Late Cutout

mherndon · September 24, 2009, 09:58:18 PM

I've done a couple of cutouts this past Summer. Is it late in the year to try a cutout? I had a call yesterday and went to check it out. I think is has been in the side of this storage shed for over a year. Seemed to be several bees. I used a stethoscope to listen from an inside wall and heard bees for close to five feet inside a hollow wall. Would be an easy cutout it appears. I guess as long as I keep honey and brood together, they should make it in a hive body as well as the hollow wall.

Mark

iddee · September 25, 2009, 12:04:55 AM

VERY few cutouts this time of year will make it till spring. You have a 50-50 chance of getting the queen, and it is too late for them to make one. It is also hard to band in honey. Most times it just drowns bees.

Being in Tn,. you might get lucky and they make it, but it would be much better if you waited till spring.

Kathyp · September 25, 2009, 12:11:32 AM

i have to quit by the end of july. i don't know what your weather or resources are, but they have to repair, rebuild numbers, build stores, all before weather.

if it were me, and it absolutely had to be done, i would not put honey in the hive. you can save it and jar feed it back to them, or feed lots and lots of syrup....still they have to cure and cap it for winter.

i start a list now and do cutouts again in the spring. most people want the bees saved, so they understand why it has to wait.

JP · September 25, 2009, 12:13:16 AM

You may have some robbing issues to contend with from other hives when feeding or transferring honey this time of year. Make sure you reduce entrances dramatically.

The main problem as Iddee pointed out is queen availability this time of year, if for some reason you don't get her. Could do a combine though.

Spring would be best, can the people wait?

...JP

mherndon · September 25, 2009, 09:27:35 PM

They may be able to wait. I will check. If I do have to get them, I would be using the Robo design bee vac. I would save all the bees have now as far as comb, brood and honey.

Mark

JP · September 25, 2009, 09:59:06 PM

Let us know either way what the outcome is Mark.

...JP

mherndon · September 28, 2009, 10:22:10 PM

The homeowner wants the bees out. I plan on doing the cutout Saturday morning. Should be a simple cutout, but the two that me and my partner did this Summer haven't made it. The bees just left. Not sure of the queen on the first cutout, but the second had larva a couple weeks after the cutout. I was afraid it may have been robbed by another hive. I plan on getting all the comb they have now and rubber band it in med frames. Will be using Robo's design bee vac. Any suggestions on being more successfull in sustaining this hive?

Mark

Kathyp · September 28, 2009, 10:27:54 PM

entrance reducer. feed them up. cross your fingers?

JP · September 29, 2009, 05:19:34 AM

Quote from: mherndon on September 28, 2009, 10:22:10 PM
The homeowner wants the bees out. I plan on doing the cutout Saturday morning. Should be a simple cutout, but the two that me and my partner did this Summer haven't made it. The bees just left. Not sure of the queen on the first cutout, but the second had larva a couple weeks after the cutout. I was afraid it may have been robbed by another hive. I plan on getting all the comb they have now and rubber band it in med frames. Will be using Robo's design bee vac. Any suggestions on being more successfull in sustaining this hive?

Mark

The best advice I could give on any cut-out is try your best to minimize honey drippage inside the new set up and make sure they have good ventilation.

There's nothing worse than transferring bees into a sticky mess. They may abscond at the worst and by and large you will stress them with extra chores.

I like a serrated, sharp knife for clean cuts.

And as Kathy stated, reduce the entrance with a new hive until they are strong enough to defend themselves, particularly so, when in a dearth.

Best of luck!

...JP

mherndon · September 29, 2009, 12:44:01 PM

Thanks, maybe third time charm will kick in.

Mark

mherndon · October 04, 2009, 06:56:46 PM

We did the cutout. I don't think the bees would have made it through the Winter. There was very little honey stores. I think they were using what honey they had to get by. When I first went to check the situation, there were several bees at a time returning with pollen. I did see a lot of pollen but very little honey. I have them at my house now where I will feed, feed, feed. I did not see the queen, but vacuumed all the bees that were on foot. When we left, there were several bees flying in the area. I did get a lot of bees. I hope I can get them through the Winter. I let them stay in the hive over night and just turned them loose a few minutes ago. A couple thousand I guess came out on the front of the hive and several did orientation flights. Most of the couple thousand are now back in the hive. This hive probably has minimum chance of surviving, but I am going to give it a shot. I brood that was there was emerging. I probably will lose a lot of them since it was so cool Saturday morning. It was in the mid 50's when we started.

Mark