catching a small wild hive

[clover]

Anyone done this? It's high up in a hole in a mango tree. I could reach it with a ladder, but how to get them out?????

[Troy]

Picture of bees in a Mango tree would be great.

Can you cut the tree?

Are the bees Africanized there? I thought most of the Caribbean was Africanized. If so, they are likely to be a small but very defensive hive.

If they are in a limb maybe you can cut off the limb and not kill the tree. If they are in the trunk, you'd probably have to cut it down to get them.

Another method is a trapout, (search this site for lots more info) but my experience here in Florida is that you can't trap them out in the summer, wait until winter. They will collapse from the SHB if you try it now.

[Eaglerock]

I did this many times on trees, houses, and a church. Take wire screen...make a cone out of it and tack down the big side over the hole and they will come out and usually the queen will too. If she doesn't you will have to give them one.

Once they are all out, or a large number of them, just put them on a brood frame putting them in a hive and do that until most are in the hive.