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Topic: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet (Read 8 times) previous topic - next topic
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Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Yahoo Message Number: 152378
I know:  keep the screen on when coach is in storage.  We're new to California (bay area) and forgot.
 Any suggestions, other than turning on the furnace and running like hell?  I assume spraying bug killer in the exhaust outlet is not advised.  How should we proceed?

Thanks--Ted
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152382
How long have they been there? If they have started a hive, there will be wax from the combs attached to the inside of the vent, and if you start the furnace you may end up with a gooey mess. I would try and find a local bee keeper to come out and remove the bees if possible, and then you can check the vent to see how extensive the hive is. Another thing to keep in mind is that they may be Africanized to some degree, and so may be a bit "grumpy".  If they are fully Africanized, you do not want to be messing with them as they can be pretty nasty. There are some ways I have used to see how africanized a hive is, but I always wore a bee suit when checking, and had an epi pen handy.

Good Luck.

Jay

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Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152383
"Any suggestions, other than turning on the furnace and running like hell?"

Ted

I have seen plenty of wasps in the vents but never bees before. The furnace's heat exchanger chambers might look like the inside a bee box to a bee. Can you see any bee structure inside the vents, using a penlight? Are the bees still there and active? A lot of bees or just a few?

I would start by using a shop vac and pressing the hose up to the exhaust vent. while at the same time blowing compressed air blown into the intake vent. A couple minutes of this should evict the intruders.
I would still make sure to have no bare flesh showing.
If this is too violent a solution, a bee keeper may be able to help.

If the bees actually built a nest, the heater might need to be removed, disassembled and cleaned inside. Inside the heater is the sail switch, which detects good air flow before opening the gas valve. Debris from the nest could jam it, possibly in the 'on' position.

Removing, disassembling, cleaning and resealing is an advanced project. When reassembling the furnace, it must be made air-tight again. It's a sealed system that uses exterior air for combustion and exhaust it outside. Any leaks could release carbon monoxide into the interior.
This is a job that should be left to the pros.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152384
Ted
 We have had bees invade our house and get into the heating duck system. We got rid of them by turning on the air flow and injecting bug bomb into the air returns. Closed all the windows and just left for about an hour and returned to find piles of bees everywhere. Problem solved. Maybe you could modify this technique for a motor home.

Tom
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152385
With the incredible shortage of bees in the world, would it have been possible to call a beekeeper to come get them?  Our food supply is pretty dependent on the benevolence of bees and other small insects.

Virtual hugs,

Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152386
Usually it is paper wasps, not bees. For me, it has always been paper wasps. I have a wire hoop that I use to remove the nest. That has always taken care of it until the next year. I do spray repellant into the furnace exhaust to prevent another infection.

Gary, in Chico, CA
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152390
"We have had bees invade our house and get into the heating duck system."

I've heard of cat heaters, but heating ducks? That's a new one on me. ;-)

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152395
Thanks everyone.  The coach is in the shop while we are away for 10 days, so I cannot examine it right now.  I'm going to have the shop look at it.
 It sounds as if there is a difference in treatment depending on whether they are bees or wasps.  My wife thinks they may be wasps, so now we're not sure.
 In order to give the shop guidance, what is the significance of  bees vs. wasps as far as treatment is concerned?  A good point made in the responses is that if it is bees, you don't want to turn up the furnace, melt the comb wax, and be left with a mess.
 Also level of infestation is important, as Larry pointed out.  Sounds  like a visual inspection is in order to determine whether nests have been constructed or whether I am catching it early and can simply remove the insects without leaving significant structures in the furnace.,
 Does these understandings sound right?  What guidance should I give the shop, other than what has been identified in your responses?

Thanks again--Ted
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152398
I totally agree with Judi, Call a Bee Keeper, they will know what to do AND the best part, they are "FREE" because they get to keep the bee's.. the bee "killers" will cost you in more ways then one...

JO
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152422
An addendum on our bee infestation.  It was not because of an active hive in our home.  The infestation was actually one we observed, while it was underway - a queen relocating with a massive swarm of bees accompanying.
We tried locating a beekeeper, and no pest management company would come on an emergency call.  I am allergic to bees, so, waiting to make our home a hostile location for the new colony was not an option.  The massive bug bombing through the heating ducts and returns did the trick.  Didn't need to fire up the furnace (although that would not have been a problem), just needed to use the furnace fan.  We were sweeping them up by the thousands in dustpans.

Sawyers
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152423
This is just such an unfortunate event.  While I can understand your dilemma, my heart still aches at the thought of so many of our precious bees having been taken out of the food chain.  We need them so desperately!     :-(

Virtual hugs,

Judie

Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152424
Indeed.  I saw a program on honey bees the other night.  Think it was on 60 minutes.  It pointed out that without honey bees, the human race could only last about 4 years.  And their number is decreasing rapidly.  We have to save what we can.  Pretty much everything that grows depends upon them for pollination.

Dick
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152425
LOL...LOL...LOL  Thx, Andy!  I really needed that.

I struggle with what Lynne Truss (author of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, about punctuation mishaps) calls the Inner Stickler...mine often rises to the surface at inopportune moments (I suppose the only opportune moment for a Stickler is in the pursuit of professional editing--reminds me of when my sister was in J-School at Mizzou, from the UPI Stylebook she was memorizing: "A burro is an ass; a burrow is a hole in the ground.  A journalist is supposed to know the difference."
Lynne
LDy Lulubelle, Green '05 31' TB
Lilly, the 4-Legged Alarm
 
Re: Bees in the furnace exhaust outlet
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 152426
Julie & Dick, you are both right. and it seems like Ted didn't get the message..

TED, Call the Bee Keeper they will identify if it's Bee's which it's very easy to tell and probably is Bee's and it is FREE. You won't have to spend one cent as the Bee Keepers Keep the Bee's. It's a Win Win for you, the Bee Keeper and The Bee's. I hope that is what you'll do. They could actually come by that shop and get them with no problem if the Bee's are in an accessible place.. I found a website that can help. They will lead you in the right direction: The Beekeeper - Bee Rescue Swarm Removal

Good Luck,

Jo


LOL...LOL...LOL  Thx, Andy!  I really needed that.

I struggle with what Lynne Truss (author of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, about punctuation mishaps) calls the Inner Stickler...mine often rises to the surface at inopportune moments (I suppose the only opportune moment for a Stickler is in the pursuit of professional editing--reminds me of when my sister was in J-School at Mizzou, from the UPI Stylebook she was memorizing: "A burro is an ass; a burrow is a hole in the ground.  A journalist is supposed to know the difference."