Is there any way to remove an existing hive out of a wall without tearing the wall apart? Is the best chance of harvesting some of the bees by placing a swarm attractor a little ways away with some lure in it and wait until they swarm?
Do all hives swarm if they have a healthy population?
Thanks for all of the help!
You will probably be able to attract a swarm from the hive, if and when they do swarm. You won't be successful in drawing out the whole colony, though. They don't have any reason to leave their nest. You need to open it up in order to get all the comb, honey, etc. out or else other bees will move in later, or other pests will come.
Yes you can get them all. But I like to do it early in early spring remember there storing honey. The more you leave the more ants and possibility that the honey will melt down and ruin the walls inside the house. I start by being sure you can seal up the house. now set a small colony next to the entrance. Place a screen wire cone over the entrance this cone needs to be about 6'' long with a hole the size of a bee. as bees leave they will enter your colony. takes about six weeks, but you will get them all.Remove cone and let your bees clean out any remaining honey then close hole so that a swarm will not move in again and they will. By the way in my area people want this done for free and it takes a lot of time and visits