Think I've found me swarm!

[Rob55]

I think I have found the swarm I lost in late summer, they have taken up residence in the base of a rotting tree just 150 yards from my hive. The entrance is quite small so I am not sure how to get them out short of cutting a hole in the tree. I have attached some photos, perhaps you experienced swarm collectors could advise whether it will be possible to entice them out of the tree and into a nuc?

 

[peteinwilts]

You will be lucky to get them out of there!

If I were you I would wish them well and leave them to it...

 

[Swarm]

^ Yup, agreed.

 

[Rob55]

They have to come out unfortunately as it is on a golf course, if they aren't saved they will most likely be dispatched

The reason they were found was because they interfered with a golfer's shot today. He was not quite as excited as I was when he told me the story ...

 

[peteinwilts]

if they 'have' to go, you might be able to trap the workers as they fly back to the hive, but unless we have a heat wave, that probably won't be until next year.

With the cut outs I have performed, and the state of a hive if unfed this year, it is sadly and highly likely they will not survive the winter.

 

[Rob55]

The weather at the moment is actually lovely here, up to 13-14 degrees and very mild, the bees are flying and bringing in pollen by the bucket load.

 

[theboynelson]

Considering the time of year, I would be tempted to leave them. To get a bee vac to get them out minus any stores they may have. It would mean a lot of feeding, with no guarantee of them making it is quite a big risk.

You have to weigh up the effort that would take to any benefits that would come from it.

On the plus side, if we get a cold snap, the bees will cluster and just might make it through the winter without anyone noticing.

 

[itma]

They shouldn't be out much until Spring (after this weekend), so shouldn't be a nuisance. If there is a problem, a mesh screen round the tree would be one means of pushing them above head height.

Review things in Spring, if they have survived.

 

[peteinwilts]

not warm enough to make a real difference.

if you did trap enough bees to make it worthwhile (which will also mean reduced odds of those left behind), you would need to move them, and a donor colony to combine with three miles away.

seen the weather forecast for the weekend.... bbbrrrrrr...

 

[biglongdarren]

is there nothing you can hammer to the tree to make the bees fly up and away from people and deal with them next year and leave them till it over the winter,i am sure if you talk to the golf club and explain that from now on in the bees should hopefully not be up to much and not a problem?
Good luck to the bees,
Darren

 

[alanf]

Over winter to avoid clashes of bee with golfer you might get away with a screen to keep the bees high, maybe a framed tube of mesh around the trunk.

Realistically, they're not coming out as a complete colony without a chainsaw and there's not a great chance of them surviving if you do that before spring. If the golfers insist either they go now or the tree stays, a quick end and sealing the hole might be the only option.

 

[VEG]

Tell the golf course you will go to the local papers if they destroy the bees, it must be really awful to be put off a golf shot

 

[Rob55]

The bees are in no immediate danger, afterall they must have been there at least 8 weeks since my hive swarmed. It is just today that they were actually brought to my attention - I am the manager of the golf course co-incidentally!

As far as getting them out goes, what would the actual method entail? I cannot butcher the tree but we could probably make a bit of an incision if it was needed. It is not an option to slowly coax them out by leaving another hive setup outside for weeks for obvious reasons, so if they are coming out they would need to be taken more or less in one sitting.

Anyway it should be no problem to leave them for the winter and reasses in the Spring!

 

[mbc]

What you need is a magic pipe

 

[Chris Luck]

It is not an option to slowly coax them out by leaving another hive setup outside for weeks for obvious reasons, so if they are coming out they would need to be taken more or less in one sitting.

It doesn't work like that, all you can trap are some foragers, you still end up killing the queen and most of the bees.

Best thing would be to convince the club that an extra hazard that the players knew about would add a bit of spice to the course.

Chris

 

[REDWOOD]

Convince the golf club the tree is unsafe due to the rot inside and is about to fall and kill one of the golfers, block the entrance at night, take a saw to the tree and remove the bit with the bees in and return them to your apiary, job done

 

[Hivemaker.]

Expanding foam is good for blocking holes in trees ect.

 

[beekim]

I agree with veg shame them into leaving them alone , good luck.

 

[mbc]

Expanding foam is good for blocking holes in trees ect.

They are not an out of control nuclear reactor deserving of being buried alive in a hard sarcophagus.

 

[Hivemaker.]

They are not an out of control nuclear reactor deserving of being buried alive in a hard sarcophagus.

Expanding foam is good for blocking holes in trees ect.