I was given a section of a tree that was cut down, containing a hive. The bees did not abscond, and I have propped up the log section and it is fairly stable. It's about 6 feet tall, and the hive goes through most of that length. The top is open, due to the way the tree guys cut the log.
I would like to keep these bees, but I'm figuring that splitting the log and removing them will severely diminish their chances of reestablishing in time for winter. However, the open top presents a bit of a problem. Before moving the log, I stapled aluminum screening to cover and seal the hole. Since then, I've added a plastic bag to keep out the rain, and weighed it down with a rock.
I'm thinking about taking a piece of plywood, cutting it down to the size of a super, cutting a hole the size of the hive space at the top of the log, and then adding a box on top of that, with an inner cover and an outer cover. Then I can feed them, and they can store what they need for the winter. Then, in the spring, I can split the log and move them into a home that's better for me.
How does that sound?