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Author Topic: Open Air Hive & How to Cut Out or Integrate in Lang Deep?  (Read 2477 times)

Offline Apis_M_Rescue

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Open Air Hive & How to Cut Out or Integrate in Lang Deep?
« on: March 05, 2013, 12:53:43 pm »
Had a open air hive dumped by a neighbors dead end street in a cardboard box. It has all its workers & looks like a queen as 3day open larvae in the basketball bridged combed hive. Most comb is light tan & white & trying to cut it out would most likely crumple much comb & consequently brood & maybe queen. Pruned as much of the branches off & put in middle of friends deep lang w/ some foundationed frames either side then put on roof. I can forsee much comb being built under lid & the ball of the hive being bridged in odd ways to the deep foundationed frames. Was hoping to, when bees move to lang frames, move drarn out frames w/ queen to new box below & place open air hive ball of comb above w/ a queen excluder below to hopefully have the olde open air hive become the honey area. Has anyone tried this w/ any success? As always an adventure in beekeeping.

Citrus popping much this week. Just lured in 2 swarms this week in olde equipment, a friend lured one in as well. Swarm season in full swing in southern California.

Cheers, Apis M R 
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

Offline MarjorieClark

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Re: Open Air Hive & How to Cut Out or Integrate in Lang Deep?
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2013, 06:16:36 am »
Had a open air hive dumped by a neighbors dead end street in a cardboard box. It has all its workers & looks like a queen as 3day open larvae in the basketball bridged combed hive. Most comb is light tan & white & trying to cut it out would most likely crumple much comb & consequently brood & maybe queen. Pruned as much of the branches off & put in middle of friends deep lang w/ some foundationed frames either side then put on roof. I can forsee much comb being built under lid & the ball of the hive being bridged in odd ways to the deep foundationed frames. Was hoping to, when bees move to lang frames, move drarn out frames w/ queen to new box below & place open air hive ball of comb above w/ a queen excluder below to hopefully have the olde open air hive become the honey area. Has anyone tried this w/ any success? As always an adventure in beekeeping.

Citrus popping much this week. Just lured in 2 swarms this week in olde equipment, a friend lured one in as well. Swarm season in full swing in southern California.

Cheers, Apis M R 
Looks exciting and effective.. SO can you give a short review on this new beekeeping method as I would love to try it..

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Open Air Hive & How to Cut Out or Integrate in Lang Deep?
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2013, 08:20:44 am »
I have a hive that was from an open air hive. I was told it started out the size of a softball. It was bigger than a football when I got it. After cutting the limb and looking at it, it started falling apart before I could put the comb in the box. With a knife, cut the comb and rubber band the comb into a frame. Then add foundation for the remainder of the frames. The larvae will lock the bees to your hive. By the way, that hive was the gentlest hive that I have worked. Even after the frames fell, with no protection, we never took a sting. The queen did not survive the comb falling off the stick but they raised a new one from the eggs and they stayed gentle. Good luck.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

 

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