The day I found a beehive inside a Victorian flue in Albany

Last spring I got a call from a lady in Albany who said her fireplace was making a weird humming sound. I figured it was just a draft or maybe some leaves stuck in the damper. When I opened it up and ran my camera up the flue, I saw this massive honeycomb built right inside the clay liner. Bees had gotten in through a crack near the roof and set up shop maybe 15 feet down. I had to call a beekeeper to come remove them before I could even start cleaning. Took us two full afternoons to get the comb out and repair the liner. Has anyone else run into wildlife in a chimney that made you rethink your day?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat7811mo agoTop Commenter

Wow, that is wild! I've pulled squirrels and raccoons out of chimneys before but a full beehive fifteen feet down is a whole different level. What did you do with all that honeycomb after you got it out? I'm guessing the beekeeper took the bees but did they let you keep any of the honey or wax or was it too contaminated with soot and creosote? That seems like a huge mess to clean up, especially with all the sticky honey and wax residue left behind in the liner. I bet the inside of that flue is going to need serious work to get it sealed up right after all that.

ray_williams1mo ago

You think they could melt the wax down and filter out the soot somehow? I've heard of beekeepers salvaging worse stuff than chimney wax if they really want to.

hannah3201mo ago

Oh my, that is quite the story! I actually read somewhere that beeswax can sometimes be cleaned up and used even after being in a chimney, though I imagine the honey would be a lost cause with all that soot mixed in. You're right about the flue needing major work, I've heard those chimney liners can be tricky to seal properly after something like that.