[Jlockhart29]

I need to get 2 huge pine trees removed before I start construction on my new home. Unfortunately two of my hives will be within 10 foot of where th workers will be. Running screen bottoms and feeder/quell box on top. This is South Arkansas and one of the hives will be in direct sun. Will they be ok if I just block up the entrance before day break and keep them up for the day? Have moved hives before and I HATE it. Thanks

 

[little_john]

Suggest you make a shade awning to keep the sun off the hives as well.
LJ

 

[Jlockhart29]

I had planned on the one in full sun to tarp above it. 95 degrees in full sun is hot. Also I forgot to mention I run large robbing screens year around. Buy large I mean probably a hundred bees could be behind it outside of the hive and still be locked up so that they can pass the air out of the hive better than if just the main entrance was blocked.

 

[ericweller]

How populated are the hives? If they are packed, I would move the hive. At the very least, I would put a screened lid on the hives so the heat can escape.

 

[Jlockhart29]

Pic is sideways but you get the idea. Big hives.

 

[ericweller]

I would put a screened lid on it and put an awning over it as little_john suggests.

 

[Bear Creek Steve]

I had a wedding next to my bee yard two years ago with 70 people in attendance. Had 15 hives all with full screened bottom boards and I made a ventilated screened inner cover for each with the outer cover blocked up one inch and covered with a piece of two inch thick rigid foam. Screened the entrances in before sunrise and opened them before I went to bed after the wedding. Never had a problem, and best part was I didn't have to move the hives. (I hate it too because I'm in the sloping foothills of Pikes Peak.)

Cheers,
Steve

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

I would perhaps be more worried about parts of the tree falling on the boxes (10 ft is close for large trees coming down) & am not a fan of locking up bees on a hot day. With Lots of ventilation, tarp to block the sun, & screened inner cover as Steve suggested, you might be okay,.? But is worth the risk of them overheating or limbs or trunks falling on them:scratch:

 

[Jlockhart29]

I will be hiring a insured and licensed cutter. These two trees are what is left of a 35 year old pine plantation I cleared 25 years ago. About 3.5 foot across at the base and not a limb for 40 foot or more and they will fall away from the hives. Just the base is near them but they will shake the earth when they fall and I'm sure send the bees into a frenzy if loose. Actually seems im pretty much set as all ready have screen bottoms with rubber screens. My tops have a feeder built in if I need them with about 4 inch strips on each side of screen that I have shavings on top of now. Just remove the shavings and prop up the top a couple inches and should be good to go there. Any idea how to run the bees inside the night before. Last week when I Oxilic smoked them about 2am a good soft ball or bigger wad of bees were hanging under and in front of the hives. I try and treat at night b4 work so they are all inside. Misting with a spray bottle about 15 minutes before treating helped but still a huge amount of bees on the outside. Really bad timing for all this but those trees are a disaster waiting to happen and safer now than with a new house to get them down.

 

[Gray Goose]

I will be hiring a insured and licensed cutter. These two trees are what is left of a 35 year old pine plantation I cleared 25 years ago. About 3.5 foot across at the base and not a limb for 40 foot or more and they will fall away from the hives. Just the base is near them but they will shake the earth when they fall and I'm sure send the bees into a frenzy if loose. Actually seems im pretty much set as all ready have screen bottoms with rubber screens. My tops have a feeder built in if I need them with about 4 inch strips on each side of screen that I have shavings on top of now. Just remove the shavings and prop up the top a couple inches and should be good to go there. Any idea how to run the bees inside the night before. Last week when I Oxilic smoked them about 2am a good soft ball or bigger wad of bees were hanging under and in front of the hives. I try and treat at night b4 work so they are all inside. Misting with a spray bottle about 15 minutes before treating helped but still a huge amount of bees on the outside. Really bad timing for all this but those trees are a disaster waiting to happen and safer now than with a new house to get them down.

put the top screen and tarp up a day early, hopefully the extra air flow will allow all the bees to move inside the next nite. Light smoking will push them in after dark 11pmish. I have moved a couple where I find a wad on the bottom board, they are somewhat there as it is hot in the hive, or not enough room. good luck. May want to strap them down and/ or together for the off chance of a limb winging thru the area. BTW if you cut the pine in the winter you will have less bee issues, and the sap wood of the pine will cure better. Big pine should not be cut for lumber in the summer. it is not your issue I know, seems a big pine should be optimized, for the 100 years it has been here growing..
GG

 

[kaizen]

I will be hiring a insured and licensed cutter. These two trees are what is left of a 35 year old pine plantation I cleared 25 years ago. About 3.5 foot across at the base and not a limb for 40 foot or more and they will fall away from the hives. Just the base is near them but they will shake the earth when they fall and I'm sure send the bees into a frenzy if loose. Actually seems im pretty much set as all ready have screen bottoms with rubber screens. My tops have a feeder built in if I need them with about 4 inch strips on each side of screen that I have shavings on top of now. Just remove the shavings and prop up the top a couple inches and should be good to go there. Any idea how to run the bees inside the night before. Last week when I Oxilic smoked them about 2am a good soft ball or bigger wad of bees were hanging under and in front of the hives. I try and treat at night b4 work so they are all inside. Misting with a spray bottle about 15 minutes before treating helped but still a huge amount of bees on the outside. Really bad timing for all this but those trees are a disaster waiting to happen and safer now than with a new house to get them down.

talk about a disaster waiting to happen - leaving those bees in that location or anywhere around those trees is asking for trouble. you might as well have the news crews there early to get the viral footage when a piece or branch crushes one of them and the workers get lit up. trees do not behave as we expect when we kill them. I'd be surprised if the crew will even work with them there to be honest. might just drive away.
Do as you propose but also ratchet strap them x2 for each one. screw some wood up the sides to keep the boxes from shifting. use a d handle dolly and roll them away someplace for the day.
I'd do it a few days early if possible cause if you do it the night before there will be a bunch of pissed off bees looking for their home.

 

[Jlockhart29]

I guess most people dont understand what a pine plantation tree looks like. These things are nothing but crowns. The tree will be sawed at the base and fell not like in residential where they are cut from the top down. Any branches will be 60 feet or more away and on the ground when they start cutting. In fact the one closest to the bees will fall in clear cut next to me so probably just push the top in a ditch with my front end loader. The only way a box could get knocked over is if the tree fell almost completely backwards from where its supposed to fall. If it does it will take out my wood shop, 3 Big Green Eggs and 5 strand electric fence!lol Been trying to give the wood away but to big for the local private mills and not enough for commercials. Several board feet in those 2 trees.

 

[kaizen]

I've cut plenty of trees and saw enough that fell the way they were supposed to and either rolled, snapped or kicked several feet. had a 3 foot pine fall and jump back over the stump straight at the opposite way it fell. It was fully limbed and i contribute that to the back jump. Just saying i'd be overly catious if they were my bees. Good luck

 

[Amibusiness]

When is the work being done? Are you planning to have the bees there during construction of new house? When is your dearth? Looks like 5 deeps, 10 frame. I'd move the hive to a better location about 100 feet away a few days before tree work. Leave 1 frame of eggs / brood and 9 empty comb in old location as a split. Some night before tree job, move split to a friend's house 5 miles away. 5 days later move them back (after tree job). If you don't want the split remove queen cells off of the 1 brood frame and newspaper combine on top of other hive. If you are not in dearth now that don't cost you much honey as the foragers will still be filling comb. If you do want them back in original position you would have to do it again. It is a pain. Unless you want the splits, then it could be worth it (split them again before they emerge). I would not want a non beekeeper doing that kind of work that close to my bees.....
Good luck and congratulations on a new house! Have fun!

 

[Jack Grimshaw]

As a retired arborist and 40 yr beekeeper,I wouldn't worry to much if you have hired a qualified crew.
Quote:
" would not want a non beekeeper doing that kind of work that close to my bees....."
Ironically,I have met more tree guys with bees than any other profession when you consider how few tree guys there are compared to other jobs.Must be because of a love of nature and the great outdoors.

As long as the tree is dropped away from the hive and is a
"plantation" pine (we used to call them pecker poles) instead of being shaped like a cabbage,I wouldn't worry.

I would,however,criss-cross strap with 2 binder straps and brace with a couple of 2x4s in case the " thump" of the trunk on the hard root system bounces the hive.Extract some of that honey so the stack isn't so tall.You already have the braggin' picture.

Cover the whole setup with a damp white sheet down to the ground and evaporation will keep them cool.

Ask the crew to come early in the morning while most of the bees are NOT out foraging.

Look for someone with a portable mill.Would make some nice barn siding.

 

[Jlockhart29]

Will use the suggestions offered leaving the hives where the are. My back is so screwed right now I couldn't move one box if I wanted to. It will get better but may be weeks and trees got to go soon. My hives 4 except 1 are of my own design. With my back even a medium with honey is trouble waiting. The 2 in question are basically Warre hives that are deep depth and full framed. Much lighter per box and so much better center of gravity. They all have a stainless cable run threw bottom of cinderblocks stand, over the top and turnbuckle tight. Unless a tornado or limb busting open the box they aren't going anywhere. I'll slide a block of wood between the roof and screened quell/top feeder to create air space and sinch back down. Also going to screen off the bottom of hive a week before so they can't cluster under it. Hear in South Arkansas the world is full of plantation pine. I got 2 buddy's with portable mills but they got access to all the trees they need. Thanks for all the suggestions and I agree the safe thing to do is move them but those cinderblocks stands with house trailer support block on top would have to be moved as well. Very min. chance of trouble IF I can get them safely locked up for 12 hours.