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Author Topic: Aussie Removal Stories  (Read 81461 times)

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #40 on: October 10, 2010, 06:39:23 pm »
I keep all mine to the Peninsula area. I get quite a few calls from Cheltnam and Brighton but since i change my listing from no fee to fee charged i seem to get less calls from up there :)

Some people are genuinely annoyed that i wont go on a 3 or 4 hours round trip on the weekend with a few minutes notice, for free. It would different if i thought they were hard up, but its the people from the nice burbs who have this attitude. As my wife says "hope they like bees" :)

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #41 on: October 11, 2010, 08:35:28 am »
Got a frantic call from some one who tried to smoke thier bees out of thier chimney...it certainly worked, smoked em right out of the chimney and into the lounge room.

Not much i could do, the bees were crawling back up the chimney, pretty sure she was still up there. He still had 5000 odd bees in lounge and i scooped them over towards his fireplace and recommended he call some one who gets bees out of chimneys (not me). I think we he will get them gassed and then try re lighting it...he wanted to try lighting it while i was there but i think his girlfriend would've cut his balls off if he tried that again :)


Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #42 on: October 11, 2010, 08:18:17 pm »
How long had the hive been there? Just moved in, or established?

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #43 on: October 11, 2010, 08:24:59 pm »
More a swarm than a hive...1 or 2 weeks?

Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #44 on: October 11, 2010, 10:37:54 pm »
More a swarm than a hive...1 or 2 weeks?

It dosn't take them long to build a few sheets of comb. I caught a swarm last monday and due to a shortage of frames I wasn't able to give them any until the weekend. They had created 4 good size sheets of comb which I transfered into some empty frames and held them there with some rubber bands. So 1-2 weeks could get you quite a bit of wax. Don't forget the bees will be working to a tight schedule. They have to get the new hive established really quickly before the older girls start dying.

Below is my latest cut-out. It was in the side wall at the back of a weatherboard house. Initial I thought the bees were in the back wall because that was where the entrance was, but that's not where it turned out to be. The comb was from the the top board all the way down to the bottom board, about 2.7m. They were camped between 2 x 450mm studs. I filled 14 frames with brood. The left hand column was solid honey. Tasted sweet as too. The owner is now very tempted in taking up the hobby too after tasting real honey, not the stuff you get in the shops.

Difficult to remove the bees from the wall, they didn't feel much like following the brood. So they ended up in the bee vac and transfered at home.









Offline Meadlover

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #45 on: October 20, 2010, 07:52:58 am »
I have 2 trapouts going at the moment. Need to check on them and my other hives this weekend, although with wet weather planned again, not sure how much I will be able to get done in my hives.

I was getting alot of calls a few weeks back, but for the last 2-3 weeks, no calls at all. Once it warms up and dries out a bit I'm sure I will get more calls again from all around Brisbane - not sure how many more I want though, as I have run out of woodware!

Alot of my calls have had the query of "I have a swarm.......You need the bees right?" My response to that is to tell them "No actually, I don't need bees, I have a fulltime job, and I have enough bees, but I could find a home for them if required".

My last trapout started with a call from a Realestate agent along those lines ".......Oh, it will cost money, I though you needed bees". In this case I told her it would be $200+.  Received my $200 in the mail yesterday  8-)

ML

Offline Meadlover

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #46 on: October 20, 2010, 07:54:05 am »
Nice picks of that cutout too Phil

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #47 on: October 20, 2010, 08:53:38 am »
Yeah i am having a lot of the same convos with callers. People expecting me to come at night time and get irritated when i ask them to pay if they want me to 30km round trip and inspect after hours.

I am charging for every swarm removal now. I get so many calls and most people are so demanding i dont feel mean charging. Although, I am easily talked into discounting if the people are nice :)

I dont have enough time to handle bees in roofs or too high up. But happy to go in walls and trees and i am starting to build a collection of possum boxes at my house :)

Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #48 on: October 20, 2010, 09:45:05 am »
Nice picks of that cutout too Phil

Thanks mate. I have another cut-out to do on Saturday. It's a rental place and it's been booked in for weeks otherwise I would say to them the weather is too poor for it. I have a feeling it's going to be a biggen' too. I will be sure to take the camera.

Once I have done this one that's it I'm hanging up my collecting for a few weeks. I need the rest and time to consolidate the 10 or so hives I have now. I only had 2 a month ago!


Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #49 on: October 25, 2010, 09:28:20 pm »
No calls for a quite a few days now...quiet for everyone else too?

Offline malachii

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #50 on: October 26, 2010, 02:13:21 am »
I got a call last night and 1 this morning (in west Gippsland).

malachii

Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #51 on: October 26, 2010, 02:23:57 am »
Took myself off the list.

I did start a cutout on Saturday and completed last night that had been on the books to do for a few months. 8 hours in total even with a friend helping me for 4 hours on Saturday. It was in a the wall of a bungalow, top board to bottom board solid with comb and bees.













Came back last night to these...


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Collected them ok in the bee vac, but then decided to check the panel on the right and found as many bees again in there. (sorry forgot to take another pic)

I aint charging anywhere near enough.  :deadhorse:
« Last Edit: October 26, 2010, 04:13:43 am by philinacoma »

Offline malachii

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #52 on: October 26, 2010, 03:08:28 am »
I know this is a permanent question - but how much do you charge?  I've been charging $50 for a basic swarm call out and then make it up from there depending on how difficult the collection is and how difficult the people are.  Anyone else got a better/different charging structure?

malachii

Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #53 on: October 26, 2010, 04:15:15 am »
Removed...

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #54 on: October 26, 2010, 04:41:50 am »
I've been charging $50 for a basic swarm call out and then make it up from there depending on how difficult the collection is and how difficult the people are.  Anyone else got a better/different charging structure?

malachii

I start at $150 for a swarm and up from there to cut outs etc. I am easily bribed and talked down by pensioners and hotties, but thats my starting point. I figure by the time i buy and assemble a hive and frames $80+?. Drive out there...they are always $20 in fuel from here, its always after hours...$150 is fair. EDIT having said this, i know why i dont get many calls, now there is some others in this area and they charge $20...but...their customers are phoning me to come an clean after them because they only remove the queen and leave half the colony behind :(

If i have some one who wants the swarm, which i have lately, i reduce the price by the swarm sale price. Not interested in making money, but not interested in working for nothing...my bee mentor yells at me a lot for doing it too cheaply, i am wrecking the bee game etc etc etc

« Last Edit: October 26, 2010, 06:10:46 am by Pete »

Offline sas_marine@hotmail.com

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #55 on: October 31, 2010, 09:56:26 am »
ive got a good one, my grandmum rings me up and says there are 2 swarms on 1 branch only a meter between them??? i got there but they both disapeard before i got threre, i was wondering if its possible for a swarm to entice another hive to swarm??? because i know swarms do attract other bees,, hmm and ideas?? i wish i got to see it though

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #56 on: October 31, 2010, 10:27:29 pm »
What can happen is a big swarm will gather on several branches and then the weight will make one of the branches sag too much and it breaks the clump apart...

Offline sas_marine@hotmail.com

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #57 on: November 01, 2010, 08:47:54 pm »
darn, thats a shame, i missed a monster hive i think :(

Offline philinacoma

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #58 on: November 02, 2010, 08:00:29 am »
Promised to help a guy transfer a feral swarm from under his house into boxes.

Check the photo:

'Hot House'

It's starting to get a little hot for him and he needs it moved.

Offline Pete

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Re: Aussie Removal Stories
« Reply #59 on: November 02, 2010, 08:21:55 am »
No bees in tht pic, where they all gone?

 

anything