Questions On Our "Semi-Failed" Cutout

Pink Cow · July 06, 2010, 03:45:32 PM

I say "Semi-Failed" because we have not gotten the queen, but we haven't given up either, so there is still hope. Really didn't intend to get into cutouts, but I got a call from the swarm list and the location was just minutes from home and the job sounded quite easy so I went over for a look. The bees were entering a garage wall through the power meter/breaker box, and definitely confined to a small area in the wall since none of the wall was covered on the inside, except the 16" space between the studs on which the panel was mounted. Feeling the heat they generated, I could tell they were hanging under the box, covering about 24"-30" vertically. Anyway, it was easy enough to give it a go and we quickly agreed on terms so we scheduled it for later in the day (yesterday).

Showed up with my 12-y/o daughter and beekeeping partner, got everything in place, made the cuts and removed the section of wallboard. There were five combs and three of them came off cleanly with the board, and two were left attached intact to one stud. Excellent start! Everything went very smoothly and we were able to fill five deep frames with quality comb containing everything from capped brood to eggs in a very strong pattern. On the negative side, we have not able to catch the queen. We saw her in the wall after all the comb was removed, but she was in no mood to join her colony in their new home and used crevices around the box and the box itself with its wires as obstacles to hide from us. We had to finally give up as the homeowner had to leave for an appointment, but we will be able to have another shot or two. The only thing I could think to do was set the hive we housed the bees in as near to the opening the bees were using as possible, and hope most of them stayed to tend the brood. I went back for a quick look from the outside last evening and found that at least at that point, they were still in the hive, and I took a look into the electrical box and found a softball-sized ball of bees that I started to remove and place in the hive. I saw the queen again but same story, and I couldn't catch her. I should say I do have a vacuum to use, but for obvious reasons do not want to use it on the queen unless it is an absolute last resort. I don't feel we're there yet, fortunately. The house is currently vacant due to fire damage so there is no urgency as far as removing the bees. As far as the hive, there are so many eggs I'm confident they'll get themselves a new queen, but the brood pattern we saw tells us this one is a keeper and we'd love to save her.

OK, finally to my questions:
Am I overlooking anything that might help save this queen? Any tricks I should know about? There is no chance she'll move out to that hive (about 10" from opening in wall) on her own, right? Is it likely they'll try to set up shop again if we cannot remove the queen?

Thank you for your advice.

hardwood · July 06, 2010, 05:29:12 PM

Let them cluster up again and you'll find her. If she keeps dodging back into remote areas spray them (the recesses...not the bees!) with bee quick before going after her and she should stay in the open. A queen catcher would be great to have on hand anytime you do a cut out.

Scott

Pink Cow · July 06, 2010, 10:12:50 PM

Thanks, Hardwood. Appreciate it.

I popped over for another look at lunch and they have left the box, but many bees are still coming and going from the opening. Guess the queen made her way back into the wall. I could only look from the outside since the owner was not there.

We did have a catcher at the ready, but she never gave us a good shot to use it. Next time..... I don't have Bee Quick, and was cursing myself for that during the search yesterday. Top of my "To Get" list now.

Here's the happy helper:

G3farms · July 06, 2010, 10:37:59 PM

You might also take a frame of brood from the cut out and some how place it up close to the wiring to see if the small cluster will move onto it with the queen. Might be easier to just remove the frame the next day with all bees and queen on the brood.

Just a thought.

How can you say semi failed, look at the grin on that young ladies face, she will alway remember getting to do this with you, great memories.

Pink Cow · July 08, 2010, 01:53:02 AM

Had arranged with the home owner to visit this evening, see what we had left to do, and get it taken care of. I pulled into the driveway and he was sitting in the open garage, not ten feet from where the bees were yesterday. Had to be a positive sign, right? Sure enough, not a single bee in the garage, the wall or the electrical box. Seems we got very lucky and they decided the hive I set up for them right outside their original home was not such a bad place to be. Now we just have to wait and see if we got extremely lucky, and the queen is in there too. Didn't want to disturb them to check since they only went in today. Sealed all openings and left a very relieved homeowner who was more than happy to hand over the check. Always a good thing.....

Then, just to top off a positive evening, I got not one, but two swarm calls while I was there and got both of them quickly and smoothly on my way home. One quite large swarm on a farm fence post, and the other, a decent one hanging on the underside of two boards covering cable TV and phone equipment in the ground. Left home at 6pm and returned at 9pm with three new colonies. Nice!

JP · July 08, 2010, 10:39:18 AM

What a great ending to this affair.

There's no such thing as a semi failed cut out. The possibilities with bees are many: You can combine them, use them to make queen cells, boost numbers of a weak colony...

Patience is always paramount when dealing with cut outs, if you have the time.

As Hardwood mentioned, you can always step away and give her time to come back out and join the other bees.

This is what I do when I know she's there but I don't want to tear the building apart to get to her.

They usually regroup and congregate where the original hive was, so with time, she should come right back out.

Congratulations!

...JP

G3farms · July 08, 2010, 10:46:00 AM

Good job on the cut out and two swarms to boot, now that has to be a good day.

I think you did a fine job.

hardwood · July 08, 2010, 10:59:20 AM

Great job! Two swarms to boot? I think you should've played the lottery that day too...or would that be pushing your luck?

Scott

annette · July 08, 2010, 11:44:22 PM

That was a wonderful experience for you both. You daughter will always remember this time together with her dad and she will probably keep bees when she grows up.

That was fabulous about the other 2 swarms. Feels great, doesn't it??

Pink Cow · July 09, 2010, 04:28:33 PM

Thanks for the support and encouragement, everyone. Made what turned out to be a good experience even better.