Cut-out clean-up

[nc checkers]

I did a removal under the eave of a house and scraped off much of the wax but some was behind some wood where I couldn't reach and some fell down behind the bricks.

A nearby hive came in and started robbing before I finished cutting out the brood comb Mon. and they had everything completely cleaned up when I went back today to clean off the wax.

The carpenter and painters will finish the job but I was wondering what they can put on the wood to cover or kill the smell of the wax and propolis so bees won't return another year.

[Tia]

Spray it down with Bee Quick. That'll keep them away for a year, at least. They may return thereafter.

[D Coates]

I've seen seven dust sprinkled on it. It doesn't kill the smell but it does kill any scouts. I'd also recommend that the carpenter minimizes any gaps in joints and the painter calks the joints completely. To me the most important thing is to make sure to close any entrances.

[Tia]

I think the last thing we should be looking to do at this point in time is kill any scouts! Sevin shouldn't bee in a beekeeper's vocabulary, IMHO.

[D Coates]

Trust me I don't want to kill any bee's. I spend quite a bit of time rescuing them, just ask my sometimes annoyed wife. However, you just finished charging a customer a few hundred dollars to cut out a hive. Then they've had to pay a carpenter and painter a few hundred dollar to make repairs. Let assume all together it's $1K, not including the hassle factor. They don't want them back and the least you should do is honor their wishes to ensure they don't come back.

They aren't beeks. They see termites, silverfish, roaches, etc, AND bees in the same category IF they have to pay to have them eradicated/removed from their house. I'd be pretty upset if I had paid to have a problem removed but the person who took care of it for me left the door open, even a little bit, for the problem to reoccur.

[rkr]

They aren't beeks. They see termites, silverfish, roaches, etc, AND bees in the same category IF they have to pay to have them eradicated/removed from their house. I'd be pretty upset if I had paid to have a problem removed but the person who took care of it for me left the door open, even a little bit, for the problem to reoccur.

I agree, we don't want anyone to claim they we beekeepers cheated them. Thats not good for any of us!! I can hear someone say " I paid them good money last year and they did not take care of the BLEEPITY BLEEPING bees, I am calling the Orkin Man this time!!!".

With that in mind I would rather a few scouts bite the dust (get it... SEVIN Dust :rolleyes:) than have a whole colony wiped out. In fact the bees are not wanted in that location, so why not kill off a few scouts and let them find a place where they are welcome?

Just my 2 cents

RKR

[Lil Grain of Rice]

If the entrances are repaired, and the original hive is completely removed, do you really think a new swarm is going to move in because of the faint smell of wax or propolis inside the wall? Personally, if it was that easy to attract a swarm everyone who spread honey on their toast would have swarms in their kitchen, no?

I agree with Tia. It's not hard for anyone to come up with an excuse why their circumstance warrants using a poison that they would otherwise feel shouldn't be widely used. The world was just fine before the poisons, and it will be just fine after.

[honeyman46408]

If the entrances are repaired, and the original hive is completely removed, do you really think a new swarm is going to move in because of the faint smell of wax or propolis inside the wall?

Yes that is why we use old comb in swarm traps.

The remains of a cut out can bee cleaned up by the use of what beekeepers try to keep out of their stored wax--wax moths.

After the wall where the bees were is repaired and all the holes are repaired put some "beemoths" from the bait shop in the last hole the moths will clean up what U left and all that will bee left is a bunch of cobwebs.

[rkr]

If the entrances are repaired, and the original hive is completely removed, do you really think a new swarm is going to move

If that is the actual situation then no scout bee will ever be able to get in right?

I think that is the point of the post and the reply. IF those things are done then it is not a problem and it does not matter if SEVIN dust is in the wall. If those things are not quite done then the SEVIN dust does not invite a new hive and in doing so, possible saves tens of thousands of bees from an exterminator!!!

I do not believe anyone is suggesting not blocking the entrances into the wall, in fact that is the point of the reply.

To suggest it is irresponsible and deadly to use SEVIN dust somewhere that a bees should never be able to get back into, is like suggesting that the Roach bait left in the sealed package or spray can could kill a roach.

No one is saying that it should take the place of due diligence in the repair, but think about it, it might actually save bees in this instance.

Now if you come from the point-of-view that all chemicals are bad and have no place in the world; then none of the above made any sense to you and I apologize if it just made you mad; definitely not my objective.:gh:

My 4 cents worth
RKR

[Ben Brewcat]

If the entrances are repaired, and the original hive is completely removed, do you really think a new swarm is going to move in because of the faint smell of wax or propolis inside the wall?

Yep, absolutely. They're very odor-oriented critters. Post-cutout instructions should always include the fact that the site will be very attractive for re-colonization, and it's practically impossible to fully encapsulate the odors from an established colony. 1) form a barrier with good carpentry and caulk, and 2) if possible, fill the void with insulation or somesuch.