[greathorned]

Hi All
I have ordered a BeeVac, with an extra container as the hive I am about to cut-out has a serious hum going on inside. As I plan on being there until dark, my question is what time of day should I start ripping/snorting/and tearing down the inside wall? My thought was to start on a sunny day shortly after 12PM as most of the foragers would be out in the field, and I would be dealing with less bees.
Is this the ideal thinking or should I hit them while they are sleeping with a surprise attack at dawn? As I see it I will likely have to be there at dark anyway vacuming up the last foragers.
Your input is most appreciated.
Cheers,
Greathorned.

 

[tomkat]

I have done several cut outs, I would never do one at night.
Yes the foragers are all (mostly) in at night, but your walking on thin ice.
If a hive is active and working you are going to have an easier time doing the cut out.
Your there to destory their home, so yes they will be rattled.

Just my two cents.

 

[greathorned]

LOL.....no definately would not start at night. I would work it til dusk to make sure no-girl was left behind. Cheers

 

[sfloyd]

Where did you get your BeeVac and about what did you have to pay for it?

 

[greathorned]

I ordered it through Brushy Mountain Bee Supplies. 130 for the Vac. $48 for the extra trap. Allsaid with shipping it was $199.43

 

[Cub]

I start all cutouts at the same time.... as soon as I can sneak away from work. If possible just leave the hive box there a few days, and pick them all up at after dark. If it's not close by, I leave them in the vac box and dump them out at home. If the queen finds a place to hide and gets missed, you'll have to vac them all up again if you dump them onsite.

 

[jimsteelejr]

Here in Florida during the summer the heat will kill you if you are wearing a bee jacket and veil. We always try to do the job so the sun is on the other side and we can work in the shade. We have done western exposures in the am and eastern exposures later in the day. We have done a few at night because of neighbors or other reasons. Night time is not bad but it complicates things 10 fold. The bees are attracted to light, hoses, and tools are easy to misplace or fall over, and its easy to miss a clump of bees if you don't do a thorough search. Our worst night job was a vacant house that we had given the woman who owned it a price weeks before so we figured that she found some one else. Sunday night at 6pm she called and says the job is ours but the carpenters are coming in the morning to repair the termite damage where the bees were entering so we had to do it then. I charged her an extra $50 but it was not worth the aggravation. The bees had filled the space between studs from about a foot below the window all the way up to the roof beam. Then it took her two weeks to mail the check.

 

[G3farms]

I like to get started about 8 or 9 in the morning. Figure about an hour to get everything out and set up, chit chat with owner, and start tearing into the hive. Foragers will be out flying at first light.

Get them cut out and the biggest part done then you can take a good lunch break while they cluster back up. Be sure to keep the vac bees cool, they will over heat pretty quick.

 

[tuzserhu]

Depending on the size, how long have they occupied the space?
At night is difficult and does not make much sense as others have noted too unless you do not have another choice.
A hive that was in a wall, behind plaster for 2 months took me 2-2.5 hours without the use of the vacuum. Filled 10 medium frames with comb.
I went back after dark and a huge cluster of bees suggested that the queen was not in the box.
Got the vacuum out and a red light and within an hour sucked everybody up. (I could have come back the next morning but because it was too far, I decided to take the chance and vacuum them up right there)
Went back next morning and there were 5 bees searching for their mates.
It helps if you have somebody with you and can feed you the frames, do preparatory work.
Good luck.

 

[Mr.Beeman]

Start in the am like... 8am. Should take about 4 hrs typically with two beeks. If you are close, leave the hive there by their original entrance (now sealed up) for a day or two. Remove them at dusk.
If not close vac the bees that are congregated outside and pack up.
Bring plenty of water to drink. Gets hot real quick in a suit.

 

[WilMorris]

I've noticed much greater mortality vacuuming bees in the AM. They're cold and immobile and rolling around through a hose is rough. Next time you vac up a cold ball of bees, take a short look in the vacuum. It's a sad sight. I like to wait till noon is to get started. Yeah it's hot in a suit but oh well. Bees are less cranky and more interested in working comb and such. If I can't leave the box till late, I try to start late enough to have everything wrapped up by the time most are coming home from the field.