Hello,

I'm having a bit of a problem here, ok, not a bit, a large problem. Here is some backgroud. Since June of 2004 some bees have been flying in and out of the underneath of a metal shed in my yard. The metal shed is sitting on top of some cement bricks. The cement blocks might be around the perimeter of the shed and not all the way across the underside, so that there is plenty of unobstructed space underneath. Some of the bricks may have spaces in between, due to misalignment, and I believe some are just broken in some areas, enough to where the bees have been able to enter.

I placed some dirt and mud next to one side of the shed when I saw the bees trying to enter there. They later moved to the back side of the shed and that area is slightly less accessible. I had used up much dirt to cover the side bricks and so by the time I tried to dig up more to cover the back of the shed, the bees had really began to become established. I didn't want to throw dirt on the entrance while they had become increasingly active, but I now realize that they have established themselves so well in our yard, that I can no longer deal with having them there. I have a dog that has had to stay indoors lately because the bees have been staying on trees and I don't want him near them. I saw a huge swarm in our yard in June of 2004 and one yesterday April 25,2005. There was another smaller swarm that I saw about a week ago. Each of these times I was outdoors, and luckily was able to get myself and my dog indoors safely.

The questions in my mind right now are as to whether I should cover up the area behind the shed, hope the bees that are outside of it move on, and then remove the shed and whatever might be underneath (including the bricks),or can someone look underneath just as is (with live bees underneath)? I wanted to go the route of having a live bee removal, but being that these are probably considered "wild" bees, they wouldn't be of use to keep around or am I mistaken? The swarming and now having these bees on our trees that aren't leaving is distressing. Can anyone advise me on what to do?