# Free Bees



## Rowdy (Jul 9, 2004)

Well, found a third feral hive on my place. Actually, I think one of the other two split, since this hollow tree was vacant last summer.

Sadly, this tree has to go, so I guess the bees do too.

I don't have any interest in keeping them right now. I might get into beekeeping once I finish other projects, but not right now.

So, if you want to come out to Abilene, Texas for some bees, let me know.


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## ninny (Dec 12, 2005)

Can you pack them in a FedEx box and mail them down here to Corpus Christi??

Wish I was up in your neck of the woods, would take them off your hands. Too far to travel though.


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## Rowdy (Jul 9, 2004)

Sorry, if I could get them out of the tree and gone to somewhere else, I'd not have a problem with them.

I do not want to mess with them too much, as that I got stung by something last week, and had a reaction to it. I'm not sure what got me, perhaps a gall wasp, but I've never swollen up like that to any sting before. So until I know for sure that I'm not developing an allergy to such things, I want to leave whole hives alone.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Place 1/8th inch hardware cloth over the entrance some late evening and ship the tree to me. I know how to get the bees out.




























 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Was so hot and humid looked like I had went swiming with my clothes on after doing this job.

Dreading a barn removal set for Tuesday this coming week. Forcast temp is 97F.
Wonder if one of those skeeter nets would work and do the job naked .

 Al


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## suburbanite (Jul 27, 2006)

Wow. Can you get honey from a wild hive like that or is it too full of bee-larvae? Are the larvae-combs mixed in with the honey storage or do they get separate 'wings' in the hive?

those are great pictures for the bee-naive.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yes you can get honey from these tree removeals and from the buldings. The honey is of secondary importance to us as most of the bees are going to die such as in that fallen tree limb since the comb isn't in there right any more. The below barn bees were going to be killed if we didn't remove them due to a person not wanting them on the property any more.
Most of the honey we feed back to the bees to build comb with. this barn job we did get close to 160 pounds of new honey from that we have kept for human use.

Main entrance to barn.









Brood banded into a frame. Bands made from old tractor tire 10"x24" tube.









Removing the barn boards for access to bees. area behing boards was about 5'x7'.


















Removing bees from the brood.









Like in a hive the honey is usally seprate from the brood. This comb was about 4 inches thick and in some spots even thicker.


















We are doing another removeal from a barn on Tuesday. the barn is going to be torn down to make way for a subdivision. 
All these removal bees are our queen breeder stock. in each case the bees have been there for at least 3 years with no treatments. 
OH and my eyes can not see any differance in the cell size from the trees and barns than from our hives.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Last Honey pictures.



















 Al


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## KSALguy (Feb 14, 2006)

oh man i LOVE seeing your pics Al, that is awsome, i wish you lived closer lol i would be at your place just waiting for something cool like that to happen lol, 

cant wait till i get things settled here so that i can have some bees


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Thank you for the nice comments.
Kare takes all the pictures  Her hands arn't always dripping with honey LOL.
One thing is you have to love honey bees to do what we are doing. In 90+ F heat and 90+ humidity it is a hot job.
We just love the bees the honey is secondary, Plus I get more money from the wax than I do the honey.

 Al


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## suburbanite (Jul 27, 2006)

Those are awesome pictures.

I like it when people take care of wild and feral animals instead of just killing them off for stumbling into an inconvenient place.

I understand there's some kind of bee mite going around killing a lot of the domestic hives, is that what you were referring to with the 'three years without treatment' comment? Are these bees you recovered here more resistant to the mites?

dang it, now I have to make myself some tea as an excuse to eat honey.


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## makeitdolou (Dec 6, 2005)

I love seeing your pictures, Al. Keep them coming - we all learn from them!
Rosie


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Again thank ya'll for the nice comments. I am also sorry I hyjacked this post and shall move to another area.
First though here are a list of texas beekeepers who remove swarms and colonies in buildings and trees. Ya have to do the link, I'm afraid.

http://www.ebeehoney.com/zTX.html

 Al


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## woodspirit (Aug 3, 2005)

I don't keep bees but would love to someday soon, and you my friend are a part of the reason. The pictures and stories should be in a book.


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## suburbanite (Jul 27, 2006)

I love honeybees too, for pollenating stuff. Someone did a study of their nervous system and concluded they are a lot smarter than we thought. Some of the tests they ran suggested that individual bees have some self-awareness--they can recognize their reflection or something like that which scientists usually think is only possible for highly intelligent animals.

Since reading that I've been very careful not to hurt bees, just in case.

I'm sure a few are lost when you retrieve a hive though.


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