Can anyone help with this? Please, do :)

[joker1656]

Some folks called me with bees getting into the interior of their house.  I went to their home to locate the colony etc.  They showed me where they saw them going in on the exterior. 

The bees were entering between the vinyl siding and the brick chimney.  Pretty typical it appeared.  There were not many, though.  They took me inside and showed me about 30 bees that had made it all the way inside.  These bees were flying around inside the family room.  The fireplace/chimney was in this room.  I could not locate where they were getting into the room. 

They did not appear to be getting in next to the fireplace.  The house was older, but in good repair.  Very well maintained, with many upgrades.  I checked the attic, the crawl space, and the chimney flue.  The exterior walls are all well insulated.  I don't see where there would be a void.  I did not hear the bees, or feel any temp changes.  I am going back with a few more tools to be a bit more thorough, but do not expect to find anything.  It was really odd.

Also, they said that they just noticed the bees in the last day or so.     

Why are they coming all the way into the interior?  Could they be scout bees that got lost inside the house?  Can anyone give me some hints on something out of the ordinary to look for? 

These folks are pretty unsettled by the invasion.  At the very least I will pop off some siding, and eliminate any chance of entry.  I would like to find these buggers, though.     

[kathyp]

i will hazard a guess that a small swarm set up beside the chimney and that the chimney has a defect allowing them in.  either that, or there is a defect along side the chimney where it should be sealed along the wall.  if you can not find an entrance in the house, look in the chimney.

[iddee]

When a swarm first moves in, they are disoriented and will go in all directions. After a few days, they will figure out where the front door is and will propolize the holes going in the house.

That being said, many times they will decide the quarters aren't adequate and will move on. I would wait a week to see what happens before removing any structural parts. They may well be gone by then.

[joker1656]

Thank you, to both of you.  I appreciate it.

Kathy, I did look around and inside the flue.... BUT.... you might be right.  If I remember correctly, there might be occasional space between the inner flue and the exterior brick.  Not sure, but I will check that thoroughly... thanks.

Iddee, if I find/hear nothing today, that is what I will do.... advise them to wait a few days/week.  I alluded to that last night, with them.  They were pretty worried about the whole thing, and imagining that they were having their house comandeered by the bees, so they weren't sure they wanted to hear that answer   

Your info on a new swarm was good to hear.  I suspected that might be the case, but still have obscure (obscure to me at least ) details like that to learn.

Thanks again!