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Author Topic: Need advice...Can I save this colony with a floor removal and custom hive?  (Read 2508 times)

Offline Bees In Miami

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I have an awesome and docile feral colony set up under a work shed.  They have already allowed me to capture 5 swarms this year, so I have my long wanted working bee hives, but my husband is insisting he wants the feral hive removed.  I hate to do that to them, but really have no choice  :'(.  I have been thinking of ways to save the colony.  I know the size of the hive, which is built under a plywood floor, with a space open to the yard that they use and their entrance/exit.   The colony is between floor joists, and goes from the middle support of the shed to their access point.  The hive is 16" by 4 feet long.  (stethascopes are awesome...lol)   IS is possible, for me to build a hive box a bit bigger than that size, and cut out the hive, and place the entire colony, piece of floor included, onto/into the box?  My idea is to make it the width of a standard hive, so I could add some frames for them to work, and continue the life of the colony.  Am I out of my mind?  I know the hive will be huge, but...Any other ideas?  I know, I am a newbee, so maybe a bit crazy/clueless...Any and all help and ideas will be truly appreciated!!! 

Offline AllenF

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You need to have removable frames for inspection.   Cut out each comb and tie it into frames.   

Offline Bees In Miami

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This will take more than one traditional hive box, and my brain says the girls will all try to migrate back to the box that the queen ends up in.  Single broods are most popular here in FL, but perhaps this is a time I should stack a couple brood boxes??   Thanks for making me thing along these lines...  :)

Offline hardwood

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The only comb you'll transfer into frames is brood comb. Transferring honey/pollen will invite SHB. It's rare even here in FL that the bees will have more than a ten frame deep full of brood at this time of year but if they do just use two boxes. I keep my bees in double deep brood boxes BTW.

Scott
"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 David McLeod

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Go take a look in the bee removal forum. JP and several others have videos of that exact presentation and how they transfered them.
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Offline hardwood

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They're under a shed floor you say?

Jackie's bees.wmv

Scott
"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 tefer2

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Scott, I wish some of my removals were that easy. You two always seem to luck out and find the queen.

Offline hardwood

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Sorry...not a very good example just smoking them out. Try this one:

Glenna's bees.wmv

That should give you an idea or two.

Scott
"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 JP

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I think this video may give some insight as well. Did this one without a bee vac.


...JP

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My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Bees In Miami

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Scott, JP and all:  I can't thank you enough!!!  Those videos were exactly what I needed!!!  You pretty much answered all my questions!  I never would have thought of the rubber bands to secure the brood!!  I was looking for videos, but since I am still learning my way around this forum, I wasn't very successful.  You sure made it look easy, which I know it's not.  Again, I can't thank you enough.  I will watch the vids a couple more times before I dive in!  It also looks like I need to be ready with a cage for the queen...I will order one ASAP.   I can't justify the expense of a bee vac yet, so hopefully I will get as lucky as JP.   Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I'm sure my bees will thank you too, when they're in their new home.  ;)

Offline wadehump

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Re: Need advice...Can I save this colony with a floor removal and custom hive?
« Reply #10 on: October 12, 2012, 05:53:29 pm »
Dont use a whole lot of smoke go slow take your time and find the queen stay away from the honey until the end then i would crush and strain and feed it back to them

Offline hardwood

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Re: Need advice...Can I save this colony with a floor removal and custom hive?
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2012, 08:43:12 pm »
Glad we could help Bees! You might want to check out more of our videos as well as from others (schawee for example).

Scott
"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 ScooterTrash

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Re: Need advice...Can I save this colony with a floor removal and custom hive?
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2012, 08:04:44 am »
Just go to Youtube and search on Swarm; the results will provide hours of information/entertainment.
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