From the Tree too me.......and Back again?....... Please show me the Way

[Tommyt]

Hello
 I am new and in the Learning of Bee's and Keeping
I have no Hives as of yet but what I do have is a,
 Hive in a tree in the Neighbors yard. with full access to it .
The Hive is about 6 or so feet off the ground and the tree is Somewhat
alive ,the owner has no intentions of Cutting it,but told me too
take as long as I wish to get them out,for a experiment(failed) I blocked
the main entrance to about 90% I then placed a Box with 5 frames and put
comb in 3 .I also put a jelly jar  feeder out of on the landing Board
of this empty hive box. I filled it twice before I gave up.
The only thing that happened was wax moths, beetles,
I took the comb in froze it for a day or so put it back out
I also think some Pollen steeling from the bees ?
 I did this thinking I had a better place than what they where in .We have been
getting tons of rain and the entrance of their hive faces up its open like a Funnel so I
figured they may not like the continual water bath and move a few feet into the nice
 Dry hive I put out. Ok now that I told you what I did what can I do ??
If I trap them out and they take to my Box after they are there ? what about the Queen
If I get her, can I then reopen their old Hive so they can get the Honey? and the rest
of their belongings ?? lol Is this at all possible
Also when they are trapped out what becomes of the Honey its just abandoned because they don't
know when they leave its a one-way walk ? Flight?

Tom

Sorry I am in Tamapbay Fl

[hardwood]

Chances of getting the queen with a trap out are slim, but it's not impossible. Search the bee removal section for trap out info. iddee has a well written plan there and it will walk you through it.

If you put your location in your profile it would help with answers. Are the beetles you saw small hive beetles? If you're in an area where the SHB are bad they will most likely take over the tree once you have trapped enough bees out that the no longer can defend the comb in force. The queen and remaining bees should abscond at that point and you may get lucky and catch her.

If you don't have much of a problem with SHB then you can open the tree back up after a completed trap out and let the bees rob out their honey. They need either brood or a queen to anchor them in the bait hive though.

Good luck
Scott

[super dave]

wait till spring time and try again if the owner doesnt care that they are in there--getting them out now would be a pain to feed and you could get it out with more success with survival due to not starving---in the spring you could trap them out with the cone method

[Tommyt]

Yes They are Small Hive beetles
I will say this the Hive is very very docile
I go out and feed them or move things around
and Never had them Go off
But I did get them bent out of shape when
I stapled their entrance
Thanks for the post
I didn't think about the beetles taking control
bur under stand it now
I think last week they may have swarmed
there was a lot outside the area now there is less than half
of what I saw a week ago ,If they did again they didn't
Like my Offering
I also have a Bee vac if you all think I should try that.
My thoughts are this too If when I get them I Plan on
Putting them in my Back yard which is maybe 100 feet
From where they Now are

Tom
 

[iddee]

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,20301.0.html

[Tommyt]

I will do the trap out Per IDDe posts and will take pictures along the way
I will also time stamp
I will need to find a local willing to sell me Live comb when I make arrangements
for that Is what will determine the start of the trap-out
I also want to run this by you all
I wounder if I vacuum as many as I can then close it up with the Funnel trap
I  will then have a large number of bees all ready out of the hive
I then would open my vacuum's and let them hang around the cone and new Hive
Box I wonder if It would make the remaining and the foragers that are out when
I set the trap Feel the Hive swarmed
If I get them to think that they may come out with full belly's of Honey
I don't think it would hurt If anything it will get the trap-out going faster
I'm also thinking with a large amount out at one time and a Live Comb in the
new box they may start making queen cell if they do I'll set a second Box in front
the comb and move the queen cell to the house
My other thought is what about the distance the tree is only 100 feet from where
 I'll be Keeping the new hive(s) 

Tommyt

[AllenF]

Don't vac the tree.   Get with a beekeep in the area to help with the trap out.   After the bees are out and the tree is empty, then you can seal up the hole so you will never have to worry about the bees getting back in the tree.  And you bees will not go back to the tree, you hive will be home to them.

[hardwood]

Make sure there are lots of bees in the trap hive before you ever put a frame of brood in there! I tried it on day 2 of the trap not long ago and there weren't enough bees yet to protect it from the SHB. Wasn't pretty and all the bees I had trapped 'til then absconded. The next one I gave them a grafted queen cell and drawn comb. That one worked great.

Scott

[Tommyt]

Well as of yet I have noway to Get Live comb
Will it work if I just trap out and then Buy a Queen
Leave some comb I have rubber banded
I want these bee so bad I can stand waiting
I think thy may have swarmed at least once
I now put a Med. Hive with nothing but frames
and waxed in Popsicle sticks out in front of the tree

[hardwood]

Put a little lemon grass oil in the med. as a lure and you might just catch the next swarm!

Scott

[AllenF]

You are going to need some bee smell to get the bees in your box.  Have you called around and asked some beeks in your area for some frames of brood and a queen yet?      A little help can increase your odds.