Cut Out advice needed

[Todd Eury]

A friend called me about removing a hive of bees from an abandon homeplace. The bees are in the wall and they appear to be between two studs and go from about two feet off the ground to about six feet high. I went out today to take a look and they were very active bringing in pollen. He wants to tear the house down as soon as possible but I told him I would like to wait to early spring. Has anyone done cut outs this time of year with success or is it better to wait until the spring flow has started and the temps are staying above 50 at night.
Thanks

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

It would be better to wait, but if your temperature is high enough that they are bringing in pollen, it means they are building up, queen will likely start laying more, and you might be able to do it. You will likely have to feed them heavily.

Not sure what kind of house you are working on, but I did a cut out of an old house a few years back,(up in ValleyMan's area) had two foot studs, and the bees were about like you said, two feet to six feet. I sealed the entrance, took a chain saw and cut that section of the wall out, (wood on one side, sheet rock on the inside) ( two feet by six feet) two of us carried it to the truck, tied it standing upright just like it was, transported it, and then placed it inside an old barn when we got home, until later that Spring, then removed the bees. Worked fine. Might something like that be possible?? That way you save comb, brood, and any stored honey, until a later date. cchoganjr

[D Semple]

I would wait untill the fruit trees are blooming and your seeing some drone brood so the girls could make a new queen if you don't get her. It's also not unusual for the colony to regect the queen with all turmol of a cutout. Wimpy Cleo's idea is a good one

Good luck,

Don

[TxFirefighter]

I have done cut out's this early in the year, but I'm in Texas and my temps are different than yours. If you can wait until a day when temps reach 60+, work fast, and don't mind feeding them. It can be done. You'll lose some brood, but you can get the bee's. Avoid using a bee vac if you can this time of year as it seperates the bees off the brood. Be careful to watch for the queen. If you find her, cage her and put her in the new hive for a few days along with some nurse bees in the cage. Place the cage deep in the middle of your hive so that you know the bees will cluster around her if you have a cold spell.
The best thing you can do though is wait until temps are in upper 70's.

[rkereid]

About one month ago I did what Cleo did with a hive in a house that was being torn down. They had taken down nearly the whole house when they discovered the bees in the last wall. I used a sawzall and cut a 4' x 4' section of the wall, loaded it on the truck, and hauled it away. It was pretty heavy between the honey and the weight of the oak framing and sheathing. It is standing upright strapped to a tree. I covered it with house wrap and some felt over the top to keep rain out. With all the warm weather, they have been flying. I am hoping the queen survived the move. So far, so good. I will cut them out in the spring when it is warmer and they have built up some. Good Luck.

[Daddy'sBees]

I recently did an emergency cut-out and posted the info here:
http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...winter-cut-out
At the present, the bees are doing fine and the queen has hatched her first round of new bees!!!!! Please take note of the frames 2 & 7. They were the bee's own capped honey stores instead of frames. This worked really well to save the hive!!! Good luck

[delber]

I must say I have never thought of cutting and moving the whole thing. That's a pretty great idea. If the hive has been there for a time then the comb ought to be able to handle things pretty well. I did a cut-out when the temp was about 55 degrees and it worked out well. I did lose some brood, but it worked to get my start in beekeeping!!!