Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.  (Read 5904 times)

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« on: February 14, 2008, 09:33:42 pm »
So, I talked with this older couple on the phone about 3- 4 months ago. The husband wasn't feeling well so we had to reschedule. Went by couple of days ago to size things up and I could see a stain about 5' long on the exterior bricks, so I knew the hive had been there a while and I knew it was gonna be of good size.

 Wasn't quite prepared for the actual size of this hive, just didn't thing it would be so big.























Btw, this hive was nasty. No I didn't get the queen but if I did I would have killed the s.o.b. anyway, she probably had horns anyway. I mean this hive did not let up, EVER, very, very, nasty, bananas all day! Hope ya'll enjoy these pics, it was a tough one!

....JP





« Last Edit: February 14, 2008, 11:09:58 pm by JP »
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Angi_H

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Female
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2008, 12:22:56 am »
darn that is one hell of allot of bees. Are you sure there was not 2 queens lol. With a hive that size how in the heck did she lay that many. Geesh. Where abouts in the country was this. Some where warm of course.

Angi
« Last Edit: February 15, 2008, 02:11:31 am by Angi_H »

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2008, 01:33:08 am »
Angi, there were lots of bees throughout all comb sections but if you look again, you will notice that the brood nest is in the center, honeycomb on each side of broodnest, just like my other one, the pitbull post. Oh, location, Metairie, Louisiana, about three miles from where I live.

....JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Angi_H

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Female
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2008, 02:10:50 am »
All I can say is darn that thing was huge. Ya some if it is hard to see on the small lap top screen. But that is one heck  of a hive as well as one heck of a job.

Angi

Offline Robo

  • Technical
  • Administrator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 6778
  • Gender: Male
  • Beekeep On!
    • Bushkill Bee Vac
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2008, 08:36:02 am »
JP,   you da man!

thanks for sharing
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Moonshae

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 988
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2008, 08:41:49 am »
Those are some neat boxes you have there...good idea!
"The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." - Egyptian Proverb, 2200 BC

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2008, 09:10:03 am »
[quote author=Robo

> thanks for sharing

Rob, since I figured out how to post and load pics, its my pleasure to share. Some on the forums here have mentioned that they enjoy seeing pictures of feral hives in buildings, trees, etc... this is why I post, plus, a story is soooo much better when you have pictures to back it up. I hope to continue sharing pics and stories as long as there is an interest here that accepts this sort of thing. Btw, I have one scheduled to do mid March that has been in a guys ceiling for 15 yrs, now that one is gonna be interesting!


.....JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Robo

  • Technical
  • Administrator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 6778
  • Gender: Male
  • Beekeep On!
    • Bushkill Bee Vac
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2008, 09:30:55 am »
I don't think the desire to see removal pictures will ever die down.  Even though I have done quite a few,  I still enjoy seeing these pictures. 

Can't wait to see the pictures from the 15 yr colony.  Will be interested in seeing if it is similar to the one I did last year that the owners claimed was there for 30 yrs.   I was a bit skeptical as people tend to over exaggerate so I didn't put to much into it until I opened the wall and found a trail of abandon and destroyed comb about 12 ft across the wall and foot deep dirt of decomposed hive debris between the wall studs.  It was clear they had slowly migrated across the wall over time.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline bassman1977

  • "King Bee"
  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1788
  • Gender: Male
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2008, 09:40:44 am »
That hive is a monster.  You're lucky.   :-D  I'm afraid of heights so I would have had to demo the house in order to get the bees to a level I could work.   ;)   :-D
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(''')_(''')

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #9 on: February 15, 2008, 09:52:59 am »
JP, officially gone nuts!!!!  What a bling blang job!!!  Nope, I don't think either that anyone here will get sick and tired of pictures and stories.  They are simply wonderful.  They take us into your world, and your world, by the way, is wild with bees.  Keep those pictures and stories coming, yep, yep.  That one that has been there for 15 years otta be a whopper.  Have the most wonderful and beautiful day, lovin' this life we live.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Understudy

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4641
  • Gender: Male
    • http://www.understudy.net
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2008, 09:39:16 am »
Nice Nice Nice!

I however would not have like to have done that off an extension ladder.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2008, 10:11:48 am »
Nice Nice Nice!

I however would not have like to have done that off an extension ladder.

Sincerely,
Brendhan



With using two ladders it wasn't so bad, just a lot of up and down stuff, not recommended for those who aren't good with heights. To be honest I have a height limit as well, then I get some sort of bucket lift.

....JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2008, 12:33:33 pm »
JP, that's fascinating!  I love the pics as I have never seen anything like that.  It's amazing what such small creatures can do on their own.  Can you tell by looking what type they may be?  When you re-queen they eventually become nicer bees?  If you didn't get the queen, won't she just make more there?  Do you completely take everything out so she doesn't?  I know I sound like a kid w/ questions but inquiring minds want to know!  Thank you so much everyone for their pics, it helps us new-bees so much to be able to visualize & see how the bees naturally do things!
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Big, mean, nasty hive, 18' up, with pics.
« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2008, 06:51:19 pm »
[ author=poka-bee link=topic=13231.msg92884#msg92884 date=1203179613]
 
Can you tell by looking what type they may be? > Yes, they're vampire bees. 

When you re-queen they eventually become nicer bees? > Yes.

If you didn't get the queen, won't she just make more there? > she could if she had enough bees with her and proper resources.

Do you completely take everything out so she doesn't? > Yes, I remove everything. then most importantly, I beeproof the area so this queen or another swarm can't settle in and restart.

I know I sound like a kid w/ questions but inquiring minds want to know!  Thank you so much everyone for their pics, it helps us new-bees so much to be able to visualize & see how the bees naturally do things! > You don't know if you don't ask, happy to oblige.

....JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com