Author Topic: How do I take a hive in the open? Hanging off Tree! (Read 4880 times)

Apis629 · « **on:** November 30, 2005, 06:45:20 pm »

Yes, one of my neighbors complained that there's a beehive hanging off their tree 20 feet in the air. Naturally, I didn't beleive them but, wow, was I mistaken?! THEY WERE HONEYBEES! THey must have been a recent swarm...the longest comb was less than a foot long and all the wax exposed was a translucent white. There is actually a huge number of bees, about the size of a basketball. Tommarow I'm gonna do a flag test to determine if I want them. Anyways, does anyone have any advice on removing bees from 20 feet up in a tree. If I don't take them she's having an exterminator come kill them. Oh, and by the way, I need to remove them soon and with little disturbance as the next-door neighbor is SEVERELY alergic to bee stings. Anyways, as for guestimated measurements...its 20 feet off the ground, is basicly a large ball probably around 18" in diameter...about the size of a basket ball. I assume I'd want to take them at night or evening. I have a few ideas for capturing them renging from getting a step laddar and trying to knock them with a bucket, into the bucket, or getting a real laddar, climing up there and from their knocking them into a bucket. Just so you know daytime temperatures now are around 70 degrees but, into the evening it gets as low as 45 degrees farenheit. I'm thinking that if I remove them when it's too cold for bee flight I can feed them syrup and next day combine them with one of my weak colonies. The queen's failing so I need to replace her anyway. Please, I need advice!

Jerrymac · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2005, 07:33:42 pm »

How thick are the limb(s) the comb is on?

Cut it off and stick it in a box.

Tie the combs into frames.

They are at a nieghbors house. One problem would be bees returning to the tree.

Apis629 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 30, 2005, 08:28:22 pm »

It's on one limb close to a foot thick. Trimming and removing is not an option. And by the way, I'm gonna combine these bees with a weak colony I have in an outyard about 5 miles from the current location.

Jerrymac · « **Reply #3 on:** November 30, 2005, 09:13:06 pm »

Hang a box with a closed bottom under the hive, (ropes from the limb) just before dusk carefully cut the comb off the limb and place it into the box. Hopefully the bees will settle down into the box after you're done and it is dark. Screen the top and carry off to the other yard where you can work them without worry of the alergic person being around.

Or maybe use the bucket. I don't use buckets so I never think about them.

Just tossing out ideas.

Apis629 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 30, 2005, 09:53:45 pm »

that was pretty much my idea. I have a helper, wearing nessesary protective equipment (veil, gloves if nessesary, long sleaves, jeans tucked into socks, etc.) and have the bucket tied to a rope that the assistant holds. I figure that I can move the bucket under and up against the hive, cut the comb and brush them into the bucket, tape a bedsheet to the cover and have it lowered down. Unfortunately, I'll have to kill any straglers so there'll be no danger to the allergic neighbor. Hopefully, I'll save most of the colony from extermination.

Michael Bush · « **Reply #5 on:** November 30, 2005, 10:00:23 pm »

The most important thing to do is stay focused. Falling off of a 20 foot ladder can kill you. It's doubtful the stings will.

Diver · « **Reply #6 on:** December 01, 2005, 05:54:12 am »

As you are doing a service for the neighbor dont forget to clean all evidence of the hive from the tree so it does not attract the other bees to the site or keep stragglers around for to long and above all remember michaels advice, we dont want to lose a beekeeper

Finsky · « **Reply #7 on:** December 01, 2005, 07:07:39 am »

Quote from: Apis629

..Yes, one of my neighbors complained that there's a beehive hanging off their tree 20 feet in the air ...about the size of a basket ball. I assume I'd want to take them at night or evening.

It is quite a big. I woud take them in pieces. Bees may occypy 2 langstroth boxes

I woud do this way:

Put brood frame or two into the light hive box, then other frames. Put something between shoulders and walls, because when you move box, frames began to slosh.

Put rope over next branche and pull box adjacent the beeball.
You may use a little box which is easy to handle and you take them in pieces.

Let bees move into box themselves. If hive does not have any brood in tree hole or is it in open air? , they will come all around brood. Queen come on brood frame.

Then you move box away 5 kilometres. And if you have more bees you do the same trick untill some evening all bees are catched.

If you begin to handle them near evening bees will be quite mad. In the middle of day half are on field and they have good feeling.

Quote

* I can feed them syrup and next day combine them with one of my weak colonies.
* The queen's failing so I need to replace her anyway. Please, I need advice!

- Those are good ideas.
- But when you move, is it far enough to do trick?
- If hive has no brood you need not to knock them. They move themselves.

Apis629 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 01, 2005, 05:00:46 pm »

Sorry, looks like I spoke too soon. I did an aggression test today with a small leather patch and a long pole only to find out these bees are way to aggressive for my purposes! I got the pole within 6 feet and they started headbutting it and as soon as I came within 2 feet HUNDREDS of bees dropped off the comb and attacked the leather. I had my smoker on stand-by and it came in handy! Needless to say, I told the neighbor to call an exterminator since, standing on a ladder 20 feet in the air seemed hard enough but, doing that to harvest an affricanized colony is insane. Oh well, maybe next time. And by the way, all this activety was at 70 degrees Farenheit.

Shizzell · « **Reply #9 on:** December 01, 2005, 09:47:45 pm »

dang

Michael Bush · « **Reply #10 on:** December 02, 2005, 12:21:47 am »

I wouldn't assume they are africanized. I've seen plenty of hot feral European bees over the last 30 years or more. But it's not worth falling off a ladder for some mean bees.

Apis629 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2005, 04:10:06 pm »

Ok, I guess I was quick to label them africanized. Anyways, it seemed hard enough to capture a hive of docile bees in that position, but doing it on aggressive bees just seems a little too dangerous.

Apis629 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 04, 2005, 10:01:49 pm »

I didn' t feel like opening a new topic but, I have been called again to remove another complaint hive...I guess I'm getting a rueputation in my neighborhood. Actually, this hive is located in a water meter just outside the property of some people who wanted me to put a beehive on their property. Unfortunately, the hive is in a city water meter. The bees seemed docile, I was stomping around the hive (in full gear from just doing an inspection of the hive I have on their property.) and I bearly got a reaction. One or two started headbutting me and none stung me. I is located about 10 feet from an active bike and pedestrian trail so they'd have to of been docile given there've been no stinging incidents. Anyways, I'm going to do a flag test tomarow and if they pass as docile/not very aggressive, I'll call the city to ask if I may "take it off their hands".

Michael Bush · « **Reply #13 on:** December 05, 2005, 08:36:07 am »

EHB don't generally nest in water meters. AHB seem to like them. Be careful.

qa33010 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 06, 2005, 04:05:03 am »

Our wasps and hornets seem to love em. We did have a hive a few years back in a meter a couple houses down. Found out from the exterminator that killed them when he did his yearly termite inspection and saw my hive in the backyard. He said it was surprising since he was expecting red wasps and found a small bee hive instead. He took my number and said he would contact me if he ran into any honeybees on a call.

Good luck!!