Keeping bees where they should be.

[skysurfer]

How did that go "... the boys are in the bathroom zipping up their flys are in the kitchen, bees are in their hive..." Much like my singing this adventure starts on a sour note. Had some problems at work several months ago. We had a swarm set up shop in an equipment cabinet in a confined space about 60 feet in the air. Via various and sundry means we encouraged them to go elsewhere. The plan B beekeeper I got ahold of later warned that they may swarm again and reoccupy the equipment cabinet so after it was given the all clear we cleaned up sealed it up to hopefully prevent this. At the time I wasn't sure what he meant by swarm... I though swarm is what they did to the 4 of us after we exposed the hive and sent us fleeing this location that was hazardous enough to begin with.

So since have been seeking enlightenment. What they did was abscond from the cabinet, swarmed with the possibility of returning. We're at 4 months and they didn't return, but I know they're out there somewhere. According to information handed down this is the third time the cabinet has been occupied. Since tho have been learning a bit about them, reading up, watching videos and attending meetings with the local beekeepers, who aparently are aware of our run in with the bees a few months ago  . We have ~140 acres at this site and ~50 at another site next to a nursery (which may not be a good thing I've been told) and I pretty much have a free hand for recreational activities at these locations since they fall under my care.

Soooo why not? It looks like it may be a go to set up something out there. It's a fairly heavily wooded area mostly pine with the usual south GA flora, black berries, maypop... a scattering of pecan, sassafras, a sizable grove of crab apples and the obligatory invasive flowering shrubs. Being a technical DIY like type person building equipment has a certain appeal to me. As a bonus over the years I've rough cut and dried wood from some of the trees that have had to be cleared of the equipment. How cool would that be to have hive(s) made from wood harvested on site.

That's the long and short of it so far.
Austin

[Dallasbeek]

Welcome to the forum.  If you seal every opening on that equipment, you should have no problem in the future.  Bees look for a place of a certain size, and your equipment may exactly fit their requirements.  See a book by Thomas Seeley, "Honeybee Democracy," to understand swarms and the way they seek out a new living space.  It's not that those bees you evicted will come back, but if the space meets their requirements, another colony of bees will also find it ideal.

You can learn a lot about bees and beekeeping on this forum. 

One thing in your description of your sites leads me to think maybe the ground is shady.  That's not a good location for a hive.  60 feet up?  That would be in full sun, a perfect place for a hive.

Good luck.

[Hi-Tech]

Welcome to the forum!

[skysurfer]

Hello,
Thanks, a bit of explanation about the site may be in order. It's a television broadcast tower, the bees occupied the elevator control cabinet about 24x18x6 and were coming and going through a 5/8" hole in the front of it. It's around 140 acres, the center 5 or so is cleared where the actual tower resides and lanes where the wires come down to the ground. The rest is wooded. There is some safe places with full sun around the perimeter also. They might get upset if I put a hive on a catwalk somewhere although that would put it away from any animals that might be interested.
Ausitn

[GSF]

Welcome