Trap-Out method

[meganm]

Megan: The landing board should be touching the wooden base of the cone or at least as close as possible.

yep, they're not quite as close together as they should be... the bees do seem to be making their way over though. I'm going by this morning to see if it looks like they're migrating like I hope. if not, I'll move things.

I'll tell ya, moving all that stuff around while up a ladder is not so easy! that stuff's heavy! Also learned how little leverage you have while trying to drive screws from the top of a ladder... little things you don't think about untill you do them...

thanks, megan

[iddee]

I think it will work fine, just a little slower than if it were touching. Just look closely for other entrances. That is the biggest obstacle for a trap out. Also check the cone exit often to be sure it doesn't get blocked with dead bees.

Keep us updated as you go along, and yes, you will find many reasons why it helps to be insane to do trap outs. That's why I enjoy them so much. I qualify so well.

[Chef Isaac]

Yes I agree. That stuff gets heavy. Wait until you bring the hive down. THAT is heavy!

[carbide]

That's for sure! I ended up with two full deep boxes from the trap out that I was doing at my doctor's house. The first box was wall to wall bees, nectar, pollen and honey. It was really a lot of fun gettin it down the ladder.

Seven days after the bees had quit coming out of the cone I removed the cone and smeared some honey around the hole in the wall. The next two days presented a feeding frenzy as the second box of bees cleaned out the colony in the wall. Two days later I removed the new colony in it's box and the stand that they were setting on.

After six weeks the wall was empty of bees, I had two new colonies with newly hatched queens and the homeowner was very impressed with the project. He especially appreciated the fact that I explained to him everything that was going to happen before it did. My wallet will also appreciate the fact that it will be a bit fatter after I send him the invoice for the trap out.

[meganm]

My wallet will also appreciate the fact that it will be a bit fatter after I send him the invoice for the trap out.

so what do you charge? I'm still sorting out what this is worth, time-wise.
thanks, megan

[dindallas]

I have read this thread and others on a different forum about Trap Outs. There certainly are different opinions and different results. I would be interested in reading any new experiences and opinions on the subject.

It seems to me (and my short-time experiences in beekeeping), that situations do occur where there is not a practical solution to removing bees other than a trap out. In these situations, it may not be practical to cut out the bees without unrepairable damage. The chances of getting the queen appear to be very low.

I received a call from a homeowner who does not want to kill the bees in one of their trees but does want them gone. I explained about the methods of removal and the residual they would leave if not done properly. I also explained about the great likelihood that others would take their place. They exterminated a colony in this same spot several years ago and a different colony moved in to take their place. The hive is in a large tree with the only entrance 8-10 feet above ground and less than baseball-sized opening. The tree is adjacent to their pool and they are concerned with bee stings.

Has anyone come up with an idea of how to get bees out of a tree without cutting the tree apart? I was lucky once with a lot of smoke and a garden hose. The queen came out and landed on the ground. This colony is still going strong in a hive box.

When the hive cannot be cut out and the homeowner definitely wants the bees gone, does the objective shift to collecting as many bees as possible who will hopefully raise their own queen?

The homeowner would like as many bees as possible to be removed by Easter (two weeks) and then something else can be done later. The tree has not budded/leafed out so we need to see whether the tree is still alive before a final decision can be made. If dead, we could do a cut out later this spring.

What is your opinion about a cone trap leading to a brood box with a frame of brood and watching it for the next two weeks? The brood box and the cone would be removed for Easter and the process could be started over if needed. I am only considering doing this because it is only a few miles away and may be a good experience.

Any alternative suggestions?

[wfarler]

Interesting that no one mentioned using a fume agent to accelerate the emptying of the cavity?

I am sure it is impractical in some situations (entrance a long way from hive) and the potential infiltration of the smell into the house. Maybe it is not allowed in the MSDS?

Comments?

[jdb1930]

Ok, just so I have this down right, all I need to do is make a cone (out of some screen) around 18" long that tapers down to 3/8" at the entrance/exit to the hive. Then set a box with some uncapped brood, a little honey, and some drawn comb at the end of the cone?

The bees won't go back through the cone?

I ask because the neighbors moved out and they have an old safe out in their back pasture that has bees in it. There is 1 entrance/exit (a shotgun slug hole). Thought I could just open it up, but its locked with no combination.

[Cedar Hill]

dindallas asked "Any alternative suggestions?" Here's one that you can improve on. Have done trap outs with success in the seventies, but developed what was a better method for my area (MA) at the time. There used to be on the market a product called a Shell No-Pest strip. It was a yellow piece of plastic impregnated with a substance that flying insects did not tolerate well. Its main use was for barns with livestock, the strips would be hung in cardboard foldouts from the beams and they would take care of any flying insect problem the livestock owner had. Although they were taken off the market, I imagine that there must be something that has replaced them, only more environmently friendly. These Shell No Pest strips were cut into smaller long strips. The strips were inserted into the hive's entrance on the side of the house, as many as would fit in. An empty hive with drawn out frames was left nearby. Within a day or day and a half, the swarm and queen would be in the hive or on a branch nearby. It was easy for the homeowner to have the removal of wax and honey done during the winter once the bees were gone. NO ill effects to the bees, as they lived quite well in my hives. Just a thought in a very interesting thread.

[Jeff Perez]

This is a great discussion. I'm gathering all these nuggets of information. Thank you all.

How long can a frame of capped brood, larvae and eggs be kept outside the hive, in transit to the trap-out, before the eggs and larvae begin to suffer? Air temp above 70 degrees F.

Thanks.

Jeff

[jdb1930]

Quite a while. It has been in the 80's here and I did a cutout on Saturday. I put the leftover comb in a plastic container and 3 days later the container was full of baby bees.

[brooksbeefarm]

A little off subject but we use to knock down wasp nest along the river (my brothers and i) to use the larva for channelcat fish bait. We put them ( the nest) in a paper sack,well when i reached in the sack to put some bait on my hook some of the baby wasp had hatched out, don't let anyone tell you baby wasp can't sting Jack

[bobber128]

I'm trying a trap-out from a beautiful Catalpa tree that I'd rather not see torn down. As it is not flat, I was considering stapling a piece of screen across the opening, and having two of the little plastic escape cones for the bees to get out. I have empty boxes and available frames of brood. Does this sound like it will work? If so, I plan to set it up tomorrow. idee, would you mind a call from a new beek? my email address is dan.keeler@gmail.com. Thanks guys and gals.

[Bens-Bees]

It would work ok, but you'd be just as well off using a single screen cone that's just wide enough at the base to wrap around to the sides of the tree. The real trouble would be positioning the bait hive.

[bobber128]

The hole is actually a split from ground level up to about waist high, so I've got one of the cones set right near the bottom. I guess I could block off the other escape cone. Thanks everyone.