I was out in garage today working on swarm traps when son-in-law pulls in. Says "oh yeah I forgot to tell you but I know where there are bees living in a tree". I was thinking at a thousand miles an hr about trapouts and such while we continue talking.
It seems these bees are living outside a tree not in it. They have lots of comb and a basketball size cluster according to SIL. No way its a swarm so it must have overwintered in the tree, thank goodness for the mild winter. So now I'm thinking cutout, well cutoff, but had a question.
Today is warm and windy as in 70 degrees and 20mph with 30 mph gusts. Tomorrow is supposed to be 5mph winds and 72. Should I wait until tomorrow to do it or is today ok. I really want them bees :).
Assuming you'll be on a ladder, I'd wait until tomorrow if it was me. Just a safety thing. Might be better for the brood also. Please tell us how it went.
Something to think about, half the hive could be inside the tree they have just expanded to the outside. Just something I have run into. 90 percent of the bees were inside when I went to cut them out. Trap out at that point.
I went and looked at it. About 50 foot up in a tree and a basketball or so size of combs. I was right about it not being a swarm from this year and he was wrong about there being bees in the comb :(
Must have been a swarm from last year and they built up but then died in the winter. I'm going to hang a trap in that tree though. If thats the best they could find in that area my trap should look mighty good to any swarms this year.
Sounds like a plan.
This might be a blessing in disguise. A tree, 50 feet up, a ladder, and a bee keeper sounds like a bad combination to me :-D
I know it's great to catch wild bees, but it's really so much easier to multiply and divide existing bees.
Yeah, as we were driving up and I saw the comb I knew there was no way I was going up a ladder. I would have rented a lift.
I had a 20ft fall from a ladder about 5yr ago that resutled in tib/fib and humerus fractures. All 3 were within 3in of the joints and needed surgury plus almost a yr to heal. I no longer climb ladders that are not perfectly stable because it seems I can no longer flap my arms fast enough to slow the descent enough to prevent injury :-D
Tree climbing spikes and a safety belt/harness is better than a ladder any day, use rope to pull box up once you are up the tree and secure.
Quote from: oblib on March 13, 2012, 10:35:51 AM
I no longer climb ladders that are not perfectly stable because it seems I can no longer flap my arms fast enough to slow the descent enough to prevent injury :-D
Nice visual :)
I've been thinking about this all evening. Just doing math in my head. At 7lbs of honey to make 1lb of comb I could probably pay for the cost of the lift to cut the comb off. Stay with me here I'm trying to talk myself into it :evil:
So how many lbs of comb in a nest about the size of a basketball? I could then multiply that by 7 and then again by $5 to come up with lift money; Plus I could add in the good feelings I would have from saving some future swarm from moving onto that comb only to perish this winter. ;)
Sorry, I'm still imaging you flapping your arms as gravity calls :-D and how much the hospital bill is going to be :(
Yep, I can see the flapping arms, and the broken leg
Quote from: oblib on March 14, 2012, 01:27:53 AM
I've been thinking about this all evening. Just doing math in my head. At 7lbs of honey to make 1lb of comb I could probably pay for the cost of the lift to cut the comb off. Stay with me here I'm trying to talk myself into it :evil:
So how many lbs of comb in a nest about the size of a basketball? I could then multiply that by 7 and then again by $5 to come up with lift money; Plus I could add in the good feelings I would have from saving some future swarm from moving onto that comb only to perish this winter. ;)
This sounds a lot like the bee version of "chicken math" - glad some of my acquired skills can be applied across various species. :)