There was some brood but I don't save any old comb from cutouts based on past experience with hive beetles. For me it is never a good experience when I save old comb.
Steve
asprince, thanks for mentioning your take on saving comb in regards to the beetles.
My mentor and I were contemplating a cutout at a lady's barn recently. In discussing the cutout prior to inspecting the colony he said we wouldn't be saving comb, that his experience in the past was that the bees are greatly disturbed by the cutout and so busy trying to repair and attach the comb that the beetles tend to wreak havoc on the colony and cause it's collapse. He stated that his experience with saving comb/brood and colony survival is very poor. Is this basically what you have experienced or are there other/additional reasons?
We have not done the cutout on the barn I mentioned... bees in the wall of a heavy metal sheeted barn that is sandwiched between a small (but substantial) lean-to shed on the outside and a large walk-in cooler on the inside. It's possible we may tear the lean-to shed down this winter and do the cutout this spring but it will be a chore. When I cleared away the junk in from of where they were actually entering into the barn's interior there were beetles around that entry point. This is a very strong hive, it appears, so I don't know what would be found within the hive.
I'm curious about what folks like Scott, JP, Shawee, Iddee, Don, and others who do lots of cutouts also experience in regards to the survivability of cutouts in regards to beetles....????
Nice job, btw!
Ed