Trap out in a chimney

[exmoorbee]

Hello

I thought I would post these photos of a trap out I have in progress. The house is owned by an organnisation whose pest controler didn't want to kill the bees off, we both agreed we want scafold to seal the chimney how ever we delt with it. So the owners are paying for the scaffold to be up for 10 weeks while we try to trap them out, before the pestman goes in for the kill if the trap out fails.

Photos here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81048702@N03/sets/72157630253224676

We put the cone on today, and installed a Nuc box with drawn comb and 1frame of mixed brood with eggs and nurse bees.

After about 2 hours there were no bees leaving or returning to the chimney, all the flyers seem to have relocated to the nuc. the bees had only been in here for about 6 days and although they were taking pollen in we're hopefull the chimney conley will starve out quite quickly as they shouldn't have much stores. whilst the chimney coloney starves out the flyers should rear a new and a queen cell in the Nuc.

From what I have read with no nectar comming in the old queen will stop laying and the last of the bees should start flying and get traped out to the nuc in 6 weeks. The old queen will either starve or swarm off with the last few remaining bees.

Any one with any helpfull comments about the best way to finish the job? should we let the new coloney rob to old one out.. if so how long should we wait to be sure the old queen has gone. or is it better to wait the 6weeks and seal the chimney with mesh.

I'll post more pics and let you know how we get on in a few weeks.

 

[VEG]

what are you going to do about the wax in the chimney?

 

[exmoorbee]

what are you going to do about the wax in the chimney?

Not sure, If the pestman was dealing he would poison, seal and leave the wax in place. If the chimney was open a sweep will deal with it if the brood and honey are gone.. if I let the nuc rob it out at least the wax will be dry. The chimney is all blocked off (brick at the bottom and concrete on top) with the bees entering through an air brick. removing wax will be a building job. hopefully we have it in time that there won't be too much wax, if it melts in the future it shouldn't do too much damage. probably coat inside of chimney but not much more. we hope... If any one has any better sugestions I'd like to hear

 

[susbees]

Not sure, If the pestman was dealing he would poison, seal and leave the wax in place. If the chimney was open a sweep will deal with it if the brood and honey are gone.. if I let the nuc rob it out at least the wax will be dry. The chimney is all blocked off (brick at the bottom and concrete on top) with the bees entering through an air brick. removing wax will be a building job. hopefully we have it in time that there won't be too much wax, if it melts in the future it shouldn't do too much damage. probably coat inside of chimney but not much more. we hope... If any one has any better sugestions I'd like to hear

As you aren't using poison it would presumably be ok to mesh the airbrick (so it still functions).

How would the nuc rob it out? That would just perpetuate the existence of the original hive. With the current weather unlikely they'll be storing much - and none now you are bleeding off the foragers.

How would a pest controller safely seal an airbrick after poisoning?

Got to advise on a similar chimney next time the sun shines so interested in the discussion.

 

[exmoorbee]

Hi Susbees

How would a pest controller safely seal an airbrick after poisoning?The pest controler would use wire gauze to seal the air brick, only need to be bee tight, not air tight....

How would the nuc rob it out? My plan was that when the Nuc was strong enough and the chimney weak enough (idealy chimney queen dead or gone) was to remove the wire cone so the nuc would remove any honey.. but may be this is not needed, If the coloney has starved out then there shouldn't be any honey for the nuc to rob.. may be the answer to my own question..

biggest problem is access to top of chimney, If this was a private indvidual I doubt they would want to pay for the scafold, I did try on roofing ladders, but quickly gave up, to high and dangrous, in a weeks time I will need to do an inspection for queen cells in the nuc, Now call me a wimp but I'm not doing that off a ladder. you need a good working platform all around the chimney. I really wanted more scafold than we got but whislt I wanted the scafold to get rid of the bees, the scafolder wanted me to get rid of the bees so he could put the scafold up... catch 22. with gentle encrouraging and reassuring that the bees were too intent on working to attack we got most of what we needed.

 

[BeeJayBee]

what are you going to do about the wax in the chimney?

I've been told that, once a colony has been either destroyed or removed from a chimney, wax moth will move in a clear any remaining comb.

 

[susbees]

I agree. I wouldn't touch a job like that without professional scaffold. The pest controllers we work with would insist on the same.

Our reading of such things the frame of brood seems to be added 2-7 days after the one. Reasons? Not thought that through yet...

Obviously blocking off the air brick to air would be daft. I wondered re the mesh. I guess at that height the usual issues with spiders' webs and associated crud that you get in low air bricks and window vents would be a limited issue...

 

[exmoorbee]

I've been told that, once a colony has been either destroyed or removed from a chimney, wax moth will move in a clear any remaining comb.

I like the thinking, I was told once that wax moths don't eat wax, just the old bits of lining inside the cells. hence why foundation dosn't suffer.

not sure If that's right though. and certainnly worth trying. I'll make sure the sealinng mesh has big enough holes to allow wax moth in, i think a strip of OMF should do it.