[doug reed]

This hive is on a branch that will eventually break, and we would like to bring it down before it does. It's been there long enough to build multiple layers of comb which can be seen on the bottom. It's close to fourty feet up. I'm thinking of lowering it down with ropes after cutting the branch.
We'd like to put it whole into a homemade box suspended by a section of the branch.
Anyone have similar situation?

 

[beepro]

You would climb up 40' to cut down a branch of bee colony?
Isn't it too risky for this project?
Good luck for that. I rather set swarm traps close to the ground to get me some bees.

 

[Bees In Miami]

Good luck with that! There is one in my neighbors tree as I type. Until somebody springs for a scissor lift, it will remain there! Plenty of swarm/bait traps....if they choose to be up there, so be it!

 

[tuzserhu]

Had a similar situation, renting a Genie lift from Home depot could save a trip to the hospital.
Good luck, practice common sense since you are the only one who knows your limits.

 

[Phoebee]

A friend of ours has a very long swarm capture pole rigged, and has attempted 40 ft swarm captures. His wife made some videos of attempts at that height.

My recommendation is that you make videos of this, because they'll be hilarious to watch. Or tragic.

There's probably a way to do this, but a search of YouTube may reveal a long list of simple ways NOT to try it.

 

[bison]

12 gauge swarm capture tool:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYNEhYjT57w

 

[Andrew Dewey]

When I see a swarm that high up a tree I wave good bye to them. Bees are not worth a potentially broken neck.

And you may know this and mistyped - what you see up in the tree is a colony. A hive is a box like structure people keep bees in.

If you are seeing a hive 40' up in the air either you've had some really heavy flooding or your hive is auditioning for an upcoming film version of the Wizard of Oz.

 

[doug reed]

Can't say why I feel compelled to help save this "colony". I sure don't need another hive to manage. I suppose it's more a problem solving challenge and not wanting to see them in a heap on the ground.
According to Merriam-Webster, Hive 1a: a container for housing honeybees, b: the usually above ground nest of bees, 2: a colony of bees.
So, who's to say. Is a hive body a "hive" without bees in it, or just a bee box?