The Blaha family said bye to the bees yesterday as the sun came out, allowing for the easy removal of a swarm of honeybees that had attached itself to their Ben Avon home 11 days ago and refused to leave.

Around 1 p.m. yesterday, the Blahas' friendly neighbor beekeeper, Joe Padalino, climbed a ladder to the second story eaves where the colony had taken up residence. He had been waiting for sunny weather to put the bees in a good mood and draw them out on foraging expeditions away from the swarm.

Using a small device that emits puffs of smoke, he cleared away enough drones to reveal five pristine sheets of honeycomb that the bees had constructed.

Mr. Padalino put the honeycombs into a bee box, hoping the queen was lodged inside so that all the worker bees would follow.

The queen was found later in the grass and placed in the bee box.