Feral Beehive Prevention: Block Wall

This cinder block wall has many possible locations for a feral bee swarm to enter and start a hive. The holes in the mortared block go through to the hollow centers, and the cracked block on the top of the wall lends for access into one of the hollow voids. These locations are prime real estate for honeybees. 

The Green marks the middle where a cinder block has a center cement divider, two hollow spots on each side of these dividers, stacked off-set gives a hollow center for the bees to grow up or down depending on where the hole is in the wall. When doing removals from block walls I have also seen where the center cement divider was chipped allowing for bees to crawl through to the next cavity and continue their growth. In one hive one side was honey storage the other side was brood. The red shows the possible area where the bees could make their home. 

The best thing to do is to block these entrance access points before spring. If you have a cinder block wall or building, walk around and do an inspection. Patch any holes that are larger than the head of a pencil eraser that have access into the center void. This includes around pipes if it is a building. Do not use foam spray, bees can chew through it and it doesn't last very long in the elements. Choose to use a concrete patch. If you cannot get to it before spring a quick temporary solution is to stuff the holes with steel wool. 

If you have never checked your wall before it may be possible you already have occupants that you didn't know about. If you do find a feral hive here is a contact list of local beekeepers: http://southernazbeekeepers.org/bee-removal/