I got an email to do a semi cut out (i guess the panel unscrews so no cutting). It is supposedly pretty big and i haven't done a cut out before and would love a bit of help. I'm new and this is a great opportunity to get bees to start my hive.
Help with cut out in warwick,RI?
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at this time of year a cut out is not too bad, the numbers are low, and the bees are not defending winter stores. you will need a hive body, I have one with a bottom board screwed on it Just for cutouts. a ratchet strap to secure the top. an entrance screen to cover the entrance, a good smoker or 2 a long saw tooth knife, or spatula, hive too and brush bee vacuum, plastic storage container, empty frames and rubber bands, and a good bee suit, and a queen cage or clamp. I like to have a damp towel close by too!
Open the hive, begin removing comb if there is brood on it rubber band it to the frame and place it with its bees in a frame and place in the hive, if it has stores and no or little brood place it in a container. continue doing this until you have all the comb with brood, If you see the queen grab her and contain her in the cage. place the cage in the hive box. I then take a break for an while and let the bees settle down many will return to the original hive or gather in and around the hive box. I then place the lid on the box, leaving the entrance open and go home until after dark, I return and close up the box with My screen, and vacuum up the remainder of the bees. move the hive body to its new location and shake the bees from the bee vac. into the hive. often I return to the cut our the next night to vacuum up any stragglers
Open the hive, begin removing comb if there is brood on it rubber band it to the frame and place it with its bees in a frame and place in the hive, if it has stores and no or little brood place it in a container. continue doing this until you have all the comb with brood, If you see the queen grab her and contain her in the cage. place the cage in the hive box. I then take a break for an while and let the bees settle down many will return to the original hive or gather in and around the hive box. I then place the lid on the box, leaving the entrance open and go home until after dark, I return and close up the box with My screen, and vacuum up the remainder of the bees. move the hive body to its new location and shake the bees from the bee vac. into the hive. often I return to the cut our the next night to vacuum up any stragglers
I would be less nervous about it if i had a bee vac but i do not. so that part is out. i also don't have a queen clip but i'm not sure how good i am about finding her in a cluster anyway so that might not matter. i will just have to smoke them a bit off the combs and then collect them almost like a swarm in a bucket for the transfer to the hive body.
would you do a cut out on a day that it is a bit breezy? i'm not sure how protected the building is.
would you do a cut out on a day that it is a bit breezy? i'm not sure how protected the building is.
a bee vac really should have a secondary chamber so the bees can get out of the suction and not get sucked to the screen. they may not cluster But rather take to the air you are better to try to cut the comb out bees and all and place in a container, that way you may be lucky and get the queen in there. good luck
not sure what you mean by a secondary container. I have hose bucket hose vacuum. == |_|==|__| i'm not sure how i'd put something else in there without being in the way. pictures for bee vacs using buckets aren't very good.
I will be cutting the combs and putting them into frames also. then combining everybody either there or at my house.
I will be cutting the combs and putting them into frames also. then combining everybody either there or at my house.
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If you just screenover the hose that goes to the vacuum, then the force of the vacuum at the hole is the same as it would be at a hose directly connected to the vacuum. so once bees get sucked up to the screen, they are stuck there and you just get more and more bees stuck there. The screen needs to be larger the opening to the hose. So you could screen off more than just the hose. Does that make sense?
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Yes. My bee vac is made of a bottom board and a single hive body (medium). I screen over half the bottom and put the suction to the vacuum in that section. Then Just put a top on the box. Using duct tape to seal the top on and the box to the bottom. Adjusting the tape to change the overall suction. Normally I tape a second hive body to the bottom one and put drawn comb in it. Once vacuumed into the bottom box they move up into the drawn comb and I just move that boxwith the top still in place to a normal bottom board once I get back to the apiary.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/13862541135/
A link to a drawing of it:
works but it is a bit heavy at times.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/13862541135/
A link to a drawing of it:
works but it is a bit heavy at times.
Cool.. i used the bucket because i could cut holes in the lid and not mess anything else up. I don't plan on doing any more cut outs if this one goes well so minimal is good. In reality i only posted about swarms but this came up so hopefully it will work. If i see a frame chunk of eggs and enough capped brood I may put them in a 5 frame nuc with extra nurse bees and have 2 shots.
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Usually, if you use just a bit of smoke and go slow, the queen will be right in the middle of the brood est, but not always. I don't usually spend much time looking for her but sometimes you get lucky. The first few removals I did, I did without a vac. If you band a couple of brood combs to frames and put them in a single. Then remove all the other comb, then put your box where it pretty much touches where the colony was. the bees and queen will move into the box after dark. No need for a bee vac if you manage to get the queen in your box. and leave it there till later in the evening.
Good luck
Good luck
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JakeDatc
I'm in Barrington, RI and may be able to tag along to give you a hand depending on your schedule. I haven't done a cutout before but may be able to suit up and give you a hand. Send me a PM with your contact info and I'll give you a call to see if I might help.
I'm in Barrington, RI and may be able to tag along to give you a hand depending on your schedule. I haven't done a cutout before but may be able to suit up and give you a hand. Send me a PM with your contact info and I'll give you a call to see if I might help.
Ya, i'll try the vac some. I don't have a queen clip so catching like that would be hard. we'll see what happens.. can plan all you want until you open up and see what i can actually do.
first window, 2nd level. they are going in the pipe. luckily they have a lift that they can use to put me up there instead of using a ladder. i'm a rock climber so heights don't bother me but ladders are impossible to work on.
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first window, 2nd level. they are going in the pipe. luckily they have a lift that they can use to put me up there instead of using a ladder. i'm a rock climber so heights don't bother me but ladders are impossible to work on.
>I would be less nervous about it if i had a bee vac but i do not. so that part is out.
I'd be less nervous if you didn't have one... in my experience bee vacs kill bees unnecessarily...
I'd be less nervous if you didn't have one... in my experience bee vacs kill bees unnecessarily...
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well I decided to wait for Cottonwood's help.. the guys at the warehouse that were driving the forklift weren't protected so when i opened the panel and it got buzzy they were not able to move me around as much as i'd have liked.
pretty big hive with lots of activity. i button the panel back up until next week.
edit: also, is a good idea to rubberband them in at the orientation they are in the hive? like don't turn the brood sideways. i'd guess honey and empty could go either way.
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pretty big hive with lots of activity. i button the panel back up until next week.
edit: also, is a good idea to rubberband them in at the orientation they are in the hive? like don't turn the brood sideways. i'd guess honey and empty could go either way.
>is a good idea to rubberband them in at the orientation they are in the hive? like don't turn the brood sideways. i'd guess honey and empty could go either way.
It is a good idea. It's not a hard fast rule, but as long as it is convenient I would. Sometimes the comb is long vertically and your frame is long horizontally...
It is a good idea. It's not a hard fast rule, but as long as it is convenient I would. Sometimes the comb is long vertically and your frame is long horizontally...
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Looks like you've got a heck of a hive there!well I decided to wait for Cottonwood's help.. the guys at the warehouse that were driving the forklift weren't protected so when i opened the panel and it got buzzy they were not able to move me around as much as i'd have liked.
pretty big hive with lots of activity. i button the panel back up until next week.
edit: also, is a good idea to rubberband them in at the orientation they are in the hive? like don't turn the brood sideways. i'd guess honey and empty could go either way.
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Yea, I wish the warehouse owner would email/call me back so I can arrange things with Cottonwood to go get them. Kinda frustrating when I emailed when I got home friday and still nothing by noon today. hopefully Wed. afternoon we can get it done.
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