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Author Topic: Need advice on small removal.  (Read 2927 times)

Offline tireman

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Need advice on small removal.
« on: December 30, 2013, 09:04:53 am »
I want to know when I can first think about moving a feral colony that has built in a 30 x 15 x  24 inch cabinet.  My friend first noticed this colony in early November. He wants it removed as soon as possible but wants to give the bees a fighting chance even though he dislikes them. First off, what temps should I shoot far, and second, should I wait til there is some sort of forage available. I am in east central Mississippi. I am about 30 miles due east of Macon. Thanks for the advice.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2013, 09:09:59 am »
Move them now when they aren't flying if you can move the whole cabinet. Only cut them out when the spring flow has started and it is sunny and 65 or above.
"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 tireman

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2013, 05:23:15 pm »
When can I look for nectar flows? This will be my first year and I am will be flying by the seat of my pants this year.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2013, 05:44:44 pm »
If you bring the cabinet home, lift one side of it weekly. When you notice the weight increasing, there is a flow going on. Otherwise, I think just the entrance traffic will tell you.
"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 tireman

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2013, 07:34:30 pm »
Sorry, I forgot to mention that the cabinet is bolted to the wall from the inside. There is no way to get it without destroying a whole wall. I appreciate the temperature advice. I know the flow will vary from year to year, but what plants do I look for first? Dandelion, dogwood?
It is what it is

Offline iddee

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2013, 07:54:24 pm »
Plant blooms don't mean a flow every time. The front door traffic does. Watch the bees, not the plants. When they are entering and leaving like bullets, the flow is on.
"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 tireman

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2014, 10:52:46 pm »
I finally was able to see my prospective cutout last week. There was no activity, so I was worried that the recent cold temps had taken its toll. I opened the cabinet and found one of the largest hornets nest I have ever seen. Luckily they were all gone or I would have been in trouble. There wasn't enough for this fat boy to run between the boat and wall. He still swears there were honey bees in his shed. Chalk one up for experience.
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Offline greenbtree

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2014, 12:16:33 am »
Snort :-D  That will happen no matter how much your try to tell people how to tell the difference.  Just have to smile and figure it is part of the territory.

JC
"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline 10framer

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Re: Need advice on small removal.
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2014, 08:37:15 am »
it's always been yellow jackets for me.  welcome to beekeeping in the south.

 

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