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Author Topic: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?  (Read 3523 times)

Offline sarahplusbees

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Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« on: July 22, 2014, 11:27:15 am »
I have had a call from a fellow who has bees living in his brick building. They are definitely living inside the wall, leaving me to conclude that a trap-out is the only reasonable solution. It is however fairly late in the season, and I'm curious about how likely it is that the colony would survive. The bees have been living there for a few years, so the guy might not have a problem waiting till the Spring, and it seems a shame to rush things and kill all the bees, but on the other hand the guy's neighbors might get impatient, and I don't want to lose the job!

Would it be ok to do the removal now, or is it better to wait for Spring so the colony has a better chance of survival?
-Sarah Plonski
www.sarahplusbees.com

Offline iddee

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2014, 12:10:09 pm »
My opinion? Too late for a trap out in Pa. It could be late Oct. before it's finished and there would be no time to even feed up, for sure no natural buildup.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline G3farms

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2014, 03:52:07 pm »
Do a cut out from the inside if you can get to them. It will be a much better job for the customer and the bees.

What is on the inside where the bees are located? sheet rock is easy to cut into and repair.

A few pics of the project would be helpful.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline greenbtree

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2014, 06:32:00 pm »
I agree totally with ID.  Wait till Spring, if you do it now it will probably only giving yourself experience.  If you have other hives you could do a combine to boost their numbers, but are unlikely to end up with any hives.  There is also the possibility that you do not get all the bees, and they start up again in Spring.  Plus (and this is the point I would stress with the homeowner, and he can tell his neighbor this) now is when that hive is going to be loaded with honey, you probably won't have time to go through the whole process including letting the last box of bees go back in to rob out the remaining honey.  He could end up with a mess.  If there is no way to get to them and the comb from inside the house, wait until Spring.

JC
"Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken, or life about to end.  No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, like the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!"

Offline Robo

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2014, 10:29:18 pm »
Another for "Wait until Spring".....
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Packrat3wires

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2014, 08:32:27 pm »
I have run into the same situation lately.    I convinced one guy to wait but I am sure he will not.    He has been spraying them for the last month with Raid.    If he does wait until spring I may b able to save the colony.    The other had to be done because it was a tree set to be cut down.    The tree service would not touch it until I did the trap out.   Good relationship with the tree service so it is a win win win for the home owner, the tree company and myself.    Good luck!!!
"evil prevails when good men fail to act"   Edmund Burke

Offline capt44

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2014, 07:29:05 pm »
I quit doing trap-outs August 15th.
I'm trying to get the folks to wait until spring to trap them out.
If I started a trap-out today it would take 6 -9 weeks for it to work.
By that time I would be looking at late October or early November.
Yep too late.
Richard Vardaman (capt44)

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Good/Bad Time of year for a trap-out?
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2014, 08:30:16 pm »
I visited an apartment this evening that has a new swarm in the space under the second floor patio. This is the second hive in the same apartment as I did earlier this year. Not the same spot, 6' away. I had tried to seal this spot but I was caulking in the bling through the hand railing and must have missed a spot. Twice now I have advised the manager to have someone go around and seal up the buildings. I will try to smoke them out tomorrow and if they will not come out, I will have to trap them out. No choice, they have a new tenant waiting to move in. Down here they have a good chance of making it.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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