First Time!

[Fat Nancy]

I have been asked to remove some bees from an abandoned garage. I haven't been there yet but I know that it is on the first floor at least. Never having done this before I would love to hear from the group as to what I can expect. What should I bring? Can I somehow take the brood and install it in a new hive? How? Will they stay put? What do I do with all the honey they have capped? Do I somehow give it back to them, or can I keep some of it. Will they be strong enough to get through the winter? Any thoughts will be welcome and Thanks to all!

[Mitch]

It can be fun but wall hives are a pain mostly.you will need some sort of carentry tools depending on what you have to cut or pry off to get to the bees.Then you will need to have some frames to tie brood comb into i use hevy string or twine make sire you get all the brood an eggs you can.this is what will hold the bees in there new home.i gave the honey to the people who called me to get the bees.Now if the is an old garage that is not going to be used you will be ok,but if you have to put everything back again i would charge a fee for the removal.Plan on being there for quite some time and going back to get the straglers.letknowone fool you building removeals are alot of work.Watch the hear you will be in the beesuit for a long time.

Got to love it my lady friend made me a shirt that has a simalar saying i wear the sell honey lol

[Dwight]

If you are careful tying the brood comb into the frames you will likely get the queen in the hive intact. After you get the comb in the hive leave it there and watch. If all the stragglers start moving into the hive you will know you have the queen. If you leave the hive there until dark all the bees will move into the hive then you just bring them to your yard and set them on a hive stand. Put a brood chamber with drawn comb or foundation above them and feed them heavy and they should do ok.

[Michael Bush]

>Never having done this before I would love to hear from the group as to what I can expect.

You can never tell what to expect. What the homeowners tell you is either exagerated by fear or inlfated to try to entice you do come do it for free. The standard questions are "how long have the been there?" and "have you sprayed them with insecticide?".

>What should I bring?

Empty frames. Rubber bands or string. A sharp knife. A full suit with a zip on veil. Gloves. A smoker. A step ladder (assuming they are indeed on the first floor). At least two clean five gallon buckets with lids.

>Can I somehow take the brood and install it in a new hive?

Asolutely.

> How?

Tie them into empty frames or build swarm catching frames.

http://www.beesource.com/plans/swarmframe.htm
http://www.kohala.net/bees/capture/index.html

> Will they stay put?

If you tie them or rubber band them into frames. Yes.

> What do I do with all the honey they have capped?

Throw it in a clean bucket and crush and strain later.

> Do I somehow give it back to them

Why?

> or can I keep some of it.

I'd keep all of it.

> Will they be strong enough to get through the winter?

In Ohio? Probably. But you never can tell. If they don't build up enough by winter you can combine them with another hive later.

>Any thoughts will be welcome and Thanks to all!

If you want the adventure, or if they are paying you adequately this is a fun way to get bees. If you just want bees, it's cheaper to buy packages in the spring than the amount of time and effort you'll spend on getting the bees out.

[SilverFox]

If you enjoy a challenge, go for it, if they are not concerned with the building so much the better as it gives you more lee-way. IHMO; feral bees are alot stronger than package bees, they have to be to survive.
I'd start by trying to find the boundaries of the comb-might take some probing and drilling=then work from the outer edges to wards the center, keeping in mind that the brood and queen are most likely in the center.
The tools you'll need are, NUMBER 1 a bee vac and extension cords, a bee brush,knives (long slender type, ie,bread or fillet), putty knives (for scraping), a drill, a jig saw and/or circular (for cutting thru the wall along the studs), frames, rubber bands, a hive body, buckets, smoker, a spray bottle with 2:1 sugar water.
Smoke the opening of the hive and listen for the buzz it will give a good idea of where the main body is, you can also feel the wall with your hand, you'll notice a difference in temp as you near the center of the hive (if your lucky).
Depending on the time of the year I may or may not 'feed the robbed honey back to the captured hive, if the flow is slow I'll feed some back, if their is a dearth I feed 3/4 back and keep a small amount for me.
You never know what you'll get into with extractions, each one is different. With common sense, logic and a general understanding of bees you should do well.
Deficiently watch for the queen and if you have a queen cage or something you can use as one catch her if you can and keep her with the frames until you get them where you want them also leave as many bees on the frames as you can, I use a queen 'includer' (excluder) in between the hive bottom and bottom board after releasing her for a couple of days, just until she starts laying in her new surroundings, I've had them abscond even with brood in the box.
The above is a general guide line of the process accessing and observation is your allie
Good luck.

[Fat Nancy]

Thanks to all! I've seen pictures of the garage and it is definitely on the first floor. I was told by the Real Estate agent (my future father-in-law) that the owners called the exterminator. He convinced them to save the bees and that's how I got involved. The garage will likely be torn down so I don't have to be careful. I think they have been there for quite a while.

I built two new deeps for them but I don't have any drawn comb to give them. Should I feed them once I get them to their new home? Will they be able to draw out enough comb, and store enough honey for winter?

[Michael Bush]

I would keep an eye on them. If there is no strong flow for them, then I would feed them. If there is a flow, I'd let them collect nectar.

If you feed whenever there isn't a good flow they will probably build up enough to winter, but if they don't you can always combine them with another smaller hive.