Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: blanc on June 02, 2012, 09:36:04 am

Title: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 02, 2012, 09:36:04 am
I have a cut out to do with three separate hives in one room. Have any of you experienced guys ever used bee quick to evacuate the hive out completely. Just indulge my thought process as the owner wants them out ASAP. Would they just swarm nearby and allowing for a swarm catch? Vaccuming and regular cut out would take the necessary time to save the brood comb and already started new hive. Evacuating would save the time to cut out quickly with out the bees and swarms build quicker in my short term experience. I originally thought out the three day option with one hive a day but expecting a lot of mess beings all has to be done on inside of house. Forgive my ramblings but being a contractor it is my normal thought process before I start a job in my mind it is already complete.  :-D Thanks for any advice given! 
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: iddee on June 02, 2012, 10:03:33 am
A repellant will make the queen crawl, not fly, to new territory. You will be chasing her through all parts of the wall and ceiling, doing many times the damage to the house. The less disturbance to a cutout, the better chance of finding her.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: Kathyp on June 02, 2012, 10:28:29 am
one hive per day seems like a good plan.  you can't rush these things and you can't tell what's in there until you are in there.  shoot JP and/or shawee a note.  they might be able to help you out, point you in the right direction, or whatever....

also, if you have not, spend some time reading in the removal section of the forums.  it's got a wealth of info for new folks.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 02, 2012, 02:57:46 pm
Thanks for the advice iddee and Kathy I have done a few cut outs so far and know the routine thanks to the JP videos. The videos don't do justice when you get into some mean ones like the last hive I got in. JP and the gang make it look easy but I have great respect for those guys who do it for a living!
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: G3farms on June 02, 2012, 03:26:32 pm
Three cut outs in one day seems like a very large task to tackle, especially by yourself. Sounds like you need to enlist the help of several keeps and have a cut out party.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 02, 2012, 04:03:47 pm
G3 I never said three in one day but one a day. I would have to be Super Bee to make that happen in one day.  :-D Just weighing options on how to approach being my first one inside a house. All others I have done were from the outside.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: G3farms on June 03, 2012, 02:46:17 pm
Well I just took it that since the home owner wanted them out ASAP that means NOW!!

One a day is doable but will make for some long days. Best part would be that you don't have to clean up the mess until the last day and could possibly leave tools and stuff out for the next day.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 04, 2012, 12:01:10 am
 G3 the owner is just kinda antsy that he can not do upgrades to put the house on the market until we clear the bees out. Mother inlaw passed away and we have him about a week out to remove and I had to make him aware that we can not do it as quick as they would like so they will just have to wait it out. We are gonna try to work in one day and get one out this week to ease his mind and start the job and maybe go back next week and finish it up. The bad part is that we are not sure how big the hives are. Putting my ear to the walls only told me they may be 4 ft on two in the walls but the floor may be a doosy.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: duck on June 04, 2012, 12:14:43 am
goto harbor freight.  get the borescope cam. drill holes and figure out whats in there.  It has saved my butt before.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: JP on June 04, 2012, 01:03:56 am
If you try to attempt to bee quick an established colony out of its void space you are asking for trouble with a capital "T". Bee repellants are intended to move bees from supers for harvest & you can move them from a void space AFTER all brood comb has been removed. They do not want to abandon brood no more than a mother would abandon her baby from her dead clinched arms. Trust me on this. Do a proper removal and YOU dictate to the customer when YOU will be removing them & HOW. If they cannot wait have them find someone else to do it. ALWAYS stay in the driver's seat!


...JP
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: iddee on June 04, 2012, 03:19:43 am
""Do a proper removal and YOU dictate to the customer when YOU will be removing them & HOW. If they cannot wait have them find someone else to do it. ALWAYS stay in the driver's seat!""

AMEN!!!

Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 04, 2012, 10:01:57 am
Duck, JP, and iddee thx for the advice and and good to have this forum and you guys to guide us rookies along.  :-D
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 05, 2012, 10:39:39 pm
Well an update on my removal. Started with cutout in wall section being you can hear those beauties buzzing away. They were at least three ft down from ceiling and and they were between the old black board used in older construction and the brick. found out that they are in the floor of the second story and appears to go quite a ways back. Tomorrow we will remove floor section and get that hive out and there is another across the room in the floor also. Just hope it is not the same hive that crosses the whole floor. It appears to be in the same floor joist and bees entering the other side of the house. Pretty old hive with the cone being very dark. They were making the new cone in the wall section making us think the hive was only there and we were able to get five gal bucket of honey so far. Will update and take some pics tomorrow and post.
Title: Re: ADVICE NEEDED!!!
Post by: blanc on June 09, 2012, 08:41:49 pm
 These are a few pics from the second hive we worked yesterday and was almost 8 ft long. Went well and bees have been pretty calm. Only stung 5 times and hate the fire feeling when it sets in.  :-D

(http://s15.postimage.org/59zx0jq7r/Bees_at_Johnny_s.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/59zx0jq7r/)

(http://s15.postimage.org/9x5z2bdkn/Bees_at_Johnny_s_2.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)

(http://s15.postimage.org/p7afn8ygn/Bees_at_Johnny_s_3.jpg) (http://postimage.org/)