Why is the Cutout hive rebuilding?

[Grandma_DOG]

Got an email from a homeowner who I removed a hive from under a shed last week.

She says the hive is rebuilding comb. What does this mean?  Let's assume it isn't a new swarm that arrive on the old hive location, because that's not a mystery.  But if the few hundred bees I left behind are rebuilding comb, does that mean I missed the queen and left too many bees behind?

[AllenF]

My guess would be too many bees behind.   They will make comb without a queen.

[JP]

They potentially could go into survival mode and build comb, particularly with a few hundred bees, but I think there is a good chance there is a queen with them.

The last several hives I've removed lately had multiple queens. Its best if you can finish your cut outs late, so you get most all the bees.

At least with this new call, you may not have a lot of comb to remove if you can get there soon enough.


...JP

[Grandma_DOG]

They potentially could go into survival mode and build comb, particularly with a few hundred bees, but I think there is a good chance there is a queen with them.

The last several hives I've removed lately had multiple queens. Its best if you can finish your cut outs late, so you get most all the bees.

At least with this new call, you may not have a lot of comb to remove if you can get there soon enough.


...JP

I hope it has a queen. It would be nice to have a nuc.

I'm going back tomorrow to remove again. I've been contacted by a grad student journalist major doing a video on beekeeping, she wants to come video a cutout. I kind of feel like I'm cheating to bring her to a half done deal. We'll see.

Oh, JP, I forgot to ask. How do you use your beevac?  Do you vac off all the bees you can then start cutting comb?  Or do you just vac off bees from the comb you are about to cut and not worry about the rest?

[JP]

Lots of bees in the colonies I've been removing lately. Too many to see what I'm doing, so I vacuum enough bees to allow me to see what I'm doing.

If bees are mean vacuuming helps as numbers are vastly reduced.

If bees are relatively nice and you can see the comb sections, I like to just go in and work amongst them, gently placing my fingers and hands between them, around them, cutting and transferring comb sections with bees.

I often transfer comb sections full of bees, I try not to vacuum bees off comb sections I am transferring.

I always try to finish near dark/at dark/after dark to get 99.999999999999% of the bees.

If its a complicated one, starting early is a good idea. Remove and transfer, set box/boxes up and go eat lunch, catch a swarm, etc... Then come back and seal box and place in truck.

If you are left with a ton of bees in the void space, you may have missed a queen, if you know she has gone into a crevice come nightfall and she still hasn't come out, if you can, leave and come back later or next day and usually she will be out with the rest of the bees.


...JP

[Kathyp]

ok.  my bet.  new swarm  :-)

'tis the season and the smell of the old hive will draw them.  bet 1/2 the calls i get start with "years ago, there was a hive there.....".

let us know!!!!!!

[Grandma_DOG]

I have returned from the 2nd cutout. There was a small comb that was built. But fewer than 100 bees. Normally I would write this off as a mis-informed homeowner. However, they sent a photo showing a 2 lb ball of bees where the hive was. There clearly was a 2nd swarm there that stayed for a couple of days and left.