“On the seller’s disclosure it said ‘bees in wall’ and that was it and I think because one, we didn’t see them and two, we were just so floored that we actually found land in the (school) district that was within our price range that I didn’t really ask any questions about those bees. I didn’t think it would be that big of an issue. It didn’t even cross my mind but when spring arrived that’s when we started to see them.”
The couple didn’t do a home inspection and Weaver admits they probably should have opted for one – but she and her husband had been waiting patiently for a home in the neighborhood to hit the market, so when the farmhouse popped up on their radar, they jumped at the opportunity.
Going back to the home inspection aspect, bee-ing winter, an inspector won’t see much activity going on outside. About the only way to “see” this, is visual debris from the bee refuse and honey staining. It’s highly possibly that a thermal camera would capture the heat anomalies in the wall and then the head scratching starts, unless the disclosure light bulb comes to mind. Also a good stethoscope could maybe help. I actually have one in my tool bag.
25 years ago in Denver in dead of winter, a home inspector noted several dead bees in the basement which seemed unusual and recommended further evaluation to determine source. Buyers did not follow his recommendation and moved in and next spring had bees all over the place. Further evaluation…now…finds a huge beehive in the wall with extensive mold and rot. Total cost was over $6K. They sued everyone including the home inspector. The judge asked why they didn’t follow the home inspector’s recommendation and excused the inspector from the case. Ultimately, it was determined that the sellers knew about and did not disclose the beehive.
