Author Topic: Need Your Advice...Capturing A New Colony (Read 2139 times)

Bee Creek · « **on:** May 31, 2006, 09:11:59 am »

Hi folks,

I need your input and advise on capturing a new colony (from a swarm last Friday...5 days ago) from within my walls. First, I have read many posts on the subject, but I'd like to add a twist to my situation. I would like to remove the bees without exterminating them, however, I cannot teardown or deconstruct my walls due to part of them being made of concrete block and brick. The bees currently have two entrances. Here is my plan...Please, let me know what you think. I will seal one entrance with expandable foam. On the other entrance, I will use a bee escape to let the bees out but not let them get back in. I will also set-up a temporary hive next to this entrance. Hopefully, the bees will take to this hive and within a couple of days (maybe weeks) a majority of the bees will have let my walls. Will the queen follow? Let's assume this works... after the colony is established in the temporary hive for a couple of weeks, could I open up the entrance to my walls and have it robbed? Now, here is where I have a question. I do not have any drawn comb. Will this colony take to foundation, or should I take a frame or two from one of my established hives? Again, any and all information/feedback would be very much appreciated. I really enojoy this site and the wealth of information it contains. Thanks, Ed

Finsky · « **Reply #1 on:** May 31, 2006, 12:47:20 pm »

Difficult to know, how far is the hive from their entrance.
Second question is that do they have brood already. - Who knows?

If it is possible, get from some beekeeper frame of brood. It tempts bees to move to your hivebox. If bees have not yet brood, they all may move to the box and leave the wall hive.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2006, 04:46:33 pm »

Your plan sounds plausable but I would incorporate Finsky's suggestions to enhance the success factor.

>> do not have any drawn comb. Will this colony take to foundation, or should I take a frame or two from one of my established hives?

Yes to both questions, definitely "barrow" a few frames say one from each of the other hives--try to leave a few nurse bees attached to then the brood incase of failure. You are going to be collecting foragers to begin with the success of pulling the other bees out may or may not work, bees are often unpredictable, not being logical. Once you've got as many bees as possible from the wall, queen or no queen, seal it up with that foamy stuff.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2006, 09:58:17 pm »

I can only say I've done many cone removals. None went as planned. The bees are very ingenious and stubborn.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesferal.htm

TwT · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2006, 10:41:59 pm »

odds are if they have set up house you will need to remove them manually, never seen a queen leave a combed hive to move in a framed hive.... IMHO!!

JP · « **Reply #5 on:** June 01, 2006, 12:55:17 am »

Ed, the scent of this hive is in your wall and if the queen has started to lay it would be nearly impossible to get her and the bees to leave on their own. Sorry, but as Ted stated you will have to remove them manually, and to affirm what Michael Bush stated about the cone method, although I haven't tried it I have spoken with friends who have worked with bees for many yrs about this method and the feedback is not good. I can only assume that with the cone method you would get some bees but not the majority and certainly not the queen.