Bees in My Chimney

July 3, 2008  

      I came down to San Diego- July 32rd - in plenty of time to do things once arrived.
      Dog out.
      It was warm, so I started climbing upstairs.
      I have room air conditioners.
      The bottom one is on and runs the whole bottom floor, but the top one in the master bedroom (call it menopause) tries hard to control the top bedroom and office, and takes the edge off the stairway and livingroom (middle level).
      As I was climbing up the stairs, I looked toward the livingroom, which I keep closed up (I keep all windows and patio doors closed up).
      I saw brown things on the floor. Lots of brown things. My new brown rug? Which the cats like to shred. But that much. Hmmmm.
      So I went over for a closer look (my Polaroid glasses are irritating so I wasn't wearing glasses.)
      It was bees. Wasps. Some insect. Dead. Lots of them. Dead. A few almost dead.
      I ran for the phone. Finding the phone number I had for the exterminators wasn't working (old), I flailed a bit with phone books (and ended up trashing them). I then calmed down and did the logical thing.
      I hooked up the MacBook to the DSL line I pay for and hit the Internet. Sure enough. New phone number. I called.
      Monday.
      It is now Thursday!
      I went and started finding where else the beasts had gone. We thought baby wasps? Because I saw a wasp or two in the mix. Turns out - they are a different problem.
      I had remembered seeing bees swarming at the garage weeks earlier - I usually leave the door up so I can run in and out. I had sprayed and sprayed - and they had left. And I had shut the door an hour later to discourage them. I sort-of check every trip to see if they were trying to come back. Never occurred to me-----
      Now I find bodies in the master bedroom - at one window (closest to the stairs). And in the kitchen garden window. And all over the livingroom.
      They are dead and squashed in the sliding door track. I must have squashed them unseeing. Bunches of them inside and outside the opening of the door. (Right where the two pieces slide against each other.)
      I sprayed the room. I saw above me, in the skylights, some small combs. I was too far away to know exactly. I vac'd them up too. I saw bees in the skylight. And wasps. I sprayed them and tried to suck them up. The ceiling is very, very high.
      I emailed the exterminators. I think I found the nest.
      They called back. Guy will still come Monday.
      Little by little I became aware that they were falling into the fireplace. I sprayed up the chimney. Wait - the flue is shut. Chuck checked it.
      But they kept falling, I kept returning to the room and sucking them up - 1-2, 3-4 at a time. I ALSO HEARD them. Oh God! They are in the FLUE!
      By now everyone is closed so I emailed them.
      Well ---- when I sprayed up the chimney again like a fiend - it went up the chimney - _evidently enough leakage and dead bodies started dropping.
      _Stand near it - sounds like rushing water__HUGE NEST.__I sprayed into it - they came flying out the top - 100s of them.__I had gone outside to see. Oh Yeah! A mass of them circling!
      I called my son.
      My son had a fit and had me hang up and run barricade the fireplace opening (he's up _in San Jose). I hauled a heavy box up and used it to press a bigger lighter box against the fireplace opening. Then I had to call him and tell him I had done it.
      I have vac'd over and over and over all day.__
      The nest must be removed__and I plan to get the flue CLOSED and the top chimney covered in a _spark arrester thing (screen)__
      The cats had yowled last time we were here - I was not that alert _---- doing other things_this time - first thing - yowels.__
      guess there was a reason!__
      I found I had squashed the little buggers in the sliding glass door _and hadn't noticed - and must have done that the last trip.
      Penalty of not wearing my glasses
      From Thursday to Monday, I went into the living room every 2-3 hours - mopped things up. I don't see wasps.
      Monday morning I called - did you get the emails? They hadn't. It was just after 8 - they had just arrived. Big nest in the lfue. Ok - that's a different guy - 3PM. I thought it might mean that.
      By 3PM, I was ready. My travel arrangements had been moved out a day. (Driving back to San Jose.)
      He looked at the bodies. "Honey bees."
      He gave me a quote and then got into his bee suit. After we secured the fireplace. Black garbage bags and Gorilla tape. Love Gorilla tape. And he opened the flue.
      He climbed up, oh yeah. Big nest. Too far down to rescue. Honey bees you want to rescue. Unfortunately, not this hive.
      He smoked them. Made them "leave". He sprayed them. "Don't return." He came down and used an old trellis and his wire mesh - built a chimney cover. (Need to be able to let the hive moth in - to "help get rid of the hive.") The hive will melt (wax and honey) and drip into the fireplace.
      I got him to take a few shots before he put the cover on. Bees were trying to "return". The next day ---- I have to clean out the fireplace and put down bags (garbage) to catch the drippings. I did - and I re-sealed the fireplace. With the flue open - it breathes.
      The pictures are stunning.
      I am hoping that Friday - when I return - all will be well - but it will drip a bit.
      The wasps? The roofer did not install the new skylights and the exterminator can see thru a hole to the roof. Lovely. Must now go dig up the roofer. Need the Chimney thing anyway.
      Hopefully, anything crawling in (I sprayed up there) will simply die or crawl back out.
      Hopefully.
      Can I have a peaceful trip this time?

Bees in the Nest

See the specs? Those are BEES!