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Trapout and Cool Weather Question

799 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Vance G
Got a tree with a bee hive in it and the owner wants them gone. They don't want the tree cut at all (one of the biggest beautiful cedars Ive ever seen) so I figure they have two options - kill them in the tree via can of Raid\Exterminator or let me trap them out. Obviously I am going to try to convince them to skip the can of Raid. The problem is that it is only in the 50s to 60s (daily highs) now so trapping with a bait frame of eggs I think would be out (too cold, dead eggs). Assuming I can't talk them into waiting for warmer weather before picking up the can of Raid, what are my options?

This will be my first trapout so I am green here. I was thinking I could bait them with a hive that is either queenless and has a couple of frames of brood/eggs WITH the bees on them. This would at least keep the brood/eggs alive until the bee tree bees join to help. Or use a weak queen right hive and use the tree bees to reinforce it. But I would think that the queenright hive idea might jeopardize the queen...yes??? With the queenless option, would the bees fight/kill each other or would the trapped out tree hive bees be welcomed with minimal fighting?

Any other options I am missing? Any help or ideas would be appreciated, thanks!
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See this thread:

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...ee-on-his-property-help&p=1078860#post1078860

In particular, note post #7. Send Cleo Hogan your email address and ask for a copy of his trapout guide.
If your tree was foraging heavy enough and the frame of brood arrived in a cooler, warmed with hot water in baggies, I bet that the returning bees would cover the brood especially if you put a one way cone on the entrance to the tree. That way you would at least get all the bees.
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