I commend your thoughtfulness and desire to save the bees. Most people would just say, Kill 'em.

The "problem" is that this isn't a swarm, as you called it, therefore the rules of swarm-catching don't apply. Swarms are homeless and generally gently, as their stomachs are also stuffed full of honey. Your girls HAVE a home- the hive they built under your shed, and that's why they're being aggressive.

I don't have any experience or expertise on how to deal with a situation like yours, but it would call for a trapout to save the bees. No offense, but from the sound of it, you're in quite a bit over your head. Call the local Fire or Police dept. and ask if they can contact someone to come deal with it. That would be the best thing.

Good luck.

 

That is, swarms are usually gentle. Not only is this not a swarm, because they have a home, they may also be guarding honey. For these reasons, the chance that they're going to take up residence in the empty hive you place is virtually nil. Sorry to disappoint.

And as I re-read your post, it's clear I need to emphasize that you need to leave them alone and let someone with experience handle it. Please.

 

Call the local extension service or do an online search for beekeepers in your area. In AZ you need to be cautious of AFB I believe.

 

you have an established hive, it will need to be cut out and placed into the new equipment you bought. Since you are new to beekeeping I would find a local beek with experience to help you out. Try to find a beekeepers club or just the local beeks. They are aggressive because as said above they are protecting their stores. Did you use the smoker on them? Not sure what book you are reading but it should at least talk about the queen. You need to watch for Africanized Honey Bees (AHB), not American Foul Brood (AFB). The trick is to work slow and not be afraid.

G3

 

Jeff, you are in an area known to be populated by Africanized honey bees. Here is a link to your city's website concerning honey bee colonies. The info is about half way down the page.

http://phoenix.gov/fire/bitessna.html

Those who advised that you leave them alone and have a pro handle them are spot on. The situation has real potential for danger.

 

Thank you for your reply. I also thank you fornot telling me torun away andcall the fire dept. or a professional. I'm not afraid to try anything, and I will handle the bees one way or another.my starter kit came with a new hive that I'veassembled and a smoker which I've yet to use. I need to buy some coveralls before attempting this operation. I'll continuemy search for local help and advice. Thanks agin, Adios~

 

Stubborn, invincible ignorance- nuthin like it. Don't say you weren't warned.

 

Hi Jeff,
If its an established African hive. You're going to want more than a pair of coveralls.
http://www.honeymoonapiaries.com/

Are you close enough to the house, you can run & close the door?
Please set up a video camera so we can show people what not to do.

 

He lives near Dee Lusby, she could help. Dee has recommended using no smoke and working bees at night. With proper lighting, will make for a better video.

 

Maybe these folks may be able to help you with info or assistance...

http://www.azbaca.org/

 

Dang, I hope ya'll haven't chased him away. :gh: Though I don't believe he scares easily - with that many stings to the face and he's still interested! And without a suit or veil! It's a tough job ahead, but sounds like if any newbie can do it, he can.

Jeff, I hope you'll get a suit - or at least a veil and some long sleeves and gloves - before you go in again. You won't be able to get much done otherwise, I'm afraid. It's hard to concentrate with them all over you stinging. They haven't gone into your hive because they already have a home and it's more attractive - it has their queen, brood, and honey. The new one is a bit bare by comparison. When hives are used like that for trapping out, you have to prevent them from getting back into their original hive before they'll try out the new one. And having a frame of brood in it helps, which you'd have to get from a local beekeeper. A cutout is when you go in and remove the comb with brood and honey. It's hard and messy sometimes. You can find more info by searching those on this site. I hope you'll contact Dee or someone to assist and then go ahead and take up beekeeping. :thumbsup:

Good luck!

 

I'm going to take a step backward here and ask a pretty basic question...

Are we sure these are HONEYBEES's?

The defensiveness, the location (being close to the ground, or perhaps even UNDER ground), make me sort of wonder if they're not Yellowjackets. Have you been able to positively identify them, and are their bodies fuzzy? Or, are their bodies slick and hard-shelled, and/or yellow and black?

I'm also curious about the book you've read. Some basic information about the queen is USUALLY included betweens the covers. I'd recommend searching for "First Lessons in Beekeeping" or even "Beekeeping for Dummies" (pardon the title), which are both excellent books for new beekeepers.

Anyhow, if your bees ARE honeybees, then you're looking at a removal or "cut-out" situation; not a trap out. Because you don't have another hive to use for resources, like brood or another queen, you're going to have to physically remove pieces of comb, and some honey, and physically tie (or rubber band) them into frames, making sure you capture the queen and place her safely within the hive. This is, of course, only if they're not Africanized honeybees.

Without exaggerating, this is advanced work, although it's not outside the realm of possibilities later on. To do a cut-out properly, you'll need to know the difference between capped honey and capped brood. Comb orientation is also important in performing a cut-out. There are just too many things that can go wrong for a first-timer, which could result in a doomed or maybe just a poor functioning hive. But these are things that experience can help you overcome. (Most first year beekeepers have a hard time recognizing the queen amongst all the drones, let alone recognizing eggs and larva!)

My suggestion is to get in contact with a local beekeeper or club. Get a positive identification on the bees first. Then, gain a little knowledge about bees and beekeeping before diving headfirst into this particular bunch. If they're honeybees, they'll wait for you.

In the meantime, welcome to beekeeping, and prepare to drink from the firehose of knowledge...

DS

 

I'm going to take a step backward here and ask a pretty basic question...

Comb orientation is also important in performing a cut-out. There are just too many things that can go wrong for a first-timer, which could result in a doomed or maybe just a poor functioning hive.
DS

I just got home from doing a cutout, and now you've got me worried...can you tell me what you meant by comb orientation for cutouts? It was a smaller hive and all went well after getting the portion of wall removed, got all of the comb tied to empty frames. Some honey spilt, which it seems did drown a few bees on the way home. I'm thinking with a bee vac, I can put bees in one container, and comb in another until arriving home, then add the bees, and maybe lower the mortality rate.

 

When doing a cutout, its fairly important to keep the comb in the same orientation that it had in the original hive. That is, the up side should also be up when you fasten it into the frames. I've heard that if its upside down they will not use it. I've pulled some bees out of trees that have fallen & I think if its tied in sideways they will still use it if nothing else is available.

 

Reneal has it right. Keeping the comb oriented the same way that it's in the hive will allow the tied comb to be reused and fastened to the frames with new wax. It also allows brood to emerge as usual.

All comb has a slightly "downward" slant toward the mid-rib. Keeping this downward slant helps the bees reuse comb.

DS

 

Hello to all that responded to my posting. Thank you for all your support. I was easily able to open the floor under my shed and remove as many of the bees and place them into their new home, without a single sting I might add. It was one of the most exciting things I have ever done, and experienced! They are the most fascinating creatures we have been blessed with. After I spent a few minutes with them they practically ignored me. The big plus is I retrieved appox 10-15 lbs of pure honey. I managed to get about half of the bees into the new home so now the challenge is to keep them out of the shed. I tried moth balls, but they just moved over. I think I'll try sealing the floor to the walls. Thanks again, GBY< Adios~

 

Did you get the queen? And did you leave them any Honey or brood? They will stay if you have brood tied in on a frame.