ok i know a cutout is the hardest place to bring bees home from and them stay,i have read up on it,watched once,and tried three times now and still no good,first i smoke them,wait,then i start tearing into the wall,maybe smoke again,then start with the comb removal,i cut off as much comb as i can before i get to the BEE HEIGHT,then i start cutting the comb with the bees on it,if it has honey i brush the bees into the box with honeyless comb and put the honey in a seperate container with a lid,so on and so one until nothing is left,then i take the honey with me and leave the bees in the hive with the brood and larvea tied to frames there over night to let them settle into that hive(hopefully),i reduce the intrance to about 2 inches before i leave,the only problem is it hasn't worked yet. any ideas,please help.
maybe try puting a queen excluder in between the hive body and the bottom board and the queen should stay put and the rest will stay with her. Good luck
You need to use an excluder. I say use the entrance excluders along with a standard excluder.
Entrance excluders:
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=675 (http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=675)
Sincerely,
Brendhan
i,ll try that this weekend ,also if you sprayed them with sugar syrup before cutting the comb out would that help with the flying around and also would it help keep them busy in the hive while i finished?also which sugar is used in the syrup mix regular cane or powdered?
If I get the queen and the brood I have no problem with them going into the hive. I have had to brush bunches of them into the hive right about sundown because they either didn't go in the hive or they left it. Then I close it up and take it home. Then I have no trouble with them staying in the hive. My biggest problem is getting the queen. But if you think you have the queen or just in case the excluder is a good idea. I learned to use them when collecting swarms because the first swarm I got I left at the sight for the returning scout bees. Some one said it was a cloud of bees leaving my hive body later that afternoon. They had already found a place they wanted I guess.
I've never had them leave if:
_I remove all the comb from the old location.
_I tie all the brood into frames in the box.
_I brush all the bees into the box as i go.
Once in a while I've had the queen not end up in the box and they clustered at the old location and I had to brush them into the box, but usually they all move into the box because the brood is there and not at the old spot. I put the box as close to the old spot as I can. Then at night I close up the box and take it home.
What exactly is your problem? They don't stay? The excluder as an includer will help IF the queen is inside. If she's not it will keep her from GETTING inside.
well micheal,i do exactly like everyone says to,except the excluder,and when i go to take them (late evening,or that night)they are all gone except maybe a handfull and the comb is chewed up.like i said i've only tried this two or three times so i can't really say what's going on only discribe it.also what kind of sugar is used in the sugar syrup,cane or powdered
>what kind of sugar is used in the sugar syrup,cane or powdered
Any kind of regular table sugar. NOT powdered. Beet or cane work equally well.
Finally,they're in the hive!!Itried it again today and all looks good.It was in a wall between 2 2foot on center studs from about 2-1/2 foot of the floor to the 8 foot ceiling.Just guessing I'd say it was about 4 or 5 pounds of bees,3 5gallon buckets full of honey capped,1 4foot long by 6 inch wide comb of uncapped honey,and 3 3 foot long by 6inch wide combs of eggs,larvea,capped brood and emerging bees. So keep your fingers crossed for me.Also,when would it be ok to open it back up to do some organizing?And what ratio of syrup should I feed to help them build up?
>Also,when would it be ok to open it back up to do some organizing?
I'd let them settle in for at least few days.
>And what ratio of syrup should I feed to help them build up?
2:1 is good. Anything will work.
Do Not Disturb. Once in the hive leave them alone for at least a couple weeks as they have alot to do and don't need the hassle.
I let them have as much honey as I can put in the hive so they don't need to forage for the first few weeks.
From their point of view the hive has been destroyed, and they have to pick up the pieces. Let them alone to do that, or they will look for safer quarters.
I checked on them today and there was a big ball of bees on the side of the hive,looked like about 1/4th of the total i brought home.So I took a 5 frame nuke and set in front of the and they walked right in.I put some brood frames in it that I had left over.When I left they where cleaning it up and standing in the entrance fanning it.So it seems like I got a split out of it.?Got syrup on both hives now.