washtub bees

[terri lynn]

I'm going to pick up a colony tomorrow evening that are in an upside down washtub on the ground. It has a rusted hole on the top the bees are using for an entrance. To avoid losing all the bees that take to the air when doing cutouts, I was thinking I'd duct tape screen over the hole, then put a cut to size sheet of plywood under the tub and maybe caulk it so they don't get out during the fairly short ride home. What do ya'll think? Any better ideas?

I was thinking if I waited to hive them until I got home the flyers would still be in the area, so I wouldn't lose them. And I thought it might keep the nest more stable for transport, since luckily they are in a moveable tub. Course if I was lucky like Derek, and told them what I had planned for them, they might all just sweetly fly behind my truck and follow me home.

Do you think they'd get into the caulk? I'll get fast drying.

[G3farms]

sounds like a plan to me, I might move them at night so that they don't over heat in the tub. Just depends on how hot it is there. I don't think they will get into the caulk, most of it will be on the ouside anyway. You could even use a bed sheet or large piece of screen under the bottom and duct tape it in place.

Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.

G3

[beyondthesidewalks]

I'd just flip it over, cut the combs out and put them in frames. If you make sure you get the queen and leave the box of comb there till evening they should all come home. Don't know how you'd keep that tub from moving on the plywood even with caulk holding it down. I've found that when you can flip the entire hive upside down the bees are real easy to get. It also works great with bees in a water meter. You just lift the top off the meter box and flip it upside down and they seem real disoriented when you do this. Many don't even fly.

I've started putting a little lemongrass oil in my hive when doing a cutout and that helps the bees find their new home IMO.

I've also become an advocate of the Lusby swarm frames. They're easy to make and cut way down on the time on a cutout. No messing with rubber bands or trying to tie sticky string around the frames.

[BEES4U]

I recently moved a 25 gallon plastic nursery poyt that was upside down and the bees were using the drainage holes for an entrance.
I made two drift divides to get their population down for the move.
I turned the nursery pot right side up, duct taped 90% shade cloth over the top and moved it to an out yard.
Whatever you do, go nice and easy.
My nursery pot was convenient because it has a rim around the top so that I could get a good grip.
You might check your metal to see if it will fall apart when you attempt to move the hive.
Ernie

[terri lynn]

G3farms- yep, I'm planning on getting there just before sundown to set up and take a look, then proceeding. It's hot, but hadn't thought of that so much as more of them would be home. I thought of taping screen or something around, but wasn't sure it would hold, and if I left them upside down, the bottom wouldn't be secure.

beyondthesidewalks - I didn't know turning them upside down would disorient them! Hmmm. I got a call tonight at nine about some bees in a water meter I'm going to look at earlier in the day. Think that would be a great plan for them. Didn't know if I'd be able to do well there as I've never seen that kind of setup (in a meter) and don't have a bee vac...yet. Main reason I wanted to move as is and then cutout at home is it seems I've had a higher rate of dead bees when it wasn't portable and I had to cutout onsite. A lot stinging as I was cutting out, some drowning in honey on the way home, and some that flew off. But I've never heard of Lusby swarm frames. Sounds like they might help that problem. What are they and where can I get them or find out more?

Bees4u- ok, maybe I'll take cloth or screening along just in case. I never thought of transporting them upside down!

Thanks everyone! I'll let you know how it goes.

[beyondthesidewalks]

beyondthesidewalks - I didn't know turning them upside down would disorient them! Hmmm. I got a call tonight at nine about some bees in a water meter I'm going to look at earlier in the day. Think that would be a great plan for them. Didn't know if I'd be able to do well there as I've never seen that kind of setup (in a meter) and don't have a bee vac...yet. Main reason I wanted to move as is and then cutout at home is it seems I've had a higher rate of dead bees when it wasn't portable and I had to cutout onsite. A lot stinging as I was cutting out, some drowning in honey on the way home, and some that flew off. But I've never heard of Lusby swarm frames. Sounds like they might help that problem. What are they and where can I get them or find out more?

I normally get 1 or 2 calls a year on bees in a water meter. Our local water coop is small and the meter reader knows I keep bees so he calls me if he ever finds them in a meter. Most of the time their comb is hanging from the underside of the lid. In hot weather, like now, you've got to be careful pulling up the lid because you might knock the combs from it. This is especially true if the lid is black or dark green because they collect so much of the suns heat.

That's another problem with the tub move. The combs could fall off on the way home. Especially when we're approaching 100 degrees or if it's in full sun.

I'm pretty sure Lusby swarm frames are on this sight in the plans section on beesource. They're real easy to make if you have access to a table saw. You could even purchase 1/2" X 3/4" lattice at Home Depot to make them if you had to. That would be a very expensive option, though, I think. Their beauty is that they let you put feral comb in a removable frame. Once you've got the bees it is just a management opportunity to work that old comb out of the hive with new frames. The swarm frames can then go in a solar wax melter to clean up for reuse. I think there's a set of photos somewhere of Dee Lusby using them. The pics show how easy and quick they can make a cutout.

I jsut verified the plans and pics of using them are on this site. Here's the URL: http://www.beesource.com/build-it-yo...tching-frames/

[terri lynn]

Beyondthesidewalks - Thanks so much for all of the great information. I just got home from looking at the water meter bees. They haven't been there long. Two small honeycombs on the lid but most of the bees were on the side wall. Very gentle, almost like a swarm. I am worried about getting them safely (for the bees!) off the side. Bee brush? Sure would be easier if I could turn it over and dump them! Or already had a bee vac. The comb will be no problem on that one.

Going to check the site for the Lusky swarm hives now. Thanks again!


For the water meter bees do you do it just to get the bees, or does the homeowner pay you? Since the meter reader calls, I was assuming just for the free bees.

For tonights watertub, you're right about the heat. I'm going with a few options and I guess I'll figure it out for sure when I see it. I need to go pick up my last bottom board which I put out for a home for wayward swarms near most of my bees. That's another reason it was appealing to leave as is temporarily. I'm planning a trip to Dadants to pick up some woodenware needed until I have time to make some. Then that hive could pretty much stay as it was until I got the equipment here.

[terri lynn]

oops the part about luskys was suppposed to be at the end...how'd i do that?

[terri lynn]

Loved it! Why didn't I think of that? thanks again for letting me know about it.

[beyondthesidewalks]

Two small honeycombs on the lid but most of the bees were on the side wall. Very gentle, almost like a swarm. I am worried about getting them safely (for the bees!) off the side. Bee brush?

For the water meter bees do you do it just to get the bees, or does the homeowner pay you? Since the meter reader calls, I was assuming just for the free bees.

I normally fashion a scoop with a piece of cardboard and kind of scoop them out. Crude but it works. I'm a big fan of low tech and a scrap piece of cardboard is pretty low tech.

I'd lay down a white sheet next to the box and set the hive on it next to the water meter. As you scoop the bees they'll fly and run but if the queen's in the box, they will follow. LGO (lemongrass oil) helps.

Technically, in Texas, it's illegal to charge for bee removal unless you're a licensed entomologist. Wasn't it nice of Austin to help out our bug killing lobby like that? So I will not say I'll charge anything for it. Many times I've really not wanted to do it, said so and the homeowner has offered to pay. That's different than soliciting payment so I might do that.

[G3farms]

On the water meter hive..............could you take the comb and put it in a frame and then into a brood box. Now set the brood box (with top cover on and the bottom board off) on top of the meter box (with the lid off of course) and see if the bees will move up and onto the comb. Give them an hour or so and see what happens. Would be good if you could get the queen in a queen catcher and place her in the hive first.

So did you get the washtub bees yet??

G3

[terri lynn]

That's a great idea! I even have cardboard! I use lemongrass oil too and keep it in my bee kit. I'll try it that way.

Had no idea about that being illegal. In this area, most of the pest controls won't get honeybees anyway from what I've heard. If they do they charge $400 just to kill them out of a tree. So I don't even know how much THEY appreciate it. Thanks Austin.

I got a call for a swarm as I was getting ready for washtub bees. They were very small and already built about an inch of honeycomb in the tree. I did the old shake the branch method, a number of them flew and one stung me. Oops. They looked like any other swarm but I couldn't see the tiny amount of honeycomb, so don't know if that was it or what. Anyway, they're in a hive now.

Finally, to let ya'll know about the washtub bees. I barely touched the tub and felt movement and saw comb at the bottom on the ground. So I went with the upside down confusion method. They honeycomb was all loose and older (they were supposed to have only been there 2 months-obviously not) and - they had maggots!! How disgusting and sad for the little bees! I brought it home in the washtub, and left them on the back of the truck for tonight. I'm going to try to place them away from my other hives as far as possible and get rid of all of the comb if I need to and try to treat them. Initially, I'm thinking Small Hive Beetle, but I've never had a problem with them, so I'm about to do some research and see what I find. Such a bummer. The last thing I need is them contaminating any of the rest of my hive, so I will have to act quickly.

[terri lynn]

That's another good plan I wouldn't have thought of! Makes sense, doesn't it? I could always try that first, then scoop what was left. I have a queen catcher on my order sheet, but I don't think I'll have it soon enough. I have to drive to Dadant for other (heavy) stuff, but I couldn't find one in their catalog, so will order it and a few other things shipped from Rossman or Brushy Mtn.

See above for washtub bees story.

And thanks to all for the idea bouncing. I always learn lots and it's good to have a couple of methods - I like (and often need) backup plans or a few options depending on what you find on arrival.