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Author Topic: Trapout problem?  (Read 3013 times)

Offline hoku

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Trapout problem?
« on: May 13, 2009, 05:16:37 am »
So here's what's going on......I began a trapout from a tree yesterday about 3pm.  The hive seems to be fairly large(wishful thinking?).  The usual setup: Deep with 9 frames with starter strips and one frame eggs/brood/honey.  Cone covering hole in the tree and all other entrances blocked.  Sorry, no pics, my camera just died yesterday. 

Bees have no problem exiting the cone, but they dont seem to be wanting to go into the brood box.  They have been bearding all over the cone all day, with only a few entering and exiting the box.  I just went and checked on them, 2 hours after dark, and they are still bearded on the cone, but quiet now.  I figured after dark they would go in!!!  Although, I am in Hawai'i and the nights are about 65 deg at the coldest this time of year, maybe they are enjoying the balmy air. :)

One place I might have messed up.....the cone exit is about 4 inches from the landing board of brood box.  Due to lumpy terrain, that's as close as I could make it. 

Anyone have an experience like this?  What should I do?  Take off cone and shake it into the brood box tomorrow?  Try to move brood box closer to cone and/or remake cone to be longer? 

Are the eggs in the frame I put in dead now?  Its been 30 hrs with not many bees on them.

One other random thought, could they have somehow swarmed RIGHT when I put the cone on and now they are all bearding around the queen who came out?

Clearly, tommorrow I will do something, but not sure what.  Thanks for any input!  -Wendy

Offline iddee

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2009, 07:01:10 am »
The cone exit position in not important. The cone base should be against the catch box. As they exit the cone, they go foraging. It is when they return that they are trapped. When they land on their return, they need to be able to walk into the catch box without having to fly. If they can do that, I think you have more in the box then what is bearding. Check it today, adjust as much as possible, but DO NOT remove the cone. If the beard is too thick, scoop them up and put them into the box.

No, they didn't swarm.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline hoku

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2009, 04:38:28 pm »
Thanks for your input, iddee.  This morning, there was less bearding on the cone and I was pleased to find out that 2 frames of bees had made it inside the brood box.  So I think the eggs were cared for. 

I think the mistake I made was not having the cone base on the landing board of the brood box.  I built 2 "bridges" today from the landing board to the cone base to solve the problem.  Hopefully.  I watched for awhile after I put it up and a few bees were figuring it out.  I also tried scooping off the beard and dumping them on top of the frames, but most flew off.  Maybe I was too rough. 

I will watch and wait and see what happens. 


Offline hoku

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2009, 03:46:34 am »
Trapout seems to be going well now.  There are bees covering the whole frame of eggs and one queen cup has been started.  2 more frames have bees working on drawing comb.  Had to extract 2 dead drones from the cone this morning.  Still a little bearding, but it is slowing down.  Got my camera working and took some pics. 

This hive is in a half dead Ohia Lehua tree.  I found the hive on accident at night, while hunting the elusive, yet horribly loud and obnoxious coqui frog.  I leaned up against this tree in the dark, to wait for the coqui to sing and give its location away and heard the bees getting mad instead!  Needless to say, I got out of there fast.

Unrelated to bees, but a cool photo of what 2 active lava flows look like when they hit the ocean.  This is from the land I live on in Kalapana.




Offline Bee Happy

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2009, 11:51:23 am »
what a landscape!
I have a pretty good group of friends from Hawaii. (but I've never been there).
they're like a bunch of cousins to me - but they decided not to use my name in Hawaiian.
"Ke kane aloha Akua" (They coulda just said 'kane')

on topic: thanks for sharing the pics of that trapout.
be happy and make others happy.

Offline iddee

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2009, 01:13:09 pm »
Although I think your set up will eventually work, It would increase your chances if you would raise your box 3 or 4 inches and twist it toward the tree until the bottom board touches the cone base.

Yes, it is beautiful landscape. Looks like bee heaven.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline hoku

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2009, 03:40:01 am »
Update:  I noticed some serious bee clogging in my cone, so I made a new cone(a better one, my 1st one was very frankenstein).  I attach my cones to a 3" PVC fitting, so I can just slide it over a 3" PVC pipe bit I have attached to my plywood.  Anyway, I quickly swapped out the cones and found the first one had probably 100 dead bees in it.  NOt sure what happened, perhaps a pileup on the highway.  Most were drones, so I dont feel so bad.  Bees still exiting new cone frequently.  And no bearding on the cone.  I managed to get the cone a bit closer to the landing board.

Inside the hive box, something interesting/troublesome......They had begun 2 queen cells, but they looked no bigger than when I checked them 3 days ago.  Perhaps the eggs inside have died, because it looks like the bees are filling the cells( that were filled with eggs when I put it in), with pollen.  hmmm.....perhaps a new frame of eggs is needed? 

How fast do I need to get on putting in a new frame of eggs?

Offline hoku

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2009, 03:52:30 pm »
Just wanted to follow up with my success story(so far).  It has been a little over a month, and the bees made a queen who survived and started laying about a week ago.  Hurray! 

I've got about 9 frames of bees in the deep and they are working on building comb in the med super on top.  My deep was all started with starter strips for foundation and they built it perfectly.  I can smell all that new wax when the hive is closed and I am about 5 feet away from the hive.  They are filling it with lovely very light ohia lehua honey.  The wax and honey are so light, I could barely see the brood that are the same color.  That lehua nectar flow is almost over, though.

Trapouts are so much fun!  I think in the end, I might re-open this tree and let bees keep taking up residence so I can trap them out!

Offline G3farms

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Re: Trapout problem?
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2009, 07:23:02 pm »
That sounds great, glad you got a good hive of bees going.

Was this your first trap out? I have never done one but have done several cut outs.
Looks like you did a real good job.

G3
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

 

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