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Author Topic: Bees in wine barrel  (Read 11411 times)

Offline montauk170

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Bees in wine barrel
« on: June 21, 2010, 07:26:41 pm »
Just got a call for some bees in a wine barrel.
Owner said I can just take the entire thing if I wanted.
So I want to ask, should I do the cutout there or bring it home and do the cutout?
(That's if I can seal the bottom and holes and take it with me.)
« Last Edit: June 21, 2010, 09:49:47 pm by montauk170 »
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Offline hardwood

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2010, 07:33:35 pm »
If it were me, and it was a good bet to move them, I'd take them back to a bee yard to do the cut out. I did one recently that was in an old 55gal drum. They only had one entrance (a little rust hole) that was easy to tape over. I moved them back to a yard and cut them out into a hive body set up on a pallet already. Didn't have to move them afterward and they oriented to the new hive beautifully.

Scott
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"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline iddee

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2010, 07:44:51 pm »
Why make it complicated?I would back my pickup right up to it, after dark, set it on and drive home. Have the site set up in advance and set it off as soon as I got there. Then I would remove them at my leisure. Announce at the local club when it would be done and get free help from the newbees.
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"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"

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Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2010, 08:18:19 pm »
Thanks guys! Will do just take. If I need to, I'll slip a board underneath and seal it somehow before trucking it home.
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Offline G3farms

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2010, 08:29:13 pm »
If you have to seal it up don't think about all of the holes. Take an old bed sheet and cover up the whole thing and use string or duct tape to hold in place.

G3
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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!

Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2010, 09:05:34 pm »
It's a full barrel! But yeah, I'll bring some sheets for sure! Thanks

Pic of the barrel. LEFT barrel is where the bees are at.

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Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2010, 09:48:33 pm »
After I take the barrel home, I plan to remove a ring or two so the wood is loose enough to take apart one at a time until it's large enough
to get to the combs. Not sure how the barrel is constructed if I can remove the top or not.

Questions
Should I hive it during the night time or day time?
Should I bee vac the bees into the new hive? (Robo's bee vac design)
Scoop them in by box and brush?

Thanks
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Offline asprince

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Re: Bees in half-wine barrel
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2010, 09:53:26 pm »
Great! I got some in a wooden 30 gal. pickle barrel once. Someone called me one night and said they had watched a swarm go into a pickle barrel under their carport. That night they put some tape over the bung. They wanted me to just come and get them, barrel and all. So I did.

Good Luck,

Steve  
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Offline iddee

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2010, 10:20:27 pm »
Hive them between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.
The other questions are personal preference.
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"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"

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Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2010, 10:41:40 pm »
Ok, I'll bring the barrel home first and open up the hole, let them adjust to their new location first, then hive them later during the day time. Any other suggestions?
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Offline G3farms

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2010, 10:54:14 pm »
For some reason I thought it was a half barrel :?

If the staves are loose you can peck the hoops down a little to tighten it up.

Be careful when loosening the hoops, if you get in too big of a hurry the whole barrel will just fall apart.

Good  luck with it.

G3
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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!

Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2010, 11:06:50 pm »
I thought it was half barrel too!!! Until the owner sent me pics.

I might have to drill 3 screws into the top cover, string it, just incase it falls apart, at least the top won't drop and crush all the combs.
This is going to be fun! I was thinking maybe just leave them as is and harvest someway :)  Natural THB or something of that sort.  :-D
Will get video and pics if I dont mess up too badly.  :-D
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Offline hardwood

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2010, 11:19:41 pm »
I don't know about your State regs, but here in Florida bees have to be hived on removable frames for inspection...skeps have (sadly) become a thing of the past.

Scott
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"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2010, 12:16:27 am »
I'm in California... maybe no regs? (I doubt that as CA as so many crappy laws and such!) Anyone that live in CA know?
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Offline iddee

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2010, 12:25:55 am »
I think it's a state law that has been passed in all 50.
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"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"

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Offline annette

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2010, 12:37:37 am »
Quote from: montauk170 on June 22, 2010, 12:16:27 am
I'm in California... maybe no regs? (I doubt that as CA as so many crappy laws and such!) Anyone that live in CA know?

They don't seem to have many laws regarding the bees.  And no one to regulate them, so if no one sees them, well you can probably do whatever you want.
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Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2010, 12:59:08 pm »
Yeah, so true Annette. CA is in deep kaka regarding budget already, they are already cutting services left and right. They are not going to care about bees/beekeepers.
But anyways, I'll hive this barrel colony. Easier to manage the bees and stuff.
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Offline montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2010, 02:34:04 pm »
Got another idea I might want to try. I want to be sure this colony won't leave if I cut them out and hive them.

Using the existing barrel as one of my brood chambers, close off all current entrances.
Drill a new entrance on top.
Add a medium(#1) on top with a top entrance.
Hopefully they will start building upwards.
Then after they have drawn out the frames and hope the queen moved up to lay
I can set up a SBB, put the medium(#1) that was on top of the barrel as my bottom brood chamber.
Then cutout the barrel and add those framed brood/eggs combs and reintroduce them in a new medium.

Crazy idea? Too troublesome? Just do the darn cutout? Give it a try?
Has anyone attempted this before?
Suggestions/comments please.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2010, 10:39:16 pm »
If the queen moves up, add an excluder under the super and keep adding boxes. Remove barrel when empty.
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"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 montauk170

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Re: Bees in wine barrel
« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2010, 10:42:23 pm »
So you think the idea would work?
I can inspect the first super I added on top of the barrel to see if I can find the queen up there, then add the excluder if I find her.
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