cutout post-mortem

Grid · June 15, 2010, 03:02:59 PM

Did my first cutout on Sunday. Went ok, except my bee-vac did not work too well. Not sure if it was the intake hose being too long/wide (10 feet of 2.25" hose) or the box was leaky. Anyhow, the bees were not being sucked in, so I cut out the comb with the bees all on it, and got stung about 50 or 60 times - only counted the 28 stings on my right arm, so not sure of the total. REALLY need to figure out what went wrong with the bee-vac...

Anyhow, I Filled 12 medium frames with brood using skinny elastics, but they don't really hold the comb in well. There were over 10 queen cells, and one was emerging as I put it in the new hive. Very cool! I am hopeful, provided enough bees are in the new hive to tend the brood and queen(s).

SO to my questions:

- Should I have used wider elastics?
- A LOT of the bees are clustered around the old entrance, unable to get in any more, but unwilling to go into the new hive left underneath them. How to get them in? Spray with sugar water and knock in with the hive open below them? Wait longer? Fix the bee vac? ...

Thanks!
Grid.

montauk170 · June 15, 2010, 03:21:33 PM

How many HP is your motor?

I duct tape almost everything to make sure there aren't any leaks. Bring a roll with you.

G3farms · June 15, 2010, 03:53:50 PM

as said the duct tape will help to seal the leaks. I put the foam weather stripping around the cracks on my bee vac (it is a robo design) and that helped greatly. To help you find the leaks fire up your smoker and the vac, puff some heavy clouds of smoke around the vac parts and it will show where the leaks are.

The heavier rubber bands will hold the combs in place better, but if they are too tight can also distort the bottom bars.

As far as the bees that can not seem to find their new home, I would brush them into a small cardboard box and dump them into the top of the hive. With that many queen cells it is possible that the stragglers a really a small swarm with a virgin queen in them.

Good luck with them!!

G3

MacfromNS · June 15, 2010, 04:46:50 PM

Well Grid forgive me for laughing and you know that I am. This makes it so easy
for all of us to learn a lesson. So duct tape and big elastics go in the box.Hope your feeling better. I'm coming to Ottawa mid July for a week to visit with our
daughter and family.

BjornBee · June 15, 2010, 06:01:11 PM

Quote from: montauk170 on June 15, 2010, 03:21:33 PM
I duct tape almost everything to make sure there aren't any leaks. Bring a roll with you.

I think with that many stings, I'd bee taping my arms as well..... :-D

greenbtree · June 15, 2010, 11:04:50 PM

50 to 60 times?!! Even if you are not allergic, that's got to hurt!

JC

Grid · June 16, 2010, 10:40:41 AM

Yes, it hurt. All better now though! :)

I have concluded a couple of things from this experience:

- Fix the Bee-Vac before doing any more cut outs.
- Buy a better bee suit and veil. Mine is an old painter's coverall with a hand-me-down fold-away veil over a Tilly hat. Turns out the bees can get through in quite a few places.
- Buy some good beekeeping gloves. Don't usually need them for regular hive work, but when you DO need them...

Going back out tonight to collect the hive, and hopefully the balance of the bees. They are still bearding around the old entrance.

Grid.

iddee · June 16, 2010, 01:56:03 PM

I keep tellin' ya, dad-gummit, ya gotta wear th' proper attire. :-P :-D :evil:

Grid · June 17, 2010, 12:34:37 PM

LOL! I'm guessing that guy's bee-vac worked fine, or it was a dead out.

Got the bees home last night. Sprayed the clusters around the old entrance with sugar water, and scooped them into an old ice-cream bucket with a spatula, and dumped them in the hive. Got another 3-4 lbs of bees. :) Then took them home. Here's hoping one of the 10 or so queen cells I put in the hive produce a viable queen.

Grid.

iddee · June 17, 2010, 10:20:39 PM

>>>>I'm guessing that guy's bee-vac worked fine, or it was a dead out.<<<<

I got a strong hive and enough bees to start a nuc from that cut out. And yes, that's me in the pic.

Sparky · June 17, 2010, 10:53:29 PM

Quote from: iddee on June 17, 2010, 10:20:39 PM
>>>>I'm guessing that guy's bee-vac worked fine, or it was a dead out.<<<<

I got a strong hive and enough bees to start a nuc from that cut out. And yes, that's me in the pic.

iddee you are either a brave man or you borrowed JP's magic flute to calm the bees. :-D

iddee · June 17, 2010, 11:06:21 PM

Is brave a synonym for dumb? :? :?

Grid · June 20, 2010, 12:13:45 PM

Here are pics:

http://img28.imageshack.us/g/bees015.jpg/

Grid

G3farms · June 20, 2010, 01:05:57 PM

That sure was a dandy for a first cut out. Looks like you handled it very well and did a good job.

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

G3

greenbtree · June 20, 2010, 02:58:46 PM

Definition of brave - "When you are scared ****less, but go ahead and do what needs to be done anyway." Got a call for cut out yesterday, thank goodness the lady admitted her husband has been spraying them with Raid BEFORE I hauled myself out there. Frustrating, but I guess I had better get used to it - people just have no clue. I keep telling myself that most of them are just ignorant, not really stupid. Sigh.... Great job on your cut out.

JC

iddee · June 20, 2010, 08:27:02 PM

Very Nice.........Be proud.

Sparky · June 20, 2010, 11:06:04 PM

NICE pictures of your cut out Grid. ;) They have made that their home for some time, huh ?

Grid · June 21, 2010, 12:15:45 AM

Thanks all. The bees had been there for at least 8 years - they were there when this couple bought the house. They loved having the bees, but are moving now, so I got the call.

:)

Hoping one of the queen cells I put in there is viable. There are a lot of bees in there, but also a lot of dead bees soaked in nectar/honey from the cut comb in the frames. Time will tell.

Grid.