I noticed two swarms of bees high up in my 70' sycamore tree the other day. Eventually, they decided to head closer to the ground and I called a 'bee removal' service to come get them. Someone came out and coaxed all of the bees into honeycomb to take away. He only found one queen, even though there were two separate swarms.

I noticed some bees still up in the tree and it was confirmed that there is a colony nesting in a cavity about 40' off the ground. I have some questions:

1. Is it beneficial, negative, or neutral to the tree to have bees nesting in it? On the one hand they are helping keep it clean. On the other hand they are introducing water and sugar.

2. Lots of tree pruners said they will not prune a tree with bees in it. Eventually, I will have to prune the tree, so does that mean the colony has to go? Will it ever abandon the site on its own or should I expect bees there for the next decade?

3. The bee removers said that their course of action, should I wish to remove the hive, is to create a plug of concrete a few inches thick and seal the bees inside alive to die. This of course leaves honey and comb inside as well as some pissed off bees. I also worry about concrete as a material. An arborist told me to use insulation foam, if anything at all.

So I am at a loss as for what to do now. What's most important to me is the health and welfare of the tree. I would hate to do anything to speed up its demise. A secondary concern is how to prevent bees from taking up residence again if they are removed. Finally, I would prefer if the bees could be removed alive, but I am skeptical of this 40 feet off the ground. However, leaving the hive intact inside the tree sounds like a recipe for ants and other pests.

Does anyone have any advice for me?