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Any BEE KEEPERS in here? Need advice

Milf Dots

Milf Hunter Extraordinaire
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Minuteman
Oct 21, 2019
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Does SH have any BEE KEEPERS? I need some advice on a honey bee colony removal. Thanks.
 
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Far from a pro but I did help my Dad with his hives from about 7 years old to about 19 or so, but I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn in years. PM if you wish.

Fast responses:
If they're in a wall. depends on how the wall is constructed.
If they're on a tree limb, leave them alone they will leave on their own. Unless you or someone wants them.
If they're your neighbors, ignore them.
If they're yours and in a hive, see post #2
Actually post #2 pretty much covers all possibilities.

Thank you,
MrSmith
 
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I've already been down that road!
Its a fun thing to do, bees are very social and usually agreeable. My grandfather had hundreds of hives and produced the best sourwood honey around. I had some in Virginia before I moved west. It's not easy, lots of pitfalls, mites, colony collapse, but if youre willing to learn and put in the effort, a great hobby.

If as you indicated there aren't any local guys and you just want them gone a sprayer full of gasoline will do it, but don't, they're pollinators, and in decline.
 
I had bees for years. A catch hive will work when the split but in an established colony in a hard to reach hive I don't know any way to move them without moving the queen or killing them. If the queen is not accesible its going to be tough. I'm no expert though.....I just had hives growing up and well into adulthood. Never did any chasing or moving anything but my own colonies.
 
If they're in your walls, you'll have to open the wall up. Then use a bee vac, there are some homemade designs using a 5 gal bucket to collect the bees. Once you get the queen, transfer everything into a bee box/frame.
 
Find the Queen . Take it to your worst enemies house. Colony will follow

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn lately, but I did watch a Joe Rogan on it. He has a expert on frequently.
 
We had hives in the wall of ye olde family hunting cabin. A bear was nice enough to come remove it for us. Sure he tore a giant hole in the sawn timber siding, ripped the electrical service off the side of the building, knocked the interior wall out, knocked over an antique hutch and smashed all the dishes and glassware, but hey, the bees were gone!
 
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No advice, but there was a swarm that settled in a gorse bush by the ranges at our pistol club back in November last year.

I rang a friend and we went back later that afternoon and collected it in a cardboard box. He transferred them to a spare hive the next day.

The honey they make is delicious and my friend says they are the most passive bees he's ever come across.


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Been doing bees for about 15 years now. When hives swarm they’re generally very docile/non-aggressive. If the swarm is low enough I’ll handle it in a t-shirt and shorts. Just grab a garbage can with a locking lid, place under the swarm, and gently “knock” it off and immediately put the lid on.

But first BK post was best. If you don’t want the split, Leave it alone and they will go away very quickly once the exiting queen decides to move on. We need honeybee hives more than ever today, so killing them should be the last resort.
 
I am a beekeeper and do occasional removals. If there is one group that has stronger opinions and argues more than shooters, it’s beekeepers.

Depending on how long they’ve been there the process of getting them out may be daunting. In terms of hive size, in the winter their numbers will be lower which may make removal a bit easier, but they may be testier. If the intent is to remove and not kill them, removing them now before stuff starts blooming (depending on where you are located) could stress the hive significantly and they may not survive.