[dd33]

I am trying my first trap out on some bees in a concrete block wall. The wall has had two colonies in it for at least 8 years.
I went with a Hogan style of trap out. I drilled a hole in the wall and fit a piece of 1" pipe from the wall to the inside of a brood box. I added in mix of drawn comb and bare foundation at first then gave them a frame each of eggs/larvae and capped honey after adding the one way cone a few days later.
I've been checking on them every afternoon for almost two weeks now. I didn't expect so many bees in the trap based on how many I have seen coming and going over the years. Also shocked by the number of drones!
During my inspections I have been looking for eggs in the drawn comb and overlooking the frame of eggs I added, mostly because the bees are so thick on it and I didn't want to mess with them. Today I checked out the frame that I added with eggs and realized they had a bunch of capped queen cells. I destroyed all of the cells and put the frame back in.

How often should I be adding eggs/brood to continue luring the queen/nurse bees out of the wall? I don't want to have these guys swarm on me.

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Where are you located? What size box/how many frames are you using? Trap-outs are a long process, so you will need your patience pants
I wouldn't have smashed those queen cells, but removed and replaced those frames to start another colony with. They will most likely make more when you put another frame of eggs/larvae in. With all of the drones, could it be the mother colony is queen-less?
"How often should I be adding eggs/brood to continue luring the queen/nurse bees out of the wall?"
For me that would depend on how fast they occupy/fill the frames/box that I am trapping in.

 

[dd33]

Hi, I am in Florida. I am using a 10 frame medium super with a 3" "riser" under it to bring the box to the height of a standard deep. I did that so I could drill the new entrance hole through the riser instead of a good box.
I have 9 frames in the box instead of 10 so the trap out cone would fit.
I thought about saving the queen cells but I didn't take the eggs from a colony I am particularly fond of. Next time I bring eggs I will bring them from a better queen.
I wondered if the colony was queenless but figured if it was laying workers making the drones they would be laying eggs all over the new box too. I don't think there is an unreasonable number of drones, I am guessing this is just how many a colony makes when they draw all their own comb without foundation??
I will take some pictures of the setup today.

 

[dd33]

I took a couple of photos today:

 

[Litsinger]

Good looking set-up, dd33.

When facing a similar dilemma last year, i contacted Mr. Hogan and he suggested that I add another frame of open brood and then check the box 8-12 hours later, looking carefully to see if the queen is in there. If not, keep checking on 12 -24 hour intervals, and install the 1-way trap immediately once the queen is in residence.

For my part, I never did find the queen but confirmed she was in there when I brought the set-up home.

As mentioned in another thread, a second trap-out I conducted last year immediately started drawing out queen cells. It wasn't until these cells were ready to emerge that the queen made her way down. While I was not able to witness it (happened over a weekend), the cells were torn on the sides when the queen was found, leading me to conclude that the cells might have been 'quacking' and this served as impetus for the queen to come check things out.

Best of luck to you with this effort. I will look forward to seeing how this turns out.

Russ

 

[dd33]

I found eggs in the trap box today but was unable to find the queen. Hopefully she isn't passing back and forth through the cone.

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Hopefully she isn't passing back and forth through the cone.

That’s great news, but how would that be possible?

 

[dd33]

Not sure. I checked on them again this morning and had my wife help look for the queen. We still couldnt find her. Lots of eggs though.

 

[Litsinger]

Not sure. I checked on them again this morning and had my wife help look for the queen. We still couldnt find her. Lots of eggs though.

dd33:

This is the same problem that I ran into with one of my trap-outs last year. I took them home and ultimately found the queen.

In your specific case, and if you have the luxury of a little time, I would simply keep monitoring the traffic in the cone. Assuming there are no bees traveling the wrong way back into the wall, the traffic will slow to nothing and you will know you have harvested everything viable from the colony.

If however you determine you have two-way flow back into the wall cavity, you might try installing a manufactured one-way bee escape installed on the end of your cone for better control.

I look forward to reading how this one turns out for you- sounds promising.

Russ

 

[dd33]

We got the queen this morning. I transferred all of the frames into a standard deep box and moved it about a foot away from the hole in the wall. I stuck the one way cone into the hole in the wall. I figured I would check back in a day or so to see if there were still bees leaving the wall.

Any advice for how long to wait for all the bees in the wall to hatch and leave? Its only been 3-4 weeks so I assume there are still bees emerging inside the wall.

 

[Saltybee]

If I was the building owner I would say the longer the better. Best case is they are making a new queen for you and cleaning up all the honey and stores for the owner.

 

[Fivej]

Good point Salty. I had never thought this through. I don't do this stuff, but I like following this thread to live vicariously through others. So,lets say they make a new queen. I assume she goes on her mating flight and can't get back in. They eventually go laying worker and die off. In the process resources are used. This could take some time. From following here, it seems many seal everything up right away probably leaving a lot of honey,pollen,bee bread inside the structure. J

 

[dd33]

I stopped by the trap out again on the way home from work today. There were no bees coming out of the cone but a steady stream of fire ants going in. I don't think I am going to need to worry about letting the bees rob out the honey. The fire ants might take care of it all including unhatched brood.
I moved the box a few more feet away so the fire ants wouldn't take them out at the same time.

 

[Saltybee]

It's all local isn't it.

 

[Litsinger]

Congratulations, dd33. I sincerely hope that this colony preforms really well for you.

Enjoyed reading your posts and glad it worked out.

Russ

 

[Cloverdale]

Good looking set-up, dd33.

When facing a similar dilemma last year, i contacted Mr. Hogan and he suggested that I add another frame of open brood and then check the box 8-12 hours later, looking carefully to see if the queen is in there. If not, keep checking on 12 -24 hour intervals, and install the 1-way trap immediately once the queen is in residence.

For my part, I never did find the queen but confirmed she was in there when I brought the set-up home.

As mentioned in another thread, a second trap-out I conducted last year immediately started drawing out queen cells. It wasn't until these cells were ready to emerge that the queen made her way down. While I was not able to witness it (happened over a weekend), the cells were torn on the sides when the queen was found, leading me to conclude that the cells might have been 'quacking' and this served as impetus for the queen to come check things out.

Best of luck to you with this effort. I will look forward to seeing how this turns out.

Russ

That makes sense to me, the resident queen hearing the quacking; that sounds like a good way to do a trap out.

 

[dd33]

I went by the trap out location today to finish cleaning up my mess and permanently seal up the entrance hole I drilled. Turns out someone or something knocked the one way cone out of the hole and a new colony of bees moved in. Now I get to start all over again!

 

[JWPalmer]

The gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Litsinger]

Now I get to start all over again!

Good for you! Sounds like you're going to get the opportunity to become a trap-out expert.

Could be that the cavity bees were able to successfully requeen assuming enough population and another way out of the cavity.

 

[dd33]

I don't think so. The hole has probably been open for 1 or 2 weeks. I'm sure the smell was irresistible for a swarm.