why a trap out? You still have to get out the comb and honey or it will attract all sorts of pests so just do a cut out instead.
follow up to two trap-outs, two questions?
An earlier post about a house that had bee's entering by two windows. Windows are directly above one another, 1st and 2nd story windows. Wasn't sure if it was one colony or two. Homeowner had a heat sensor tool that show the colony to be below the upper window, so one colony. But, the lower window will be easier to put the trap out on. Is there any reason I can't seal off the upper entrance forcing the bee's using the upper one to use the lower one? Setting things up on Monday, so responses would be appreciated. Thank you
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jimsteelejr-The homeowner is going to do the repair work and clean-up. But, he wants to bee's out first.
so do the cut out. open the wall remove the comb and bees let the home owner clean up and close up. Its all done in a few hours and there is no hoping you got the queen in your trap out. Over,done out of there in two or three hours.
Maybe more then a few HOURS. Sometimes the work can take longer then you want!
Do the cut-out, if there is sheetrock inside, that will be the easiest to repair. Tarp rugs before opening the wall/ceiling cuss some comb will probably fall out.
I like to carry a 'queen cage' for keeping her (if I find her) in the new box.
Do the cut-out, if there is sheetrock inside, that will be the easiest to repair. Tarp rugs before opening the wall/ceiling cuss some comb will probably fall out.
I like to carry a 'queen cage' for keeping her (if I find her) in the new box.
We use a bee vac on our cutouts. The vac makes things much easier. Usually after we make the initial opening and the excitement dies down we just vacuum up most of the bees that we can see then cut one comb down and repeat. The bees seem confused and generally they never get defensive. One second you are on your comb then Whoosh your in another place. Our vac has the same dimensions as a hive so when I set it on an empty hive and slide the bottom out most of the bees drop into the hive. Those that don't we just use the blower end of a shop vac and blow them in. The main thing with a bee vac is to adjust the suction so that you just have enough to pull a bee in as you touch them with the nozzle. Too much suction and you end up with dead bees. We usually prefer to work from the out side if we can. Most customers don't like a house full of bees.
jimsteelejr-Yes, a bee vac would be the way too go. My dad and I tried making one, but haven't got the suction fine tuned yet. Last time I used it, would'nt suck hard enough to keep the hose from plugging up with bee's. That was a pain. I don't feel comfortable working of a ladder that high up with power tools 
They of course want it done as cheap as possible, so scaffolding is out of the question. I was thinking the same thing about working from the inside, bee's everywhere Thanks for everyone's input.
They of course want it done as cheap as possible, so scaffolding is out of the question. I was thinking the same thing about working from the inside, bee's everywhere Thanks for everyone's input.We built our bee vac -actually I have built 5 now. My newest one is the best of all the things we wanted in a vac. I basically made a box the size of a 10 frame hive out of 1x12. I cut a grove about 1 inch up from the bottom on three sides then made the front one inch shorter. Then I placed a piece of 16 guage sheet metal cut to fit the grooves then added a piece 7/8 of inch across the front.
This allows the vac to set on a hive and when the metal is pulled out the bees have access to a hive that you set it on. At the top there is a window screen placed 1 inch down and a piece of lexan is cut to fit snuggly over that. The shop vac hose goes over a port I glued in. and that has a heavy mesh screen an old tea strainer that we used for filtering wax screwed down over it to keep the bees from being sucked into the vac. The other side has a hole cut to accommodate another vac hose that is used to suck up the bees. There is a piece of hard board made to go down a slot so when you pull the hose out the bees can't escape. I also added a bracket to keep the hose from pulling out and two straps to pick up the vac. Finally I drilled a one inch hole and fastened screen over the inside. then I made a pivot door to control the vacuum.
This allows the vac to set on a hive and when the metal is pulled out the bees have access to a hive that you set it on. At the top there is a window screen placed 1 inch down and a piece of lexan is cut to fit snuggly over that. The shop vac hose goes over a port I glued in. and that has a heavy mesh screen an old tea strainer that we used for filtering wax screwed down over it to keep the bees from being sucked into the vac. The other side has a hole cut to accommodate another vac hose that is used to suck up the bees. There is a piece of hard board made to go down a slot so when you pull the hose out the bees can't escape. I also added a bracket to keep the hose from pulling out and two straps to pick up the vac. Finally I drilled a one inch hole and fastened screen over the inside. then I made a pivot door to control the vacuum.
jimsteelejr- these bee's I'm doing the trap out on have two entrances' into one hive. Can I block off one entrance to set the trap at lowest entrance, or will it totally confuse the bee's at the top entrance( the one I want to close off ). Or will they all eventually go to the trap entrance? Thanks for your directions on the bee vac.
if it is indeed one hive blocking the top entrance should be ok. If it is actually two hives you might start a war. Either way reference the Hogan method on trap outs. He seems to have the most successful system I have seen. I don't have the patience for trap outs and my work schedule makes it hard to get back at the right intervals to do the manipulations. Remember that you are trying to get the queen then after that its just putting a bee escape on the hole and getting the rest of the bees out. It could take three or four weeks to get all the bees. Good luck!
jimsteelejr- Went ahead and put up two trap-out boxes up. The first evening, there was a handful sized cluster of bees gathered on the wall in between the two boxes. No one home at the residence the second day. So tomorrow should get more information on what they are doing. I am not local to the area, so can't just go over and see what's going on. I'm assuming they are just confused. Have you ever had them not move into the trap-out box?
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