Bees living in shed - What to do?

Evening all.

My missus has been to see her grandparents today, and has come home with news that bees have moved into her grandparents' shed.

As none of the 'witnesses' (my missus, the sister-in-law, the mother-in-law and the grandparents-in-law) have ever taken much interest in the different types of creature that share our gardens, I can't say whether they are bumblebees or honeybees or something else.

I think its safe to say they are in fact bees, and not wasps, as they all know how to spot a wasp.

I also suspect that the bees in question are bumblebees, because the widely held definition of a bee among the witnesses is the usually 'fat hairy' bees we see in gardens.

I need to convince my wife's grandparents not to call pest control, because they'll just come and kill them all, but in order to make my case I will need to propose an alternative.

Lets assume for a moment it turns out they are honey bees. I believe there is some sort of bee keepers organisation that will send someone out to relocate them. Is that right?

Lets now assume they are bumblebees. Bumblebees, I believe, usually nest at ground level, so they may not be in the shed but under it. Presumably that means they can't be relocated.

I and most of us on here surely know that bees in the garden do not pose a problem of any kind (unless you attack them), but my wife's family are all proper townies, who know that bees can sting, and therefore are not welcome in any numbers. What I need is either a viable alternative to extermination (which in my mind would be a heinous crime), or some good ammo to convince them to just leave the bees be.

 

if they are honeybees a beekeeper will move them through the beekeepers associationbut i doubt they are we always had several beehives and if bees are relocating they will usually swarm and are in vast quantities that everyone will notice the angry throb from them is enought to waken the dead .other bees i dont know they certainly wont bother anyone,good luck on saving the wee beasties

 

Got bumblebees living behind the shower in the ensuite and under the floor by the front door, never caused me a problem other than thinking a heating pump had been left on because of the low hum.

Tell them if they kill the bees, we won't get any fruit in the autumn.