Need some Bee help!

[jmoar5]

Hello. I have a large bird house that was given to me a couple of years ago that is too big for birds. The dimensions are about: 15" high x 15" wide x 19" long. There is a hole at the top front of the house that is about 2" in diameter.

It appears that the house has been over taken by bees and there appear to be hundreds of them constantly flying in and out all day long. The entrance is packed with them, but I can see some honeycombs inside at times. I have stood there (way too long according to my wife) just watching in amazement for the past few days.

My problem is that the bird house sits on top of my small building that houses my swimming pool pump and the kids toys. I'm afraid that the slamming of the doors below will aggravate the bees and disaster will happen! So....what am i to do?

I know that bees are awesome to have around, I just don't know what exactly they will do in the house. I know that honey is likely being made, but what happens when it doesn't get taken out?

My idea (non-bee person of course) was to cover the opening with duct tape late at night when it is cool and they are sleeping and then move the entire house to the back of my yard, take off the tape and RUN! is that doable or nuts? any help you can all give me would be great. I would like to keep the bees around since they are good to have. Just not at the pool!

thanks!

[Bizzybee]

:) For a non-bee person you got it about right. They shouldn't be to bad when you take the tape off, but you never know. Running is probably a good idea. :)

If they are good healty bees and aren't over run by some kind of pest they should be fine in the box. They will use the honey, no need to remove it. They have stored it for consumtion during the off season when they can't forage for nectar.

Thanks for not killing them! Us bee folks kinda love them to death! :)

[iwombat]

Look here in the "Bee Removal" topic for a local beekeeper to help you out. If you keep them in that birdhouse too long they'll just kick out swarm after swarm as they get crowded out. I'm assuming you don't want that. Better to put them in a proper home that either you or another beekeeper can manage.

[kaisfate]

Like BizzyBee said, you got it about right...be careful when you are moving the house so you dont jar any of the comb loose...and you may want to put a branch or some grass in front of the entrance after you remove the tape so the bees will "re-orient" themselves.

Also, to relieve the pool issue, make sure the girls have fresh clean water that they can use. If its possible I have found that a spigot left on just a hair is what they prefer...

Good luck and keep us posted!

[kaisfate]

they'll just kick out swarm after swarm as they get crowded out. Better to put them in a proper home that either you or another beekeeper can manage.

I would imagine that a feral colony that is doing well enough to kick out swarm after swarm would be a good thing? :scratch: I dont want to step on any toes, or hijack this thread, :lookout: but "managing proper hives" is part of what has gotten us into this mess...

[jmoar5]

thanks for looking at this so quickly. so it appears that I have two diverse opinons. Call and have it removed or just let them be bees. I don't know what this "swarming" part is, but it sounds a bit scary like from a movie where people are bee stung to death! I live on an acre lot and am willing to put a post in the back to sit the house on if its a good idea, but I don't want to cause issues or problems.

Also, my pool is covered with an electric cover so the bees do not have access to any water at my house.

Bottom line I guess is should I keep them or call for help? And...can i move them like i was thinking??

THANKS again

[iwombat]

kais, don't get me wrong. I don't think feral hives are a bad thing at all. But most non-beeks don't necessarily want to deal with routine swarms at their residence.

The deal is this, once the colony decides that the birdhouse is too crowded they'll make a new queen and the old queen will leave with half the hive. This is called a swarm. They're docile when they swarm, so they won't hurt anyone, but if you live in a neighborhood on small lots you're not going to be the most popular guy after, say, swarm #3.

Now, if you were on a more sizable chunk of property, or bordered on a large open space I think keeping them in the birdhouse would be just fine and dandy. It's really up to you. I'm just spelling out what you're going to be dealing with in the long term.

[Bizzybee]

Swarming is how bees propagate to produce new colonies. Part of the bees will leave the hive with the old queen, leaving a new queen in the hive to carry on with the remaining bees. It's a natural occurance and nothing to be concerned about. They aren't swarming to attack anyone.

As for the pool, they won't drink much. :)

Honeybees are defensive when they are away from their hives working. They are only that way when they are protecting their hive. You will want to locate it in a place out of the way of normal traffic on your property. Prefferably where people don't normally walk and also not to close to where you mow your grass. Most people don't have many problems with mowers, but some do. Weed trimmers are more likely to get them stirred up if you get to close to them.

That's a pretty good size box they are in. They are likely to produce a swarm or two a year in something that size possibly. But if you are interested in keeping them around to watch, they will be fine. Just keep in mind that they need a little space of their own where they won't be bothered.

Hope you enjoy them if that's what you decide. They are some pretty awesome creatures. Lots better to watch than a tank full of fish. :)

Good Luck!

[AndreiRN]

And...can i move them like i was thinking??


What I see happening is that if you move them only 50 yards older bees will return to the old location by the pool for few days or .... weeks.
The rule calls for a 3 mile move for 30 days and then you can bring them back since the old bees are dead by then.
So expect a lot of flying bees around the old location if you move them to the backyard.

[NasalSponge]

You can move them 50 feet just fine, but like kaisfate said put some grass or a small leafy branch over the hole so they see something has changed. As far as the duct tape goes you might tape a piece of cardboard over the hole instead of just using the tape as bees could stick to the exposed tape. Again thx for not killing them.:D

[reneal]

Hi Jomar5. There is a third option, to the two that you mentioned. That is to transfer the bees to a regular hive. This is termed a cutout. What is really neat about it is that you can pull the frames of comb out & watch the bees as they they are rearing their young & storing honey, etc. You also have much better control over their swarming. It is however, the most dangerous. If you're not careful, you can end up a bee addict like a lot of us on the forum, spending hours looking through bee websites, sitting watching the girls as they do their daily bee thing, trying to convince your spouse not to mow the lawn till the dandelions are done blooming, and drooling over the honey crop that is being stored in the supers. Abandon all hope ye who become beekeepers.

[Wyatt Barnes]

If you decide that you want someone to come get the bees I would be happy to take them. I am in Boulder and keep about 25 hives. 303 949 0285.