cut out from church

[beekim]

great pics well done!!

 

[Outlander]

Bees now picked up and back in apiary. Will check back tomorrow as there were some bees clustering back in roof space. Started pulling handfuls out and instead of disturbing the first now full nuc I put them in another nuc and will unite them tomorrow. Will take nuc back tomorrow with a frame of BIAS to try and encourage the rest in. Both torches run out of power and finally got away at 23:00 hrs.

I feel collecting swarms is great fun but not so sure about cut outs as not happy with bees that are left. Village Girl's brother was going to make me a bee vac but told him not to bother until next spring, little did I know. Architect said that he has another church that bees need to be taken out of roof. Think Kevin will be making that vac ASAP.

 

[Into the lions den]

Thats some colony.

Have done quite alot of cut outs in the folly of my youth. The survival rate after cutting out is very poor, and at this time of year has been nil. Sorry.

Also, actually does not look a great colony insofar as ferals well established in roof spaces goes. There is a lot of empty comb, including brood comb, and to be frank, it looks as if it has seen better days. It may have swarmed itself to a standstill (quite common this year in the immediate aftermath of the brief May heatwave) or it could be in sharp decline with varroa linked problems. Someone may already have had a little go at poisoning it out and after failing did not want to say anything. (Also common, they call the beekeeper when their first remedy failed.)

Not wanting to rain on anyones parade, but its prospects are slim. but, as you said, it gives it a chance it did not have if the poison had gone in.

 

[tonybloke]

well at least outlander and village girl got some honey this year!

 

[Into the lions den]

well at least outlander and village girl got some honey this year!

lol........quite so!

 

[Outlander]

Hi Tony going back over to see whats what in the light of day plus pick some gear up which had to be left as lost all power to all lights.

 

[Chris Luck]

Unlike ITLD I've have a very high success rate with cut outs, probably 95% but I would have to agree the time of year is seriously against survival - lot of TLC required and in the circumstances any chance is better than none and it's a day out with friends. I would also suggest that colony size at this time of year may be irrelevant - ferals quite often reduce to very low numbers for the winter and will often survive winter better than "huge" colonies.

Good luck with them.

Chris

 

[user 6228]

...- ferals quite often reduce to very low numbers for the winter and will often survive winter better than "huge" colonies...

Chris that sounds interesting ... got any examples/data/papers etc?


Derek

 

[Chris Luck]

Chris that sounds interesting ... got any examples/data/papers etc?

There definitely is work that's been done on variability in colony sizes for winter, both by type of bee, type of "management" and also those that are completely feral. I also have plenty of personal experience here where feral colonies are relatively commonplace. Remember though that every time a keeper manipulates, treats, feeds etc it changes the dynamics of the colony. A colony left alone will behave in a completely different manner.

I suspect you will get more info from the book worms on here than from me - some of which may be accurate but as everyone is now writing books I would advise caution.

Chris

 

[Outlander]

Im going to write a book and it will be called Jack and the bee reports. I will have to have Hivemaker as a consultant.

 

[BrianO]

Great Post

What a great resource the Internet is.


Fantastic Pics, amazing to be able to see inside a feral nest such as that and see the formations.

Thanks Again !!

Brian.

 

[psafloyd]

off to do a cut out of a colony from a church today.
will post pictures later.


I know it's late in the year, but they'll have a chance, more than if they were poisoned (other option)

Thought this was about an excommunication at first...

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

I presume roofing is one of your many skills.

 

[tonybloke]

nope!

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Thought this was about an excommunication at first...

Sorry, but have you got a license to do that?

Taking jobs from us professionals........

Dusty.

 

[oliver90owner]

Never mind the cut-out. How is Village Girl's cheek?

 

[village girl]

Never mind the cut-out. How is Village Girl's cheek?

sore and swolen :

 

[freethorpe bees]

was that Brundall church???

 

[priono]

Hi. that looks amazing But how do you get them from the roof into the box?

did u destroy the old housing so they dont have a diff possibility but going into the box?

 

[tonybloke]

was that Brundall church???

Bracon Ash, janet