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Cut out tomorrow and now another one this coming weekend.

6K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  RedBarn 
#1 ·
Wish me luck! Tomorrow I'm attempting my very first cutout. Bees in the ceiling of a room - should be simple enough - remove the drywall and remove the bees.

I know it's late in the year to do a cutout, but if I don't get these bees, they will be sprayed. Besides, I am getting paid for this job.

Just ended up setting up aother cutout this coming weekend. People nearby claim bees moved in over the weekend and they want rid of them. I've agreed to do it - again - if I don't they will get sprayed. I'm giving the homeowner a suit so he can do the "destruction" to get to the bees, my job is to cut them out once the colony is located. Being a new swarm - they shouldn't have very much comb to cut out.
 
#6 ·
Yesterday afternoon I went to do the cutout. Had my beevac ready to go and got my equipment up to the room. A drywall ceiling that in one place was paper thin - I thought because of honey dripping. So, I was all prepared and made a cut into the paperthin drywall.

As soon as I made the cut, bees started pouring out and I immediately knew something wasn't right. Wait a minute - these aren't honeybees, they are yellowjackets! I quickly put masking tape over the hole and took care of the yellowjackets now flying around the room. I figured since I was this far - I might as well "finish the job" for these people - after all they were paying me to get rid of "honeybees".

So I removed the masking tape until they started coming out again and let my beevac suck them up. (I did learn there is too much suction on my beevac to safely capture bees though, so I'll have to do some modifications.) At any rate, got the bees sucked out and got their nest removed. Here there was a gap between the drywall and insulation, and they made a nest. Ended up removing an area of 1 1/2' X 2 1/2' of drywall to get everything. Once the nest was out, I sprayed some raid and some dawn dish soap to kill any stranglers and got the room cleaned up.

The people happily paid me for my extermination service. So, that was my "cut out" attempt!!!!!

I still can't figure it out though. When I checked it out several weeks ago, they certainly looked like honeybees flying. And I thought the dead ones on the deck under the entrane looked like honeybees too. The owner said, "Don't be embarassed, the other bee man I had here said they were honeybees too. He was going to take them out, but never came back."

Now, I know for the FACT that the cutout this weekend is certainly honeybees!
 
#13 ·
Well, as usual things don't quite work out as planned. (Isn't that the way it always is?!?)

We started around 4:00 P.M. this afternoon - pried off several sheets of siding, and then cut the outside boards. The homeowner used a circular saw to cut the boards right around the entrance - got enough cut out to see the comb - so at least it was right at the entrance. Had to cut several of the planks out of the way, so a chainsaw was used for that. Bees were very docile during all of this.

It was a brand new swarm - about 6 sections of honeycomb had been made with the majority of it filled with honey - those guys are quick - but at this time of year, they would have to be. There were no brood frames -and by the time I cut all the comb down - there was no large cluster of bees either.

I did not use any smoke - although the chainsaw smoked a bit so may have made the queen run - that or all the noise. So all the comb was cut out but the bees are still there. I stole 2 brood frames from home and set up a hive entrance facing into the house. I'm hoping after I've left, the queen comes back and finding no comb - the bees will find the entrance to the hive and find the two combs of brood. I'm hoping they just move in. It must have been a very small swarm though - if they move into the hive, I'll just combine them with one of my hives.

I have a meeting tomorrow, so son't be able to stop and take a look until Tuesday evening.

Here's hoping the bees move into the hive!!
 
#15 ·
I went and checked lastnight on the hive I had set up near the cutout. A few bees were in it (I think robbing whatever little honey was in the frames). Apparently when doing the cutout - either the noise or chainsaw smoke made the queen run (and I'm guessing they just moved into the next over floor joist.)

I told the person that it was up to them on what they wanted to do. They can either spray them to get rid of them or if the homeowner wants to open up the next board over to the floor joist, I'll get them.

This time though instead of trying to get them right after the wall is opened up, we will "replace" the board and let them settle down for a day. This way, if the queen decides to run again, within the day she should return back to the comb and the following day I'll reopen it and get them out.

I'm not having very good luck. This is my third official cutout and I'm 0 - 3 for getting the bees out. (Well, the first one was a new swarm that moved in behind a stone wall on a garage - that queen ran too. The second cutout ended up being yellow jackets - I was successful in removing them! And now my third attempt and the bees are STILL in the house.

Perhaps I should give up on cutouts.
 
#17 ·
# 1 rule..... Make sure they are honey bees, and bringing in pollen prior to committing to do, or starting to do a cut out !!!!

# 2 rule..... Test your bee vac prior to going to a job...

Are you still going for any NW PA ???? I'm sure your luck has improved with skill and learning on the job...
 
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