How to get them out?

[Helen]

Hello. I was called to collect a swarm today. In an old heavy-duty sofa in a garden. The bees have found a perfect space for themselves - inside the arm component of a very heavy-duty sofa which was in the garden, awaiting the rubbish men. I took a few photos. They've built a fair amount of comb already.

The sofa is very heavy duty - large lumps of wood used in its construction, plus thick leather outer. The arm itself where they've stashed themselves is about 4" wide.

Anyway, the question is, how best to remove them from the sofa and into a hive? Any advice? The neighbour is having a childrens birthday next saturday in the small garden, and is worried about it being affected by flying bees.

 

[Itchy]

Stanley knife and pry bar should open it up nicely. Bee vac would help, but cut comb and place in frames using elastic bands.

 

[chrisb]

yep box cutter open the side, its getting scraped anyway.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

If I were to tackle that swarm, I'd first of all line up somebody to help me handle the bees. Then I think I'd use a very sharp hobby knife to cut the outer upholstery away to expose the bees' nest as best I can.

It's a matter of removing the comb that they've made and getting it into a frame correctly oriented and held in place by elastic bands and getting the frames into a hive/nuc. Probably easiest with your helper handling the frames and you removing the comb/bees from the sofa. When you think you've got them all, leave the hive/nuc nearby with the entrance open to collect the stragglers and then remove the container in the evening.

Sound like a plan?

CVB

 

[Gilberdyke John]

If I were to tackle that swarm, I'd first of all line up somebody to help me handle the bees. Then I think I'd use a very sharp hobby knife to cut the outer upholstery away to expose the bees' nest as best I can.

It's a matter of removing the comb that they've made and getting it into a frame correctly oriented and held in place by elastic bands and getting the frames into a hive/nuc. Probably easiest with your helper handling the frames and you removing the comb/bees from the sofa. When you think you've got them all, leave the hive/nuc nearby with the entrance open to collect the stragglers and then remove the container in the evening.

Sound like a plan?

CVB

Make certain you have the queen in the hive. If you contain her in a hair grip cage between the frames until the operation is complete and the hive moved to your intended site there should be no risk of absconding and return to the sofa or a more inconvenient place.
Spend a little time researching J P the beeman doing swarm collection and cut outs on youtube for hints. He has lots of video recordings out there. Just don't try his no ppe methods with unknown tempered bees.
When it's all over swamp the sofa with a masking scent.

 

[Plenty of honey]

"Sofar" so good then? lol nice job, well done!! (well lets face it, someone had to say it!!)

 

[enrico]

If they want it gone, in the evening tape some carrot fly netting over the area they are in, get a man with a trailer and move the whole lot to be dealt with at another site more convenient.
E

 

[nantmoel]

After we removed a colony from a roof space where we had to remove the tiles and felt, I am going to make a bee-vac. This way all the bees (well most of them) are out of the way before you start to cut away the comb. The one we did were quiet placid until we started to cut it out! Anyone within 20 mts were fair game. Good luck and I hope you don't take too many stings,

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Bee Vac

Steve, who is a member on the forum, sells Bee Vacs on Ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honey-Bee...344815?hash=item3d1e5be86f:g:bEMAAOSweW5VgHH3

They seem to be ideal if you do a lot of swarm collection and may be worth an association buying for its swarm coordinator for those "difficult to get at" swarms.

CVB

 

[geebee]

Expose the combs with a sharp knife. I made a 5" wide fork to go through the combs instead of trying to hold them, cut the comb away with a fish slice or similar. I use frames with chicken wire on one side and two C Wire strips on the other. lay the combs in then close strips. If you can capture the Q all well and good. Place frames in a nuc box or hive near to sofa and leave till the bees are using it. Either move the sofa or spray the ex-comb area with air freshener to mask bee scent. Move hive when ready. Geebee

 

[kighill]

Remove the bottom fabric from the sofa place a sheet out on the floor then lift the sofa a drop it quite hard onto the floor this should dislodge the bees.
The photo from what I see only shows a small amount of comb so may not/should not present a problem.
Quickly place a skep or box over the mass of bees and drag the sofa a few metres from the original site.
If unhappy with the first effort to dislodge the bees give them a couple of heavy bumps before moving the sofa or putting the skep into place.

 

[Helen]

Thx for all the advice. Tonight, I went and tackled Sofa Swarm.

Cut through the side of the arm, to be faced with wood. Removed wood, there was hessian. Removed hessian, there was black cloth. Removed cloth, there was a tight-knit wooden frame, with bees intertwined. The bees had built 5 combs, and had half filled them with nectar and pollen. Biggest comb was 30+ cm wide, 30+cm deep.

Removed the comb first. Then some wooden bars to get a nuc underneath the bees, to knock them in. Problem, the bees moved around the sofa, finding nooks and crannies to hide in. So ended up dismantling the whole sofa pretty much, to remove hiding places. Put skep on masses of bees to encourage thm in, and then knocked them into the nuc. Eventually, I must have got the queen as the bees started going back into the nuc rather than running away from it.

Anyway, all safe in nuc in my back garden now while they settle down. House owner gave me a nice bottle of wine to say thanks.

A bee vac is definitely on the cards now.

 

[oliver90owner]

As it was clearly no longer a swarm you need to heed te three feet, three mile rule for moving bee colonies. Otherwise you may find a lot of bees go back home tothe sofa.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thx for all the advice. Tonight, I went and tackled Sofa Swarm.

Cut through the side of the arm, to be faced with wood. Removed wood, there was hessian. Removed hessian, there was black cloth. Removed cloth, there was a tight-knit wooden frame, with bees intertwined. The bees had built 5 combs, and had half filled them with nectar and pollen. Biggest comb was 30+ cm wide, 30+cm deep.

Removed the comb first. Then some wooden bars to get a nuc underneath the bees, to knock them in. Problem, the bees moved around the sofa, finding nooks and crannies to hide in. So ended up dismantling the whole sofa pretty much, to remove hiding places. Put skep on masses of bees to encourage thm in, and then knocked them into the nuc. Eventually, I must have got the queen as the bees started going back into the nuc rather than running away from it.

Anyway, all safe in nuc in my back garden now while they settle down. House owner gave me a nice bottle of wine to say thanks.

A bee vac is definitely on the cards now.

Good to hear of your success. That's another arrow in your quiver for the future. Rabs comment about distance of relocation is something to keep in mind, also if the sofa is not removed immediately it may need the scent of bees masking to avoid occupation by another swarm.

 

[alldigging]

Anyway, all safe in nuc in my back garden now while they settle down. House owner gave me a nice bottle of wine to say thanks.

Aww that's nice of them.

We got treated to tea and biscuits the other day and they weren't even in her garden!

 

[yantabulla]

Bees love sofas.

 

[Helen]

Rab, the house was over 3 miles from mine ... just. Fingers crossed.

I sprayed loads of liquid smoke onto the sofa, and told the owner to get rid of it quickly. I don't think he wants more bees.

Am sure the bee vac would have been a lot quicker.

 

[Swarm]

Bees love sofas.

Wicked photos Yantabulla.

 

[Plenty of honey]

Wicked photos Yantabulla.

 

[Itchy]

Yes, great photos