Bees in wall in Kingfisher, Oklahoma HELP.

[Sue Karber]

We have a huge bee hive in a 66' wall on the back of our gym. The gym is scheduled to be torn down starting the 13th of Sept. Are there any bee keepers that want to help us remove these bees in Oklahoma. I have two Italian Hives and these bees are very docile in the wall. I just don't know enough to remove them by myself and don't know if I can get hives here and ready in time. Can they be kept in something besides a hive until I get more hives? Sticky situation.

We are located in Kingfisher Oklahoma and it is ground level location. The wall is 66 feet long, not tall. I do not have hives to transferr them into so if no one can come get them will try to use an old empty refrigerator until I can get some hives built.

Sue Karber

[Hillbillynursery]

The problem will be you need frames now to save the comb. I use 4 rubber bands on each frame which I have on the ends of it ahead of time. Saving the comb may not be as important if you have alot of drawn comb. Sorry I am so far away.

[Michael Bush]

I have put bees in hollow logs, simple wooden boxes, styrofoam coolers. As long as there is an entrance about 1" or so in diameter for them to get in and out and ventilate the bees seem quite capable of surviving in most any container.

The problem, of course is that they will stay better with brood comb and they will do better with as much brood comb as you can save.

The best way to do this is a cut out. Tear off the siding, cut the brood comb to size to fit in frames and rubber band or tie them in. Throw the honey comb in a bucket with a lid to keep the bees out and just keep cutting and putting the comb in frames until they are done. Now and then you can brush the clusters of bees into the box of combs just to get them out of the way. When you're done they will most likely settle in the box.

Hope you can get it done in time. I've been in Kingfisher. I'm trying to remember where it was, but I remember driving through it several times when I lived in Guthrie and was doing construction all over. Maybe I drove through it going to Cheyene, OK?

[Sue Karber]

Kingfisher is on HWY 81 and if you turn east off 81 onto HWY 33 you go to Guthrie. I have about 50 white buckets so may try this myself. Thank you for your help. I will feed heavy this winter to ensure their survival.

[Michael Bush]

Make sure they have the ability to adequately ventilate. If I used a bucket I'd do it upside down. That way you can put the lid (which is on the bottom and it won't have combs attached. You can see up into the hive then. But then it's difficult to remove the comb.

If you put a series of 1 by 2's on for the top and then put the plastic lid on top with a brick to hold it you can then remove one bar or two to see what you are doing when you remove them from the bucket.

If you cut or by some anbled pieces (a quarter round from the lumber yard will do) you can put one on the bottom of each 1 by 2 to make a top bar and the bees MAY make the combs all on each top bar so you can remove them like frames. Then you'd have a bucket top bar hive. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif I have several top bar hives and this actually works pretty well.

[Sue Karber]

Thanks Micheal, I have no idea when I will find the time to do this. I guess I can string up lights and harvest these bees at night. Time is a real factor and lack of anyone with a pulse to help.

[DanO]

Could you leave the hive intact and take a section of the wall?

[Sue Karber]

The people coming to salvage the building want them gone. That starts Sept. 13 at daybreak. Is there a safe way to leave them intack? Safe for the people salvaging the building which is 66 ft x 126 ft and 3 stories high except it is one story at the north end where the bees are located. It is a shame we did not realize they were there sooner. This is a wood clad building and they just moved right in through some cracks in the wood cladding. The building is around a 100 years old made of native pine and fir.

I am opened to any suggestions but being an older woman have no idea of safety of structures and safety of bees. I don't want to get sued. These bees must have survived the extermination by the former owners. I asked them and they used seven dust blown into the walls and closed the holes. This building is on the back of our property and I just don't pay much attention to the back of it. The hail did not damage it so have not looked closely until recently when I saw them at an entrance. I have checked all the other building carefully. No bees.

[Michael Bush]

It's probably between the studs in the wall. I suppose if you could take a saw and saw near the bottom and near the top and on the sides of each stud you might be able to remove the two studs and the sheeting on them. But my guess is unless you're a carpenter or at least have an idea how a wall is put together you probably won't get it done.

Are there any beekeepers on here from the area who could help her out?

[Walt McBride]

Sue: Do some exploratory inspection on the
wall below the opening, several feet below opening to determin size of working nest.
Bees will go up to top of cavity and build down. Maybe bees are new to old prior terminated colony and nest is not as large as you think. If you remove sideing of wall you will know scope of nest. But it will be a messey termination if you pass on it. I hope you will be able to do the removal.
I have done hundreds of colony removals from structurs over the years and most all have survived. It is a good feeling to be able to give a colony a new lease on life.
Walt

[beekeeper28]

The is a small beekeeper supplier in Tulsa Carl Harrison (918) 425 2026 he would probably have some equipment on hand for sale. I work in Tulsa and would not be able to come and help but someone from the NEOBA club possible could. Mr. Harrison's wife is the president of NEOBA maybe they could recommend you to someoen that could help.

[Sue Karber]

Thanks, I will have 5 hive bodies and lids by Friday. Come Saturday, my best friend and I are going to tackle it. She is no more experienced than I am but it has to be done by sunup Monday the 13th. I have made a vented bee vac. so as not to harm the bees too much and will vac. them right into a hive body. I will do my best to add their brood comb and get them off to a good start and feed heavily this winter.
Daniel Vasicek from NM has writen me with wonderful pictures and really cool instructions on the bee vac and how to harvest plus what you all have advised. I will give it a go. I peeked in and the wall is full so they should be fine. It is so clean and smells so good, fresh. Thanks to everyone that helped.
I still have to finish getting things done so the building can be torn down. It is amazing how 8400 square feet x 3 can get filled up, mostly not our stuff. Everyone will just have to pay storage somewhere.

[hobbee]

Gooooo Sue ,we love new beekeepers here and you sound full of gusto and vigor ,trap them take them home, give them a hive and enjoy the honey and Welcome to the forums !

[beekeeper28]

>> Thanks
Did you get a hold of Carl / NEOBA?

Daniel used to live in Tulsa and was a very alwasy very helpful.
Take photos if you can.

[Sue Karber]

No, my cousin is good with wood and also is coming to film the removal Saturday. It should be interesting. I hope he and his wife get a bee in their bonnet and will start raising bees. It would be nice to have someone to share with locally. Right now they are leary. I just don't understand how people can be so fearful of bees. I am the one allergic to stings and when I get stung just zap it with electricity and in 20 minutes am back to normal. I keep a animal stun gun near me at all times and the few times I have been stung was my own fault.

[ron c]

Sue; How does a shock help with a sting? Ron.

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[Sue Karber]

It is a thing I used to teach to those who go overseas where bugs and snakes are a way of life but doctors are sometimes days away.

The electrical shock turns the poison into positive protein, and actually makes you feel refreshed. I like it better than the shot in my leg....that sucker hurts and I feel bad for days. I have a deep cycle marine battery in the house with leads. Outside I use an animal stun gun that is 9 volt battery powered. For me it must be quick or my thorat sweels shut and I swell all over and since we live in the country if I was alone or without treatment I would die.
The original findings were by the Univ. of Oklahoma I think. I am allergic to all venom of bees, spiders but even more wasps I think because they attack in mass. I have used this method for many years and it always works. It does not hurt, just a quick zap. I zap all around the bite and if bee sting I always have tweezers to pull out the stinger on me no matter where I am outside. Do not use on anyone with a pacemaker or near the eye. I did use a battery with leads under my eye once because I got tired of not seeing. I did the shot thing first though...still swelled and was sick. The swelling went away within 24 hours after I used the lighter electricity leads.

[Michael Bush]

I'm not sure what technique you use with the tweezers, but I always scrape it with a knife or a fingernail. If you squeeze the venom sack (as with tweezers) you will inject more venom.

[Sue Karber]

I was taught to use tweezers. Won't from now on. I have the 5 hive bodies ready, and some warm, reluctant bodies to film and help. The three of us should pull it off tomorrow. Thanks for all the help

[SilverFox]

Good luck, please let us know how it goes. Wish I lived closer to you I'd help in a New York Minute. Love to do extractions and have had (approx)a 95% survial rate on the extracted colines. Too bad you can't save the section of the wall like DonO suggested, then you could prop it up and do it at your leasure. Like MB said the brood comb is the most important, I use the rubber band and frame technique also, only I use 6 bands. The bees chew them and drag them out of the hive. Next year that comb will be my brood comb.
One thing that I find very useful in my 'kit' is benidral if I get stung I take two and no swelling I also carry an Epi-Pen just in case.
Once again I wish you the best of luck and today in lodge I'll pray that all goes well for you.

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'WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES WE ALL LOOK THE SAME' GWPW 03

[Sue Karber]

We are about to start and we don't know how to handle the extra comb and honey. I know fine time to think about it. Walt McBride and Daniel Vasicek gave perfect instructions on how to transfer worker comb, brood comb etc to the new hives in frames. I just never asked how to store the rest. Do I put it in the freezer to preserve? How is best to process it for the bees for later use? I will spend this winter learning but the book I ordered is not here yet and I am a novice.

[SilverFox]

The extra comb can be melted down and sold to bead shops or at pow-wows or even given away. The honey can be fed back to the bees if their is enough empty comb for them to store it in. Use some of the old comb and secure it to empty frames w/rubber-bands and let them fill it w/the old honey. Just an idea.
GOOD LUCK

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'WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES WE ALL LOOK THE SAME' GWPW 03

[Walt McBride]

Sue: I don't know how much honey laden comb you removed but if you can freese to kill wax moth egg and larva you can keep comb filled honey for a long time. Keep feeding the honey in the smashed comb as I explaned in my E mail from above. When the smashed comb gets striped in several days take it out and give them more. They will draw out the foundation in the new frames that you provided below and store the honey.
Walt

[Sue Karber]

Well, it was an eventless day, my two helpers were still discussing "how-to's" at 10 tonight. Real explanation "FEAR". We are to do it tomorrow at 1 after church. I moved a double stainless steel sink out under the tree by the wall. It has a side table thing to place the cookie sheet to cut the comb, is comfortable height and have a hose with spray attachment hanging off the end. We have clean buckets, bee vac., hives and clear instructions. Nothing is above 8 ft. So tomorrow it gets done. No more discussions and no more putting it off.

Thanks, to all. I have freezer room and will follow walt's clear instructions. If need be I will sit them in chairs off to the side and do it myself. You would think we were about to go to battle. All I can do is just laugh at two grown people that squeal like little girls every time a bee checks them out. I will bet tomorrow night they both are experts and know it all. You got to love human comedy.

Oh, the best part was the two hour discussion on which hammers were best to remove the wood cladding....not one nail was pulled but we have plenty of hammers availablle. I personally am using a pry bar and standard hammer just like I planned all along. I switched animals from pen to pens, did lots of chores that were just needing to be done and let them go at it. I just wish I had tape recorded it for laughs years from now.

[Sue Karber]

We did it, we did it and it went so well. Got it all on video. My cousin wants to start new hives and my husband could not get over how much he enjoyed the experience. Both are experts now of course.
A neighbor stopped by and asked if we would get bees out of wells he is working. We live 10 miles out of the nearest anywhere and this guy works the wells in the area. My cousin said sure, I said sure and my precious husband said sure....so we will have two more hives in a few days. That will give my cousin a start. The queen is huge and we got her. I did the comb just like Walt and Daniel told me to and the bees seem to like their new home. My smoker started working right when I did not need it anymore and we had a box completely stuffed with bees. Harold made the bee vac. like the site plans which was an all day process yesterday but today we did it after Harold got off work. It took 21/2 hours start to finish not counting suiting up and cleanup.

Thank you all so much.

[ron c]

Sue,congradulations!! Ron

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[SilverFox]

http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gifWAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Glad to hear everything came together. Now your husband can get that new table saw to make hive boxes LOL.LOL.LOL.LOL.LOL.LOL.
Welcome to the world of Bee keeping. I've said it before, each extraction is different and causes you to have to plan out your steps, I find it fun and thought provoking. Started with five hives and have extracted 14 thruout the summer just did my last one Wed. of last week. Only had one abscound, and had to combine 2 that were just weak.
KEEP ON BEEING

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'WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES WE ALL LOOK THE SAME' GWPW 03

[ron c]

Sue; plenty happy to hear of your smooth job,good luck in the future. Ron

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[Sue Karber]

The bee vac made it so easy. I really appreciate all the advice and help. It was lots of fun and HOT.

[Russ]

Sue, sounds like you are in the Bee Extraction business. It sure is a good feeling isn't it. Look forward to YEARS of learning about bees. Like others have said, each one is different but that makes it interesting.
Been to Kingfisher and Elk City back when I was working for Phillips Pipeline. Keep us posted on your progress, it makes for interesting reading. Dale in S. E. Ks

[Sue Karber]

My husband was with Phillips who created GPM then sold us to Duke but really still owns part of us. We started in Elkart, Kansas.

[Russ]

Good company to work for when I worked for them anyway. It has probably changed a lot by now.

The Bee Vac sure tames down the bees doesn't it? I built mine from the plans on this site and have used it several times and loaned it out to a friend several times this year.
I brought 3 hives through the winter and now have 8. Hope to get them through the coming winter also. I use a Nuc Box, also built from plans on this site for a Swarm Trap and have caught 4 swarms this year. I put 5 frames of drawn comb in with some Lemongrass oil on the top frames and it seems to work. Place them in the area of known hives and about 8' above the ground. Have fun with the Bees.