Using wild, established colony?

[mptclinics]

We have a farm that has an established, wild honey bee colony. They have had a hive inside an old oak tree for many years. We are now interested in bee keeping to harvest the honey, but I have 2 pressing questions...

1--Is there any way to take advantage of an annual swarm to use and simply relocate bees from this hive?
2--If we have to purchase a colony, will the new colony endanger the already established one?

We would like to keep things as natural as possible, and these bees are already familiar with the farm, have set up their resistance and immunities to whatever diseases, etc. However, as their hive is currently deep inside this tree, it is impossible to access the honey.

Any advice?

[KQ6AR]

If it where me, I'd leave the tree alone. Set out swarm traps & hope to catch a couple swarms a year from them.

[Buz Green]

+1 to what KQ6AR said.

[rweakley]

I also agree with the 1st to folks about putting out swarm traps and catching swarms. You can build your own or you can buy the paper mache ones from the supply companies. To answer your 2nd question, the only real danger to either hive (bought or natural) would be if one was weak and there was a time of no necter, the strong would be inclined to rob the weak. Possible to have diseases in the natural hive or to bring diseases in with your new hive, but probably not something to worry about. READ, READ, READ on here and you'll be ready to make intelligent decisions about what you need this winter when you want to get equipment.

Rod

[earthchild]

I found a wild hive in a tree over by my mom's this summer and her automatic response was "How can we get the honey out of there?" I told her we should leave them alone and just keep our eye out for swarms. Sure enough, two weeks later, they swarmed and we were able to capture it and hive it. I couldn't be happier with the progress they've made in just two months. From this experience, I've learned that it's best to just wait it out and not disturb the feral hive. They're strong and surviving just fine. If I were in your shoes, I'd leave them alone and hope for a swarm next year.

[Reid]

I second the other responses and will add that:

This feral colony on your property has proven their genetic superiority by their continued existence from year to year. Trying to extract them from that old oak would be, well, an inappropriate thing to do.

Case in point: 30 years ago my grandfather pointed out a feral colony on some of our family property high up in an old growth fir. I left for college 10 years later and they were still there. I came back from college 6 years after that and they were still there. Fourteen more years have past and, as of last year, they were still there. Has it always been the same colony living in that tree all this time? I'm not sure, but according to everyone else that knows about them, that tree has not been without bees for over 30 years. At a minimum I'd like to think that at least the offspring of the orignial colony live in that tree. Whatever the situation is, they have earned the right to be left unmolested.

Catch a swarm from that feral colony. It's highly likely they will survive much better than any bees you can purchase.
~Reid

[bnatural]

30 years ago my grandfather pointed out a feral colony on some of our family property high up in an old growth fir. I left for college 10 years later and they were still there. I came back from college 6 years after that and they were still there. Fourteen more years have past and, as of last year, they were still there. Has it always been the same colony living in that tree all this time? I'm not sure...

I think that's an important point to make, which is that there are no guarantees that the bees in a bee tree or an old house or a barn or whatever have survived from year to year with any particular superior resistance to parasites, viruses, etc. From all the posts I have read about cutouts and removals, it is clear that bees are attracted to an old hive site, by smell or whatever, and sometimes a new colony will move into the abandoned space in the same season an old one is removed, if the space is not cleaned out and the openings sealed up.

Not saying that particular feral colony isn't the bees knees WRT survivability. Just saying that seeing bees in the same place year after year is no guarantee.

Bill

[Brent Bean]

Hives that swarm make excellent hives, unless they abscond they will only swarm when conditions are good, IE: good nectar and pollen flows good colony strength. Under such conditions the swarm queens are well feed and cared for and will be robust.

As for question two “ NO”
All honeybees are wild or feral, the only difference is managed or unmanaged, they fly where they please.
Just try and train one to roll over.:)

[DiverDog]

I second what others have said about letting them alone, and add that I would go foundationless with the hives you put them in, or go with the 4.9 small cell foundation for the swarms that you catch from it. This way maybe they will keep their resistance to mites. Just a thought....

[Morris]

Compare that surviving wild hive that swarms every year to the goose that lays golden eggs. If you molest that hive you may wind up killing the goose.