:
A rather odd question perhaps.
A cottage locally is being plagued by small bees. I don't know the name,
species or type of bee. They are nesting within the old and soft
brickwork.
No nesting within the building. Might be able to get a pic of one, if of
any
interest.
I would like to deter them, I most certainly do not want to
kill/eradicate
them.
They don't bother me but are bothering the tenants and their young
children.
Any ideas please for a suitable deterrent or some enticement to persuade
them to move house?

Thank you,
Nick.


http://www.spab.org.uk/advice/techni...-masonry-bees/

That appears to be spot on.
How best to deal with the occupants is another question





Read that helpful link from David Hill again, especially the 4th
paragraph/question-and-answer. Your neighbours need to repoint the
south face of their house (and perhaps the west, too, since that will
also be warm and inviting) so that the bees go elsewhere for soft
mortar. It is the only way to discourage the bees.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Hello All

I had this variety at my last house in Chester, and it was fascinating to see
them working. They never stung me or any of my children.

Now down in Suffolk I "enjoy" another variety of these solitary bees. This
one lays its eggs in some of my cactus pots. Most of the young seem to hatch
out on the same day, and on that day I have 50-100 bees flying around in my
greenhouse waiting for the automatic vents to open.

I would prefer it if I could persuade them to nest in pots full of gritty
soil with no plants growing in them, but I have not succeded yet. I do lose
an occasional cactus plant due to root disturbance, but it is worth it to
provide them with a home.

Mine line their excavations with bits of leaf cut from plants mainly of the
genus Rosaceae

John

--
John Rye
Hadleigh IPSWICH England
http://www.ryepad.plus.com
--- Using RISC OS Six on an Acorn StrongArm RiscPC and under VARPC ---

On 05/05/2013 13:35, John Rye wrote:
Hello All

I had this variety at my last house in Chester, and it was fascinating to see
them working. They never stung me or any of my children.

Now down in Suffolk I "enjoy" another variety of these solitary bees. This
one lays its eggs in some of my cactus pots. Most of the young seem to hatch
out on the same day, and on that day I have 50-100 bees flying around in my
greenhouse waiting for the automatic vents to open.

I would prefer it if I could persuade them to nest in pots full of gritty
soil with no plants growing in them, but I have not succeded yet. I do lose
an occasional cactus plant due to root disturbance, but it is worth it to
provide them with a home.

Mine line their excavations with bits of leaf cut from plants mainly of the
genus Rosaceae

John

Sound like leaf cutter bees http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/leafcutter-bee.html

On 05/05/2013 14:32, wrote:
In ,
wrote:

Read that helpful link from David Hill again, especially the 4th
paragraph/question-and-answer. Your neighbours need to repoint the
south face of their house (and perhaps the west, too, since that will
also be warm and inviting) so that the bees go elsewhere for soft
mortar. It is the only way to discourage the bees.

They're tenants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.




Indeed. I agree with you and would love them around my house, but if
the OP's neighbours *really* want to evict them for child safety
reasons, then re-pointing is the way to do it. It beats poisoning,
which may be the other deadly deed.

When I was little, I was taught and encouraged by my father to respect
our natural fauna and understand them as far as possible. I *love*
bees, including Masonry bees. Just as well since we have soft mortar.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

In article ,
Spider wrote:

Read that helpful link from David Hill again, especially the 4th
paragraph/question-and-answer. Your neighbours need to repoint the
south face of their house (and perhaps the west, too, since that will
also be warm and inviting) so that the bees go elsewhere for soft
mortar. It is the only way to discourage the bees.

They're tenants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Sun, 5 May 2013 15:36:49 +0100 (BST), wrote:

My point is that there are no such child safety reasons, unless one
of their children is hyperallegic (and not just allergic) to bee
stings. They may believe that there are but, if so, they are quite
simply wrong. Bluntly, that is hysteria caused by ignorance.

I agree but knowing hysterical some children (and adults) get in the
precense of an essentially harmless creepy crawly the child safety reason
is that hysteria.

Education is the best thing. Bees in general don't sting unless provoked.
Like getting trapped and about to be squidged. How many are getting into
the bedrooms could be an issue, I'd get fed up having to evict half a
dozen every evening...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 2013-05-05 13:55:11 +0100, Spider said:

On 05/05/2013 14:32, wrote:
In ,
wrote:

Read that helpful link from David Hill again, especially the 4th
paragraph/question-and-answer. Your neighbours need to repoint the
south face of their house (and perhaps the west, too, since that will
also be warm and inviting) so that the bees go elsewhere for soft
mortar. It is the only way to discourage the bees.

They're tenants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.




Indeed. I agree with you and would love them around my house, but if
the OP's neighbours *really* want to evict them for child safety
reasons, then re-pointing is the way to do it. It beats poisoning,
which may be the other deadly deed.

When I was little, I was taught and encouraged by my father to respect
our natural fauna and understand them as far as possible. I *love*
bees, including Masonry bees. Just as well since we have soft mortar.

I think Nick Maclaren means the cottage's human occupants are tenants,
so they won't be prepared - or perhaps, allowed - to undertake such a
course of action as re-pointing. Nick-the-owner might be able to do so
in late summer or autumn and prevent future worries and fears. Until
then, I think the best idea is education as to what bees actually do.
They are usually pretty docile creatures, uninterested in pursuing
humans for fun! They won't sting unless seriously provoked. The
children could - and should in any case - be taught to wear shoes when
running round the garden and to be calm when walking through the 'bee
area'. Standing in front of the bees' homes and flapping arms about
etc. is asking for trouble whether they're in a wall or a hive.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Sun, 5 May 2013 15:05:46 +0100, Sacha wrote:

The children could - and should in any case - be taught to wear shoes
when running round the garden ...

Aye, I expect they will be jabbed up against Tetantus but Cellulitis is
not very pleasant(*) and can be life threatening.

... and to be calm when walking through the 'bee area'. Standing in
front of the bees' homes and flapping arms about etc. is asking for
trouble whether they're in a wall or a hive.

Aye.

(*) Understatement. It is flaming agony, I dread to think how a child
would react to the constant worst pins and needles you can imagine.

I've had it twice and been hospitalised so they can intravenously shove
in, every 4 hours (and I mean every fours hours, even through the night)
high enough doses of antibiotics. 1 g of penicillin I remember but there
were similar quantities of others, flucloxacillin being one of them.
"Normal" doses are around the is 250 mg 4 times/day (6 hour) level.

--
Cheers
Dave.