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bees in log

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  rweakley 
#1 ·
I got a call that they cut down a tree a week ago and had bees, the log is approx. 5 ft long, maybe 2ft dia, and the bees were in a hole on the side like a broken limb. the wood cutter nailed some screen over the hole and the bees were active back when it was cold. I checked the log today at 59 degrees, the bees were flying and getting in and out under a corner of the screen. The question is what would be the best way to get these bees in a deep super, maybe if it's cold do nothing until warms up, but then what, I can't nail a super over the hole as it's too small and on the side. I've tried cutting logs vertically to extract bees with no success, any ideas here?
 
#5 ·
Here it is in pictures, let me know if you have any questions

http://s7.beta.photobucket.com/user/rwjedi/library/Bee%20Tree

You get the beetree set up as in the pictures. The hivebox has a top entrance and all other entrances are screened closed. You wait for the queen to make it up into the hivebody, then you put an excluder between the box and the tree. 30 Days later remove the log and do with as you wish, should just have honey/pollen left in it, and drones that were trapped by the excluder.

Rod
 
#10 ·
I don't know your specific situation and all that you did, but my findings were this: 1) All exits/entrances other than the one at the top of the hivebody have to be closed off. 2) It is very helpful to have the log cut in such a way that you cut away log, and leave some comb sticking up into the space of the hivebody. I accounted for this comb by placing medium frames in the spaces that the comb is sticking up. This gives the queen an easy highway up to the box you want them in. With all of the new reasources coming in at the top, and (assuming you put drawn out comb in the box) they have readily available space to put it in, that is where they are going to heard Momma to.

As I've said before NOTHING in beekeeping is absolute. We're dealing with a wild animal that will have it's own notions about things.
 
#7 ·
In that particular case, I cut it open and removed the comb. The comb was empty in this case, but this was done in fairly early spring, so I'm guessing they had used or moved anything that had been in there. Allowing a rob out is one options, going ahead and splitting open with the bees gone is another.

Rod
 
#8 ·
I agree with Ross. I always do a cutout. Simply cut the log into about 3ft section and split open. Remove the brood and rubber band into frames. Scoop and brush the bees into the new hive or onto the entrance landing. Once you have the queen inside you can walk away and leave the rest to the bees.
 
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