# Late season bee removal



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Been getting 10 calls at least a week now. Help we have honey bees in a out door speaker, under the deck and in the eves among other places. 99% of the time it is yellow jackets or bald faced hornets after we got thru the 30 questions.

Just today (August 29th) I get a call from a guy who is contracted by a college to remove some outdoor asbestos ceiling tile that have honey bees above. 
He wants me to sit in a class on proper handling of the stuff for 8 hours then remove the stuff and honey bees. Tried to explain this just is not the time for doing this as we only have so many days before it is to cold for the bees to recover from the trauma. 

I explained that if they waited for spring the bees may not make it thru the winter and would solve their problem. He gave me the number for the care taker so I can meet with him and explain it to him. 
He did call me back and say they would pay me 100.00 per hour for sitting in the class for 8 hours then taking the tile down properly and removing the bees.
Now the money would be nice I will admit. I just hate to do the work and the bees not be able to recover, much rather do it in the spring.


Asbestos abatement guy and I talked Monday the 31st of August. He really didn't want me to have to set thru a class for 8 hours and I didn't either.
It was decided one of his guys was going to remove the asbestos tile so I could get at the bees. He would buy a veil for his guy and the abatement suit would be fine. Job was to be done on Tuesday the 8th day after labor day. That morning it was raining hard wind blowing and lots of lighting. Called and canceled the date, Wednesday long range forecast looked for more of the same so We made a date for Thursday.

Got to the site and the abatement guy was there. I got him to crack the tile a bit so I could get a long knife I had made in there to cut any comb loose from the tile then had him remove that small section, Then I used the knife to cut the comb loose from the next section so he could remove that one. That then exposed the whole colony.

Started the bee removal just after 11:00 AM took 1/2 hour lunch break Just after 1:00 PM, Hive got full of bees by 3:30 PM returned home and got a new set up and returned at 5:00 Finally called it a job well done at 6:30. I should have used a double hive set up.
Lot of bees way more than I expected from what I had been told by the people that run the college there. Old hard dark comb very little new stuff. 6 frames of brood and 5 pails of honey filled comb .
Earned my money doing one this one.
Going a bit later this morning to clean up and stragglers, that had been out foraging and those hanging about the buckets of comb but didn't go in the truck when I loaded it up.
Not used to spending that much time on my feet and not moving much. Feet still feel tired this morning.

Some pictures to post later this week end when I have time to sit down and up load them.


 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Al


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Wow! That one had been there for a while! Hopefully with that much honey they can get settled in and make it through the winter ok.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Friday afternoon I stuffed 5 frame feeders full of honey filled comb I had cut out. Sunday I opened them to add a hive top feeder stuffed with more of the comb. They had did a pretty good job empting those 5 frame feeders in a couple nights and a day.
Going to look to make sure the queen made it in a week. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Plan is to add more of the honey filled comb once this rain has passed. Look for a queen on Monday probably should wait a bit longer so she can get to laying but. If I need a queen Oct may be to late to find one they will ship.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

looks like you got in to a bigger removal then first thought ,,, but then I have the feeling its not your first ... been there done that ,, not with bees but lots and lots of other things ,,,, hope they make it til spring ,, with there queen ,,i think she 
must have been a good one ,, she would have to bee good the reign over that big hive ..


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

No not my first removal by a long shot. I also hope the queen made it (knock on wood) never lost a queen yet doing a removal.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

With all that has been going on here requiring my time I didn't get a look to see about a queen till yesterday 10-12-15. there was no queen in the hive and no signs. So I just married it to another colony near by.

 Al


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

Newbie here, just started studying/researching.
Lots of questions on this but I'll only ask one:
What is that clear hose/large tubing?


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

That is a bee vacuom


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It is the suction hose to my bee vac. about 15 feet worth.

 Al


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> It is the suction hose to my bee vac. about 15 feet worth.
> 
> Al


Thanks. Oh, Wow....I'll have to do search on that.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The top with the hose from the shop vac and the vacuum regulator. Also shows the lower part where that clear hose goes in.



I have a write up showing how it is built here.

http://forum.tractorfarmandfamily.com/topic/726-build-a-bee-vac/


 Al


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

That is _very_ slick.

Designed and built back in 2011, still using it as is or have there been modifications?

Can you put a whole swarm into the middle box?
....or can you switch out the middle box to fill another?
....or do you have multiple assemblies to gather a larger removal than will fit into one middle box?

Do the frames have foundation or comb or....?

Sorry for all the questions...I can get carried away.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Completely interesting. Thanks for the details and pictures of this complicated project.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have 3 of the upper and lower assembly's. Since I have a lot of bees I have a lot of comb I put in the collection hive and I can stack a couple deeps probably even 3 of 4 if I needed but usually leave it at two deeps.

Once I have collected the swarm or removal I take them to a bee yard I call my quartine yard. I take the top part off and put a regular inter and outer cover on them. Wait about 3 or 4 days and then set the hives on a screen bottom board to get my lower section back.

 Al


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