cone removal

[super dave]

so if i'm going to use the cone removal method(the mike bush method) to get bees out of a house or a tree how long do i leave the cone and the extra hive up--do i just wait till there are no more bee coming out of the hole?? hmmmm deep thoughts
thanks
dave

[JP]

I have not done any trapping but from talking with those who do, its a long, drawn out, arduous affair, in most cases.

Depending on how large the colony is, numbers wise, it could take 4-6 weeks, sometimes even more for all of the bees to exit.

You will have to keep replacing boxes as they fill them. I believe Robo will have some good advice for you on this.

Also Iddee from beesource is very experienced with trapping out hives as well.

The key is to seal off ALL entrances except the one you devise with the cone. Any other holes that are not sealed will set you back to square one.

After all bees have exited and they have a new queen in the last box, robbing of the honey stores left in the original colony occurs. After the robbing is when you want to remove this last box and completely seal up the opening.

One more thing, if you don't construct the cone opening of the correct size, bees will clog up and impede ability for exiting, which also, again, sets you back to square one, and one big mess.

I am still gathering the facts before I attempt trapping, I advise you to do the same, that way you minimize any wasted efforts, but, I am told there is a huge learning curve, so expect the un-expected, and figure in learning curve and extra trips.

I would imagine for a first timer, a trap out could easily extend from 4-6 weeks to 6-10 weeks, or more.

Just my .02

Good luck and please report back on your efforts so we can all learn some.

...JP

[super dave]

wow and thanks-- this makes me think if i shoulld try now
thanks dave

[JP]

wow and thanks-- this makes me think if i shoulld try now
thanks dave

Not trying to discourage you, hope I didn't. Myself, I try and remove the hive but it is not always practical or possible to do, this is why I am looking into trapping out colonies.

One more thing about trapping. If you would like to simply add a bunch of numbers and bolster a colony's size, this is a good way to do it.

If you didn't want to go through the entire process you could for the sake of getting more bees, remove your set up after you have trapped some out, then, remove the box and cone and let things go back to what they were originally, minus a bunch of extra bees for your hive.

Again, someone like Robo or Iddee from beesource could give you some more info concerning this alternative as they are experienced.

Good luck!


...JP