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Cutout Fail need advise

263 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  G3farms
Hello, I am new to bees and I have done a few cut outs but today it went wrong. The location of the bees were in a large brick column, I had to pry off the concrete top. The lady said the bees have been here for 4 to 5 years. When I pryed the top up to look in there was some comb stuck to it but not much the lady said the top was pour in place and there was plywood under neath. I took the top off and there where 8 rows of large comb full with honey attach the rotten plywood that was collapsing down the column. I removed about 5 large combs of heavy honey and then 4 large combs crashed to the bottom of the column. There was no way for me to climb into the column to reach it so I
folded the large pieces on to a hoe to get it out. I did get some small pieces of comb with capped broad and some comb with larve but the rest was small pieces of honey comb and it drenched every thing below it.
My question is can I rubber band some of the brood and honey comb into some frames and keep the bees locked in a large hive box ?
How long can I keep the lock up?

I have another cut out to do on Monday that I hope to be able to get the queen.
Can I mix the column bees wit this new cut out?
I can keep them separated by screen mesh and introduce them a few days later?
Thanks
Keith
Also I can't find any queen bee suppliers in my area that will answer the phone

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You did your best and that’s more than many would have even attempted!

Rubber-band as much brood and food in as you’re willing and able. This can go in any colony if you’re certain they’re healthy.

Your temps are warm there. If you have brood in the box they’ll make a new queen if she’s not with them (provided the brood is still viable and young enough). I wouldn’t keep them locked in for more than a few hours, at most.

You can combine them with a newspaper between each colony (cut some slits) and lightly spray the queenless part with 1:1 sugar syrup to mask the other queen’s pheromones.

Keep asking questions if you need better answers. There is a beekeeper in Vegas that does a lot of cut-outs. I believe it’s @Vegas Bees. You could nudge them and ask more specific cut-out questions.

Best of luck!
Snarge gave about as good advise as you will get.

If the comb is new I would not rubber band too much of the honey in frames, it tends to crush under it own weight.

I hate when that happens, have dropped large chunks of comb down inside of walls.
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