A very successful hive removal.

[Apis629]

I am excited given I have just completed my first successful hive removal...and it only took 4 tries... .  I got a call after school on Tuesday that a house just 6 blocks from me was having some trees removed before hurricane season and they had found bees.  The nest was probably less that a month old but, I wanted it anyway given they could keep running thier chain saws and loud machinery with only one person being stung once.  These bees also didn't seem to ever head butt.  Anyways, I agreed to take it and came at 2:05 or so with brush, bucket and nuc.  Frankly, I was an idiot...it's pretty difficult to brush bees from 3 feet inside a hollow branch.  So I left after 45 minutes saying I would come back when I had a better idea.  I came back at 7:00 with a modified vacume, chain saw, axe, and extra vacume hose.  It took about another hour and three flashlights but, I got the job done.  Today I just installed what I vacumed up (about the size of a navel orange) into a nuc with a frame of honey and 4 of foundation.  Given I'm relatively sure these bees won't make due with so few I'm planning on shaking a few from an adjacent hive.  Probably why I'm happiest about this is that the bees weren't so much as headbutting when there nest was so strongly disturbed(one of the men cutting down the trees actually stuck his hand in and stole thier "honey" which, after a very large bite turned out to be brood)  and I found the queen.  After I got that cluster of bees into the nuc, I desided to gently break it up with a few bristles from my bee brush and there she was.  Her coloration was sort of a chocolate brown with black stripes.  Given their low aggressiveness, I have no concern about possible africanization.  And yes, I'm sure it wasn't a swarm...They had brood comb with emerging bees.

[mick]

Nathan gotta give you 10/10 for resourcefullness and persistance.

[AdmiralD]

Way to go, Nathan! Good job...

[Captain Cady]

Nathan G.

Very nice.  :)  Did you advertise? or do you have an arrangement with a local extreminator for leads on wild nests or swarms?

Regards,
Dan

[Apis629]

Actually, the woman who called me is a member of my church and knew I kept bees given I gave her honey once.  I guess it helps to build a good reputation in the neighborhood.

[Understudy]

Way to go!
Congradulations.


Sincerely,
Brendhan