Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: Grandma_DOG on May 07, 2009, 09:30:19 pm
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Somehow I volunteered to help with bee problems at our old family farm. :-\
I'll have to drive 3 hours to get there, have no power, no hotel, and no help. I will have a 300W inverter in my truck, and I'll borrow a battery Sawzall.
They apparently have at least 3 hives that need to go.
1. In the barn out in the open. Sounds easy.
2. In a wall of a trailer house. Established 8 years. Doesn't sound fun or easy.
3. In a 55 gallon drum. Seems easy.
Due to the expeditionary nature of this mission. I need to estimate time to do all 3. I think #1 and #3 will take 2 hours each. That puts me at 4 hours. #2 is the variable one, maybe 4-7 hours? Should I make this a 2 day trip?
I've done a few cutouts, but so many back to back is hard to estimate. To complicate matters, I'm only using KTBHs and not Langs. So I cut combs, and use the hair clip method to attach them to bars. I'm estimating about 6-8 brood combs per hive that I'll want to keep. Set me straight if that seems too few.
The honey comb will go in a bucket for harvest later and stay in the Cab of the truck overnight, the junk comb goes in trashbags and tied and thrown in the bed. I'll have a creek to wash off in, and I'll bring 5+ galleons of H2O with me. If I have to stay overnight, It will be in my tent.
The plan is to do each cutout, leave the KTBH near each old hive and seal them up at dusk, then load them on the truck and drive home to my outyard.
I'll have to have a plan D, if I find another feral hive out there.
Pointers, anyone?
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Sounds like an over nighter to me.
If one swarm is in a 55 gallon drum, I would just load it on the truck and do the cut out at home at your leisure. But it might just be a swarm that has not established themselves and would be quick and easy.
The no help on the cut out sounds a little rough, might not be too bad if you don't have to rebuild what you tear out.
Sounds like all day to me, better pack a lunch and supper for sure.
At least you have a plan, but there will be something you forget at the house.
Good luck with it.
G3
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camping!!! i'd plan on staying.
have you done many cutouts? if not, take some time to read some of this section and the note at the top of the section about equipment. take more than you think you'll need. extra buckets, etc.
good luck!! take pictures!!!!!
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Yes this one sounds fun. Take pics for sure. I like the idea of sealing up the barrel for at home....maybe a new hive configuration you just came up with. :roll: But most of all id say have fun while doing it.
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The barrel has to stay there. I don't have room for a drum and my KTBH. Politically, a barrel showing up at the house, and no way to throw it away....wife not happy.
I'll have to do minimal repairs to the wall of the trailer. Like screw a signboard over the hole until they fix it right.
I'm not sure how many buckets to bring. I can bring 3My backup plan was to use trashbags as liners, dump comb in them, then pull them out and put them in the bed of the truck when full. And use the bucket again.
As for pics, nope, it'll be video like all my others. I'm on YouTube under 'outofabluesky'. I've got several vids there, mostly KTBH stuff and one butchered cutout.
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Definitely plan on staying overnight. And definitely have a plan for when you run out of buckets. I almost filled a 30 gallon rubbermaid container with combs of honey on the one I did last Saturday.
Not sure why you can't fit the barrel in place of one less TBH? BTW, aren't you worried about having issues transporting the TBHs with freshly hair clipped combs?
No need to get rid of the barrel, turn it into a hive (or 2) :-P
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/191-1/Picture+006.jpg)
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IF you stay in the tent overnight, be sure to take along something to keep ticks off of you...mosquitoes too.
I would say that this wil be an overnight job.
Good luck and be careful....you are not going out there alone are you?
Brenda
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(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_q9cmv0DQfTA/R-WzXha0V-I/AAAAAAAAClM/gkT2HWsOMps/s144/P1010254.JPG) (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eye9PAqjjbNq447LFxejug?feat=embedwebsite)
grab everything that's empty and take it with you. :-)
this one taught me a lesson. i thought i was taking out one hive that was just getting started. it was early march. how big could it be?? what i found was 2 hives this size packed with honey and brood. i got lucky. at the last moment we had pitched in an extra rubbermaid tub and an extra hive set up. twice this has happened....not that i am complaining!
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I almost filled a 30 gallon rubbermaid container with combs of honey on the one I did last Saturday.
How on earth did you lift it?!!
(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/191-1/Picture+006.jpg)
This is really neat! Is that one of yours?
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Not sure why you can't fit the barrel in place of one less TBH? BTW, aren't you worried about having issues transporting the TBHs with freshly hair clipped combs?
Yea, I'm always concerned moving KTBHs. The best defense is to let the bees attach burr comb before moving. Not possible on this one. I can also put them in the vehicle with the combs normal to the direction of traffic.Slapping comb could kill way too many bees.
Whats the survival rate on cutouts anyway? I've heard the mortality rate is high.
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How on earth did you lift it?!!
With a dep breathe and a lot of grunting ;)
This is really neat! Is that one of yours?
Why yes it is -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/barrel-top-bar-hive/
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Whats the survival rate on cutouts anyway? I've heard the mortality rate is high.
All depends on if you find the queen and how much of the brood you can save. I does take a lot out of them, in most cases you won't get any surplus honey out of them, but hopefully they will be strong enough for the winter
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(http://www.bushkillfarms.com/gallery2/d/191-1/Picture+006.jpg)
That one cool hive :evil:
Johnny
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Whats the survival rate on cutouts anyway
mine has been pretty good, but don't have the numbers jp does. i have lost one completely, and had to help out a couple of others will brood, but most seem to make it ok. the one i lost this year i had had 2 years and if i'd caught the fact that they were queenless, i could have saved them.
if you get the queen, a good amount of brood, and get them set up properly right from the start, there is no reason for them not to have a really good chance.
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The Triple Hitter is now DONE. :)
It took 36 hours to complete, 6 hours of driving, and a truck full of equipment. But its over. Made it home by 3am.
I'll post a full report when I return home, as I'm now at the beach and haven't had time to upload my pics and videos or even unpack the truck.
The nutshell summary - 2 of the 3 hives were dead. But another one was in a old tractor fuel tank. I cut down the wax of a large dead hive (i have pics) and I cutout the drum hive (textbook extraction). The fuel tank was a complete frilling nightmare as it was loaded with honey in a bizarre twisted, non linear comb set. videos for both of those.
Lots of side stories on this campout trip. Found new uses for the smoker, too.
I did save some comb that had uncured honey I was going to feed back to the bees. Its in my garage, you guys think it could ferment or go bad in 4 days?
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four days? If you're feeding it back to them i wouldnt' worry about it. They'll fix it up.