Bee euthanasia ??

[sansai]

Exactly one month ago I picked up 2 cast swarms from the top of the village. 2 weeks ago I transferred them both into national brood boxes.
Today, despite being only 3 frames of bees, both had multiple swarm cells.
obviously a very swarmy genetic line.
Added to that both swarms have a very serious attitude problem !
I certainly don't wish to keep these bees with those attributes around my apiary, and certainly they are not something I would wish to pass on to a novice beekeeper.
I have heard stories that a petri dish of unlit petrol placed just inside the hive entrance will kill all the bees within 30 seconds ? has anyone any experience of this? Or perhaps someone has a better way of getting rid of these 2 obnoxious swarms ?

 

[Robbo8916]

Is there not a possibility of passing them onto an experienced keeper?

It may be my tree-hugging ways but I don't like to see anything killed if there is some way of saving it/them.

 

[peteinwilts]

Exactly one month ago I picked up 2 cast swarms from the top of the village. 2 weeks ago I transferred them both into national brood boxes.
Today, despite being only 3 frames of bees, both had multiple swarm cells.
obviously a very swarmy genetic line.
Added to that both swarms have a very serious attitude problem !
I certainly don't wish to keep these bees with those attributes around my apiary, and certainly they are not something I would wish to pass on to a novice beekeeper.
I have heard stories that a petri dish of unlit petrol placed just inside the hive entrance will kill all the bees within 30 seconds ? has anyone any experience of this? Or perhaps someone has a better way of getting rid of these 2 obnoxious swarms ?

Combine and requeen.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is there not a possibility of passing them onto an experienced keeper?

It may be my tree-hugging ways but I don't like to see anything killed if there is some way of saving it/them.

It's the latest craze - disposable beekeeping. If the bees don't match the patio furniture or don't just sit there while you rattle around the brood box - get the four star out

 

[Cussword]

+1 Don't kill them, a new queen should sort it out for you.

Sorry, this should have gone under Pete's

 

[Robbo8916]

It's the latest craze - disposable beekeeping. If the bees don't match the patio furniture or don't just sit there while you rattle around the brood box - get the four star out

#burn

lol. I'm pretty sure re-queening works most of the time doesn't it?

I don't even own any bees and yet I would be exploring many more options before culling an entire colony.

 

[MuswellMetro]

#burn

lol. I'm pretty sure re-queening works most of the time doesn't it?

I don't even own any bees and yet I would be exploring many more options before culling an entire colony.

well choose your queen wisely because it can be extremely difficult to requeen a black bee colony with a brown Italian queen

And an aggressive colony minus its queen can be a total nightmare and sting anything within 30yds

 

[Robbo8916]

well choose your queen wisely because it can be extremely difficult to requeen a black bee colony with a brown Italian queen

And an aggressive colony minus its queen can be a total nightmare and sting anything within 30yds

These are things I don't know and don't have experience of. However I'd still be trying other ways before killing them.

Question: Do the bees really know that you have re-queened them with a 'different race' of bee?

 

[Thymallus]

It's in their genetic interest do so. There is work that suggests they do know their own.

 

[Millet]

I know how to kill the lot pretty quick but WHY.. in my limited experience the best you can do is leave well alone .. let them be and what will be will be.

They will die if you kill them obviously and they may die naturally.. or they may pull safe and build a colony for you.. on the aggression subject they maybe normal bee's in turmoil that may well be gentle once thing's are going there way..

 

[Ely]

Exactly one month ago I picked up 2 cast swarms from the top of the village. 2 weeks ago I transferred them both into national brood boxes.
Today, despite being only 3 frames of bees, both had multiple swarm cells.
obviously a very swarmy genetic line.
Added to that both swarms have a very serious attitude problem !
I certainly don't wish to keep these bees with those attributes around my apiary, and certainly they are not something I would wish to pass on to a novice beekeeper.
I have heard stories that a petri dish of unlit petrol placed just inside the hive entrance will kill all the bees within 30 seconds ? has anyone any experience of this? Or perhaps someone has a better way of getting rid of these 2 obnoxious swarms ?

Killing a colony should really only be considered an extreme and a last resort after all other measures to help the situation have been exhausted. Even the most gentle of colonies can become tetchy from time to time, it is all part of beekeeping to work around it. Try to requeen, they deserve that at least.

 

[MuswellMetro]

These are things I don't know and don't have experience of. However I'd still be trying other ways before killing them.

Question: Do the bees really know that you have re-queened them with a 'different race' of bee?

yes, the pheromone foot print is diffrent that's why you cage the queen, but you are not safe until the new queen is surrounded by her own off spring as they may make queen cells to raise their own queen or if not ball the new queen

some methods of requeen black bees with a brown queen (if you wanted to) involve using only emerging brood and a mated queen

there is some indication that worker bees feed more generously swarm cell queen larvae that are their half sisters

 

[thorn]

For the first three years of beekeeping all my hives were descended from one colony. They swarmed for the fun of it. Every year we'd catch several casts, and at the end of the season we'd amalgamate them. We never got much honey. My bee buddy and I put it down to our bad beekeeping. Then we bought a new colony. The new ones got on with bringing the honey in, while the old lot continued to wave goodbye. We've requeened the swarmers from queens we've raised from the new lot, and bingo, problem solved.
Don't kill them. As so many have said in reply to your original posting, requeen them.

 

[hallshoney]

Exactly one month ago I picked up 2 cast swarms from the top of the village. 2 weeks ago I transferred them both into national brood boxes.
Today, despite being only 3 frames of bees, both had multiple swarm cells.
obviously a very swarmy genetic line.
Added to that both swarms have a very serious attitude problem !
I certainly don't wish to keep these bees with those attributes around my apiary, and certainly they are not something I would wish to pass on to a novice beekeeper.
I have heard stories that a petri dish of unlit petrol placed just inside the hive entrance will kill all the bees within 30 seconds ? has anyone any experience of this? Or perhaps someone has a better way of getting rid of these 2 obnoxious swarms ?

Have you thought about just knocking down the swarm cells and see if they settle down these were virgins presumably when you collected them and have now mated the resulting progeny may be a lot calmer the older bees that came with the swarms will soon die off . With 10 hives already you must have one or two that could be re queened. Use these to re queen with. There is a lot you could do before killing them off. As for genetic lines unless you island mate you will never keep genetic lines pure. If you still feel the only way is to kill them off shut them up at dusk preferably with a solid entrance block and solid floor take the roof off and pour in about 100ml of petrol through feed hole and cover immediately and wait you will hear a terrible roaring sound of panic that will last for about 30 seconds of course you then have to burn all the bees and frames as these are now contaminated so I would try everything i could before try this

 

[BrianO]

Unite if you are in a position to do so with another hive , kill swarm queen and let them get on with it.

You then have the genetic traits of the new queen, who traits for docility you favour in the new offspring, and have the combined workforce to forage and hopefully after this Unite, to work on a super for you.... weather allowing !

 

[REDWOOD]

Let live I say
Remove QC's add a frame of eggs from another colony and hope they make QC's

 

[Dishmop]

I certainly don't wish to keep these bees with those attributes around my apiary, and certainly they are not something I would wish to pass on to a novice beekeeper.

do You youself have the experience to deine that the bees you have a quired (oddly both angry) are bit unsuitable for keeping of the standard you expexct,or was it that your were hoping to syphon some honey off buy now?

 

[mintmoth]

If you still feel the only way is to kill them off shut them up at dusk preferably with a solid entrance block and solid floor take the roof off and pour in about 100ml of petrol through feed hole and cover immediately and wait you will hear a terrible roaring sound of panic that will last for about 30 seconds of course you then have to burn all the bees and frames as these are now contaminated so I would try everything i could before try this

Could you not kill the bees with the sulphur strips you get for wax moth? Then the hive would not be contaminated.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, mustn't forhet the hive - that's the important thing in all this

 

[masterBK]

One day a beekeeper with a can of petrol in one hand and a smoker in the other is going to have an explosive experience. If you must kill bees spray the combs of bees with water with some washing up liquid in it.