[Pops]

Very excited!
This Saturday I am cutting out a hive in a commercial building. Brick outside, drywall inside. Bees have been in the building for more than 3 yrs.

Metal studs behind drywall. Will have to work from an extension ladder. Ceiling is about 15' with entrance close to top of that. Bees can't go much higher than the entrance. Outside like 30'. Not sure if it is block behind bricks.

Taking my sons one to feed frames and moral support LOL. My other son is into making movies and stuff so has some good equipment so will post videos ASAP.

We will be working inside or this won't go down. I plan to smoke the bottom of the hive before digging into the wall. Hoping this will make some of the bees go outside.

I still have a small group of bees that I caught a few weeks ago not sure if there is a queen. If I take brood from this hive and put in with those bees will they make a queen if they need one or is that advisable at all?

 

[tomkat]

Do you have a bee vac? If not get one. Make sure the vacuum volume is not to strong, also dump the container often. The statesman uses yarn instead of rubber bands. If you find eggs Mark the frame you put it into for easiest finding it or them. I also suggests if you have extra boxes to use those egg frames to raise queens. Good luck.

 

[Pops]

Thanks I do have a bee vac made from a bucket head shop vac and 5 gallon bucket holes drilled into it will check to make sure the volume is good if not prepared to do modifications to it. I could use the eggs to make queens but don't know what to do with them once they start hatching. Was thinking I would start one hive this year from a swarm. Caught a small one about the size of a softball. Slow going there would like to put some comb from the new cut out in with them to help them along. I am pretty sure there is a queen I can pull the frame out and look at it no smoke and they don't care one bit. Too many on the small comb they built. I have not seen queen but my girls sure are easy going I can sit like a couple feet from the entrance and they just fly by me I can lay hand on landing board and they just walk over my hand and go inside. I did a 3 week inspection but didn't see the queen then either. But it is my first time and until I see one up close I prolly wouldn't know if I seen it or not LOL.

Thanks for the tips I have rubber bands using med frames in a med 10 frame super. Taking about 5 supers and 50 frames hoping I have enough to get them all.

 

[djei5]

Look for eggs or larvae. If you introduce a frame of brood that has eggs or larvae 3 days old or younger and they are queenless, they should make a queen.