Hello everyone. I just did my fist cutout today and I think the next time, if I have to use ladder, I will go with trap out. This tree seriously kicked my behind. It does not look like much but the hive had honey stores all the way from the top cut up about another 2 feet. It was tricky, but I did managed to get the combs out without cutting all the way up.
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/1964auction/vistacutout1.jpg)
This is what it looked like when I arrived. The owners tried to trap the bees inside the tree with this insulation foam which in turns actually helped the bees to create nice little opening to the hive.
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/1964auction/vistacutout2.jpg)
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/1964auction/vistacutout3.jpg)
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn74/1964auction/vistacutout4.jpg)
Man you weren't kidding when you said "cut-out"!
Nice pics. Don't ya love how the ladder rungs make your feet feel? I would agree with you on the trapout idea.
It was no joke. The worst thing was to get any kind of leverage with my chain saw while on top of the ladder. So in a nut shell it was pretty brutal on my body. I had to pretty much hold the saw somewhere in my shoulder level or above my head. And after 4 hrs of cutting and vacuuming, I was quite exhausted. And those rungs on the ladder, ouch!
Paul
It's tough ones like this that make you appreciate the easy ones for sure! Good job!
Scott
Good job Paul, that getting your bees the hard way! 8-)
Great job!
...JP
Good job on getting the bees out, tough one for sure.
I tell people might as well cut the tree since it is hollow anyway, and this one is sitting next to their house to boot.
Were they hot?
I'm not sure what you mean by hot. Is it beeks lingo? Inside the hive was very warm and other than that they were just bunch of really angry off bees. By the way, I took your idea of a piece of straw filled with cotton and few drops of LGO. Nice little lure and it carries the smell very well. Thanks.
Paul
Hot = angry ;)
nice job. hot/pissy,mean,stinging bees
They were definitely hot.
Wow. that did look like a tough one!
I'll stick with the easier cutouts. I don't like the combination of ladders and chainsaws.
Sorry for the use of ambiguous lingo. Others have explained it and thanks to y'all for that. Czman11, you are welcome. Hope it works well for you. I forget who I stole it from but it wasn't my original idea. I just needed a way to make the LGO last longer and that fits the bill. The cotton is inexpensive and the straws can be free if you rinse out straws you got at the local fast food joint. Being frugal is part of the challenge and fun for me.