Something to make you smile

[rockdoc]

Or is it? This is the sight that greeted me when I turned up after a call saying the owner had bees in her wall. I did not expect to see such a stunning sight. Just got to work out how we get them down safely and without too much damage and not squashing the queen in the process, as its late for them to bring on a new one.

 

[MartinL]

Could'nt you just box them in for the winter?

polystyrene board or celotex, duct tape and no nails?
don't get many hurricanes down there do you!

 

[rockdoc]

Sadly, yes that's what I would do. However, the owner is selling up so wants them gone. No rush so we are able to plan the collection carefully. Trying to blag the loan of a cherry picker or scaffold tower so we can take our time when up that high. Looks to me like they have been there for most of the summer to get to this size. I guess we'll find out how well mannered they are when we get up close and personal!

 

[rockdoc]

Oh yes and if anyone else has come across something like this before please pitch in with how you did it.

 

[MartinL]

Joking aside, I'd go for the tower. More stable and more room.
Good luck

 

[darren64]

Are they black bees?

 

[viridens]

I have collected a few like this over the years, but from under eaves or in trees, not in a chimney apex like yours. It has to be said that this is a job which tends to need at least three hands, and I suspect that you only have two.

This looks to be about 25ft up. I would use a decent aluminium D rung ladder for this, but I am pretty confident on them. A helper standing on the bottom rungs is best to ensure stability when working. I find that you can normally borrow a suitable ladder in most areas if you ask around in advance. Wearing bee kit when enquiring is useful!

I would do a quick-n-dirty nest collection, and then sort things out after you have got it home. I use a bread knife to first loosen all side attachments, then go for a fast nest drop into a suitable ventilated cardboard box or whatever (something light to handle on one hand and large enough!) by slicing through the top of the combs, aiming to get the nest and as many bees as possible contained. You won't get them all. Either close up immediately or if there are MANY bees left outside, leave an entrance and hope that there is fanning to bring stragglers in.

The very best of luck with whatever you decide to do. If you are not confident, or can't locate the equipment you feel you need, be brave enough to walk away from this one. Your health and wellbeing have more value than a few thousand bees.

 

[eric]

I have collected a few like this over the years, but from under eaves or in trees, not in a chimney apex like yours. It has to be said that this is a job which tends to need at least three hands, and I suspect that you only have two.

This looks to be about 25ft up. I would use a decent aluminium D rung ladder for this, but I am pretty confident on them. A helper standing on the bottom rungs is best to ensure stability when working. I find that you can normally borrow a suitable ladder in most areas if you ask around in advance. Wearing bee kit when enquiring is useful!

I would do a quick-n-dirty nest collection, and then sort things out after you have got it home. I use a bread knife to first loosen all side attachments, then go for a fast nest drop into a suitable ventilated cardboard box or whatever by slicing through the top of the combs, aiming to get the nest and as many bees as possible contained. You won't get them all. Either close up immediately or if there are MANY bees left outside, leave an entrance and hope that there is fanning to bring stragglers in.

The very best of luck with whatever you decide to do. If you are not confident, or can't locate the equipment you feel you need, be brave enough to walk away from this one. Your health and wellbeing have more value than a few thousand bees.

 

[jezd]

Just leave em, why do you have to take them?

 

[the naked beekeeper]

Er......post no.3?!

 

[jezd]

So? tell the owner they are best left alone, they are not doing any harm.

 

[rockdoc]

The owner wants them gone and the local farmer offered to knock them down with a pole! Under these circumstances I'm sure we would all do what we could to save them. Thanks Viridens, yes you are right. If I am unable to do this safely I will walk away.
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Chris Luck]

Scaffold or good tower is the only sensible approach then treat like any other cut out with brood wired in. That way the box can be left up there for a day to get them to all come in.

Chris

 

[MandF]

on a side point - and there's us worrying about reducing the entrance to prevent wasps and robber bees!

Wouldnt the fact they seem to be thriving in such an exposed position indicate they will be quite aggressive?

 

[Chris Luck]

No, not at all, my bees survive quite happily with wasps and hornet nests in and around the apiaries and on the whole they are not aggressive other than a few that will come out and get you if you go too close.

I can't quite understand why some of you seem to have such problems with our waspy friends, try leaving more fruit around for them, encourage other things that they will like.

Chris

 

[sawdstmakr]

No, not at all, my bees survive quite happily with wasps and hornet nests in and around the apiaries and on the whole they are not aggressive other than a few that will come out and get you if you go too close.

I can't quite understand why some of you seem to have such problems with our waspy friends, try leaving more fruit around for them, encourage other things that they will like.

Chris

I agree. The yellow jackets that I see near my hives are the garbage men of the insect world. The bees throw out the occasional larva/brood and the yellow jackets come and pick them up and take them to their dump.
Oh and by the way, I did find their dump/nest the hard way. It was in an Ivy patch on the opposite side of my barn from the hives. They really fired me up and chased me 300 feet to the street. I still had them all over me. We, my buddy and I, just smacked every one we saw on me and then ran for his house. I had my wife and kids in mine. Then we finished off the remaining straglers in his house.
It took several treatements to kill the nest in the ground. If you are going to complain about killing them, I have 2 little grand gaughters that take priority over them. Later that night I found that I had 14 stings total.
Jim

 

[Erichalfbee]

I can't quite understand why some of you seem to have such problems with our waspy friends, try leaving more fruit around for them, encourage other things that they will like.

Chris

That's in my grand plan when I move
A few plum and pear trees near but not too near the bees, fruit left to the wasps.

 

[viridens]

Unfortunately, I think you will still find, like I do, that wasps will not obligingly stick to eating fruit.

I have plenty of fruit on trees here, which the wasps are enjoying. But I also regularly see wasps sneaking into my hives, and see them tumbling out along with a few bees, some of whom are often damaged or killed in the process. In my weakest hive (a brood box with a perspex top board) I could see wasps were uncapping and damaging brood a few weeks ago, but now seem to have reached their sweet tooth phase and are just robbing stores.

But keep your dream!

P.S. Yes, I do have plenty of wasp traps deployed.

 

[Chris Luck]

But keep your dream!

It ain't no dream, it's how I live and it all works just fine, something for everyone and wasps and hornets almost never enter one of my colonies when I'm watching, wasps just clear up the dead and hornets nick the odd bee.

Visitors welcome.

Chris

 

[terryme]

Returning to the original post - that looks amazing aren't they beautiful? Good luck sorting out a way to collect them and keep us posted hopefully with pics of the mission