Function Words

On the 4th of July I looked out my window and saw an enormous swarm of bees flying above my street. For a little while they were near my balcony but they eventually moved on.
I didn't notice them after that. On July 9 we went to Portland for a long weekend birthday celebration (which was great, btw)
When we returned today I noticed bees on the balcony again. Only this time they seemed to be going and coming from the drain hole near the balcony floor. There were enough bees flying around to make me nervous about inspecting too closely but I had the idea of flooding the floor with water so it would drain out of the hole and wash the bees away.
Now I've tried it and it may have helped a bit but it didn't solve the problem. I am afraid the there is a queen inside the framework of the balcony which means that it will take quite a bit more to persuade them to leave.
My most recent attempt has been to soak a rag with carpet cleaner (I had a jug of it nearby) and stuff the rag in the hole. My thinking was that the soap would be offensive and drive the bees away. I don't really want to kill them but I certainly don't want an infested balcony!