I smoked them out by holding a lit egg crate carton under the hive for about an hour. It was a small hive. I put on protective clothing and a hat with a see-through scarf draped over my face and neck. After smoking out as many as would emerge, I stuck the smouldering carton into slots in the hive. I did not think I had succeeded because I expected more bees to emerge.
But it seems I did succeed. Later that day, my husband went up to spray the hive with chemicals before he knocked it down. He did not see bees and thinks I had rendered the hive no longer attractive. He saw a few dead bees but not many.
My objective was to get the bees to vacate and build their hive elsewhere. Perhaps they were able to do so or perhaps they died.
The world needs bees. They are disappearing in many places and the situation is considered to be disastrous for agriculture.
However, a Mexican friend told me yesterday that there are more bees in La Manzanilla now than there were before.
It would be great if anyone knows a local beekeeper for people to call on to capture bees when they build hives in places that are hazardous to people. If that is not a viable option, people will be inclined to kill the bees.
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