I got a call from my buddy Al (MustBeeNuts) asking me if I wanted to get some bees out of a downed tree cause he didn't want to do it. I said sure if he helped. :-D
I called the logger and he said he wanted to save the bees, but the owner said if they weren't out by tonight, they would be burned, cause there is a campground nearby.
So I loaded up my failing S-10 pickup and trailer and headed to the site and met Al half way there.
We cut the section out, then cut it down to close to the nest size. The top cut just clipped the top of the hive.
We laid it down on my trailer and covered it with some outdoor carpet. In hindsight I think it would have been better served by standing it up and transporting it that way. We had to man handle the log, so laying down seemed easier. The comb got pretty messed up though.
We backed it up next to Al's out apiary from HE double hockey sticks, and slid it off the trailer and rolled it on the end to a tree where we could secure it. Al placed some brick over the opening in the top and I thought all was well. Then he wanted to look at his hives from hell without smoke. My latex gloves were torn by moving the tree and I brought the smoker over for him. They zeroed in on my open hands and lit me up. I took more stings today, than I have all season, as you can see at the end of the video. They were hunting me down at that point. I had to retreat to my ill truck and wait for a sensor to cool, then high tail it out of Dodge.
I have no idea if the queen made it and is alive. Would it be best just to leave it standing for the winter, as there is 6 weeks to get re-established and rebuilt or should we open it up and try to find the queen and put the brood comb in a box and feed, feed, feed?
Thx,
Jay and Al.
Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OltFkN8Ep-s#)
Looks good for a spring time project. You could fit a box with a plywood bottom right on top of that log to feed them.
Ha Ha ,, we gotter done tho.. now just hope they survive. Gotta laugh your last min of video,, yow ouch.. lol
Allen,
Sounds like a good plan to me. ;)
Maybe they will teach Al's bees some manners. :-D
Thx,
Jay
He must not treat his bees right to make them so mean. :-D
And smoke is your friend.