I just got a call from a woman who has bees in her wall. Her husband sprayed them with ant killer a few weeks ago. Apparently, that slowed them down for a while, but they are now coming and going stronger than ever.
I've never seen what happens to a hive that has been sprayed. Am I likely to get usable bees out of this? I'm thinking maybe I will remove the bees to a new hive and just toss the comb.
Are contaminated bees a risk to my other hives?
I told her I'd charge for this one, since there is no guarantee I'll get usable bees out of it, so at least it won't be charity work.
that's a tough one. i'd probably do it if it were easy and if you could get the queen and toss all the comb and honey. the hive would have to be fed and start all over on clean foundation. even then, you do not know if the queen was compromised.
do it for the money and consider any bees you save a bonus.
they should be no risk to your other hives. most sprays have a short 1/2 life and are most effective if they contact the insects. that's probably why there are still so many bees.
I'd be careful about contaminating your equipment with any residues, too. Maybe the half-life of the pesticides is short, but I wouldn't want to take any chances, especially if you use the same suit and gloves to do removals and work your own hives.
yup. good point. the one we were going to do last week dumped powdered insecticide on my stuff. i washed everything when we got home.
I charge more for cutouts after poisoning. If you vacuum bees and install on new foundation they will live if you get queen. I throw out all the other stuff, wax, honey and even brood. If the bees are alive all these weeks later they should be ok. I also dont use my bee equipment. I use overalls and work gloves. I wont touch poison w/ my regular bee equipment. I usually add $100 to price and tell homeowner as such.
There is a difference between hope and sensibility.
I don't bring ANYTHING that is suspect to have been tampered with in any way.
I will not risk one hive for the health of all the hives that I have.
Any least bit of sickness and you will always suspect and wonder if this was not the root cause.
I do a lot of cutouts/trap-outs.
I was an exterminator for ORKIN.
I know what I am doing and I know what I am up against.
Do not think just because you are not taking the combs that your risk is eliminated.
Bees have a honey stomach and they unknowingly will eat poisons that can be redeposited in your hive.
Pesticides are so toxic because they are like a jaw-breaker.
They have encapsulated layers that slowly shed poison.
Just because the bee walks today does not mean it survives.
Like in human illness and disease, they can be immune compromised to other diseases.
I think its wrong to tought-off like its no big deal - just charge more money and hope for the best.
Its not just wrong, it's irresponsible and might get your other innocent bees dead.
-Jeff
"Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon's light?" - the Joker [Batman]
Ask to see what product was used and read the label and call the manufacturer if you have any questions about residual, etc...
Ask the people to tell you EXACTLY how they sprayed, did they inject into the void where the bees are? Probably not, this is the case in most instances. Usually they spray where the bees are entering from anywhere from 2-10' away with some product in an aeresol can that has very little residual.
If any kind of dust or powder was used be VERY leary as dusts can travel and contaminate that which is unseen.
Check the entrance and interior for signs of waxmoth, usually if the chemicals had some kind of impact there will be webbing and cocoons still visible albeit the bees were able to gather the strength to repair the colony back to working but quite possibly WEAK working order. Bees are more resiliant than people realize, but remember, the queen from a contaminated colony has a much shorter fertile life than in a chemical free environment.
Another possibility when you know they've been sprayed is that the original colony was 86'd but what you're seeing now is a new colony that swarmed in. They may not be fully contaminated, YET.
If you can put the pieces together quite thoroughly and deduce that the colony has not been greatly compromised, than procede with a live removal.
...JP
Since this call, I received a second where the bees have been sprayed. I am doing both removals today.
My biggest concern was what NWIN suggested: weak bees that end up diseased.
So, yesterday I got in touch with a friend who owns a lot about five miles away, which is little more than a bramble patch. He was happy to let me use it for bees. So, I am setting it up this morning as my quarantine yard. I'll keep suspect bees there until the end of the season to see how they do. If they are doing well at that point, I'll bring them home.
If it were me... I wouldn't toss the comb and honey... seems like great material to experiment with soap making on... if you mess up, no loss, if you succeed, you know how to do it for real next time, and you can probably use that soap for your own personal use (I wouldn't even think of selling it though).
If they have sprayed, I just walk away. Often I drive 60 miles to get there and smell raid and just walk away.
I did both removals today. The short version is, I will probably not bother with sprayed hives in the future. It is not only a probable waste of time, it is depressing.
The longer version is in this thread: http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,16772.0.html