My 1st cutout

[aidah]

Wow, I had a great day. Finally something went right.I got stung a lot. I also learned a lot. The bees were in a compost bin in a back yard buried in bushes. The composter had no bottom. Thats where the going got rough. Anyway to make a long story short, as soon as I moved the composter the game was on. The bees fired me up. I got stung in places I didn't know existed. So I did what any good beekeeper would do, I ran like hell. After 45min or so I returned to the crime scene. The girls were still all fried up. I had to get my gear out of there if I was going to quit. I'm not usually a quiter, So I took a deep breath, fired up the smoker and went in. It was a beautiful thing. The combs were big. They were about 19-20 inches across and 15-18 deep. There was also lot of honey. Its funny what Makes us happy. The girls will now be settled in the bee yard. Wish me luck. I hope they make it. PS Some of the stings didn't hurt at all. Others are swelling like sausages. Go figure. PS For those who will protest, the home owner hates bees and said he was going to spray them out.

[bluegrass]

Wow....late in the season for a first cutout......I stopped for the season about three weeks ago......hives have too many bees and too much honey to defend. Try one early spring, it will feel like a walk in the park after what you just been through.

[Mike Gillmore]

Great job. No protests from this corner. Another colony saved.

I just did my first cut out from a tree this summer. It was an awesome experience. Hope your colony thrives in your yard. Give them a little time to settle in, and some feed, and you should be ok.

Did you get the queen?

[iddee]

We did one Aug. 22, 06 and split it this spring. It is now 2 hives. One has given a super of honey and the other is about ready to harvest. You may have to feed it, but it should be easier in Fla. than it was in NC.
Congrats....The ones to come will be easier.

[xC0000005]

Congratulations! As iddee says, the next one you will know what to expect and you'll have the benefit of experience.

[aidah]

I never saw the queen. I did see some capped queen cells. The bees are in a hive box in the car port. I got home to late to settle them in and my stings were hurting like mad. This afternoon I will go out and settle then in.