Sometimes this is pretty straightforward; other times not so much. Do the bees go up, down, to the side, or forward into the floor? Wherever the honey bees are at, they do need a fairly large cavity in order to build a nest. They will not build a nest in insulated walls because there is no space for them there. Probably 50% of the removals we do are in the floor joists. The reason for this is because there are often construction gaps where the first, second, or third floor meet and the floor joists are wide open with plenty of space for the bees to build a nest.

Bookcases, bathrooms, abnormal construction, additions, double walls, brick chimneys, and other factors such as a bee colony being sprayed with pesticides and low in numbers, can make finding a honey bee nest difficult. We have seen walls and ceilings with dozens of holes running up and down from a previous company trying unsuccessfully to find the hive. By experience and a thorough understanding of bee behavior, we are usually able to find the honey bee colony within a matter of minutes