This apartment complex has to be the most unlucky (or lucky for me) place in the world for Honeybees. I just finished with the first cuttout which consisted of at least 45lbs of honey/comb and im guessing 6-8lbs of bees. It was up in the cieling of a bedroom and after the residents moved out they let me in. I cut out 3 pieces of the drywall cieling and started pulling out the insultation. It took me 3 days and a new (more powerful) shopvac to get rid of all the bees. Unfortunatly it was TOO powerful and I ended up killing at least half of the bees extracting them that way. The others I got out with a big tupperware on the comb. Some brood and was able to rubber band it into a 10frame medium supper, which is now active and happily mixing with a weaker hive in my apiary.
The second situation worked out much better for removal sake in that I used the trappout methood on the outside of the building (another building in the same complex) within a few days they were all out of the wall and in my hive that was sitting atop a ladder right next to the tip of the cone.
Yesterday I get a call from the same place - it looks like another hive is either established recently. One story above where I did the trap out coming in and out of a 45degree angle brick window ledge. From the inside of the apartment (which is thankfully vacant) I can't determine where they are building at. I see them 2inches from the window but the wall is directly up against the brick/cement. They are flying in and out with pollen sacks full of bright orange pollen and some white stuff. Its on a corner instead of a flat surface so I don't know how to get my trap out on there like I did last time...and cutting in isn't really an option because its straight brick.
Have you guys ever run into something like this? How did you handle it?
On ANOTHER note - the local police department called me for a removal at an abandoned house maybe 15mins from where I live. In addition to honey bees on the 2nd story above the front porch, they also have a basketball sized paper-hornets nest above the front door, numerous smaller wasps around the parimter of the roof, and I'm fairly certain - "new york" sized rats. It sure is a scary place but I'm excited to try my trap pout there where I think it will be a big success.
All within the last 1-2months! Busy busy.
Topic: More apartment cuttouts (Read 1578 times)