Bee tree hive?

[East Texas Pine Rooter]

I think i'm wasting my time, and efforts. I have been going to a bee tree, that i have put 2-cones over the openings. i have been sucking them up with my bee-vac. I then put a fresh green limb on the hive entrance, and let them out under it. the hive is a weak swarm that i caught last week that is doing well i think, they are still there. i thought i would give them more workers. When i go out with a flashlight, i see lots of dead bees. evidentely i'm not doing it right. Question: what am i doing wrong? The bee tree belongs to a man that has been stung, and if i don't get them, he is going to pour gasoline on them. He has left this week to go fishing in alaska, and will return this weekend. i can't put another hive on his property with a queen cell.

[BILLY BOB]

OK try this. Get you some Fischers “Bee Quick”, some type of ¾ inch pipe or conduit. A small piece of flashing (or aluminum can will do). A blow dryer with a cool setting. Your bee vac, and a drill.

Go to the bee tree. You are going to have to figure out if the bees are going up into the trunk or down. If the hole is big enough then just have a look. If you still canÂ’t tell then drill a (smaller than 1/2inch) hole into the trunk above and below the entrance to see which way the hive is in the tree. The trunk thickness will vary so make sure you use a long bit when you drill the holes.

After you have figured out the direction of the hive you need to find the “end”. Once again drill a hole into the trunk working your way from the entrance toward the direction you believe the hive is. Once you hit solid wood or no longer bring honey and wax back out on the end of your drill bit you have found the end.

Now you need to drill your last hole ¾ inch or bigger so the pipe or conduit will fit in side the hole. Stick the pipe into the hole and spray some of the “Bee Quick” down the pipe. It really doesn’t take that much. Take your flashing or aluminum can and make a cone around the end of the pipe so the air from the blow dryer can be forced down the pipe and into the tree/hive. The bees will soon be on their way out of the hive.

It may be better if you have some one to help but all you have to do now is vacuum them up and take them home. The queen should come out with the rest of the bees. DonÂ’t forget to close the tree up with concrete or the like to keep any bees from returning.

BB

[Michael Bush]

I assume the hive you are taking the bees too is more then 2 miles from the tree? I don't dump the bees in an occupied hive, I either put them in an empty one or dump them out in FRONT of the hive. Usually they don't fight when you do this. But you can spray them LIGHTLY with some light (1 part sugar to 2 parts water) syrup and see if they will accept them better.

Or you can put a frame of brood in another box and keep dumping them in there and when you are done do a newspaper combine with the swarm.