Cutout at the Cemetery

[homer]

I friend of mine digs graves at the local cemetery.  He said there is a large sycamore tree that some bees moved into this spring and they want them gone so they can trim the tree and such.  I'm going up there tomorrow to check it out.  I know it's likely that I'll have to cut a larger hole in order to access them.  He said the hole they went into is about eye level in the tree so it shouldn't bee too high to work with.

What I'm getting at here is that this will be my first cut out.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  I've got to order some more frames tomorrow so I can hopefully get it midweek.

[iddee]

You can't do a cutout and save the tree.

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,20301.0.html

Trap out is your only answer if you can't cut the tree down.

[Kathyp]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

i have gotten calls on a bunch of these.  iddee has it.  more than that, if an arborist were to look at it, they would most likely recommend taking down the tree anyway.  a hole deep enough to support a hive has weakened the tree to a dangerous point.

it is true that many trees go a long time with such a hole, but in a public place it is not worth the risk.

if i were advising the cemetery people, i would have them hire an arborist to evaluate the tree, then offer to take the hive when the tree is cut....as it most certainly will need to be.

[homer]

Went and looked at the tree today.  It's probably 5 feet in diameter and the entrance is about 5 feet off the ground.  The tree looks sort of decayed up that far and part way around.  I noticed that the bees are going in and up into the tree but couldn't get much of a look as they were defensive and the hole was only the size of a half dollar.  I'll go back tuesday and talk to the head of the cemetery and explain his options.  I'll update then....

[Highlandsfreedom]

On this note is it too late in the year to do a trap out?

[Rebel Rose Apiary]

If the tree is decayed around the base, it should come down. It will do majpr damage to the stones and graves. The other part of the problem of the tree being rotted, is that it will most likely start to break apart when it is cut....ruining not only the comb in the colony, but also some of the graves.

I hope they can find a good tree service.

Brenda

[homer]

I went and enlarged the entrance hole in the tree today, under watchful eye of the cemetery grounds crew.  The inside of the tree is a mess and the bees seem to be in cracks going all through the tree.  I think the cracks went to a spot in the rear of the tree where I think the main hive area might be.

Anyway, I strongly suggested they have a professional arborist evaluate the tree.  Tapping it with a hammer around the base it seemed to be quite hollow more than 3/4 the way around.  I'm secretly hoping they will cut it down so that I can dig into it and get the bees.  Otherwise I told them it would likely make the most sense to just fill up the holes and seal them in.

They're still debating the possibility of a trap out but trying to seal off the exit cone around this uneven tree could bee a challenge.  Then the risk of having the hive blow over when people are around might not be worth taking.  Those of you who have done trap outs before... are they worth the time and effort that it requires?

The head "cheese" at the cemetery won't be back till Monday and they'll let me know what they want to do when he gets back.

Till then....

[afretired]

Homer
I don't want to sound too negative but I think you will be waisting your time and getting your hopes up.  I've tried the trap-out before and worked it for over a month with no luck. I even had a hose fixed from the hive entrance to a hive body with a one way cone so once they left the original hive they had no chance of going back.  I trapped several bees but I could never get them all. The queen will never come out.  Finally several months later they wanted the bees removed bad enough they wanted me to do a cut-out. A few hours later and I had the hive.  I have had good luck sealing up the tree with paper towels and screen wire then taking a cordless drill and drilling into the log to determine how large a cavity is in the log.  Then cutting the log above and below the cavity and then splitting it on my time. Splitting a bee log is a lot of fun and I have got several good hives that way.

Dave

[bearpaw]

Hey homer, how did you go? Were you able to get the bees out of the tree?

[homer]

Hey homer, how did you go? Were you able to get the bees out of the tree?

Still waiting on a decision from the cemetery grounds crew foreman.  It looks like there is a good possibility they will cut down the tree.