[Yonah]

I just extracted a hive of bees from a tree. A man called me after it had fallen -- asking if I wanted the bees. I am new to bees but welcome the experience. So I did some homework, made a bee vac, gassed up the chain saw and was out the door (I would have cut a section to haul and work on elsewhere but the tree was huge and the landowner wasn't so inclined.

So here it is...the bees had gotten rained on heavily, a few times, before I was called. The tree fell with their entrance facing up -- not good. As I cut into the tree in sections, the comb was dark and fallen, resting on each other. There actually weren't a whole lot of bees...not as many as I had anticipated. I did get most of the bees, and the queen. The comb looked scary to me -- and there was maggots at the bottom -- So right now I have the bees in a screen box from the vac -- should I put them in a Nuc box -- with new frames? I did take what combs of honey there were and left most of them there in frames held with rubberbands -- to pick up in the morning with the remaining bees...

I'm sure I made every mistake in the book...but is there hope?

Also -- how do you post pictures? -- If anyone wants to see the comb and the larva that was wriggling at the bottom -- I have pictures --


Thanks -- Yonah, NY

 

[RayMarler]

It sounds like you did great to me! I'd dump them into a nuc with frames, as you said, then add in the frames of honey when you get them home. Feeding some sugar water syrup might be a good idea as well, at least until they get a full brood box drawn and crowded.

 

[MikeJ]

Photos:
14th button in 2nd row in the Post Reply (or Go Advanced).

Upload your pics to a server and use that button to link to them (the pictures will be shown in the post as apposed to just links). I think the rules said 640x480 not sure.

Mike

 

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Put them in your hive. I would not use your finest drawn comb in case they have disease or small hive beetles.

 

[Throttlebender]

Do they get beetles that far north? I haven't even heard them spoken of here in Cincinnati.

 

[fish_stix]

Lots of Kentucky beeks have had them in droves. That's pretty close to Cincinnati isn't it?

 

[Throttlebender]

Lots of Kentucky beeks have had them in droves. That's pretty close to Cincinnati isn't it?

Well, the northern tip is