Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: annette on November 17, 2009, 06:50:53 pm
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Got a call from this women (named Shawna) who happens to be the project manager for our 4H beekeeping club. I am teaching this club beekeeping and somehow someone contacted Shawna that there was a dresser filled with bees sitting at a construction site about 1/2 hour away from me.
Anyway Shawna went down there today and reported back to me that the bees filled up only about 1/2 of the top drawer of the dresser. Not a whole lot of bees, much honey and some brood. They are bringing in pollen
She wants to bring that dresser back to her house tomorrow and save those bees. The construction site men said the project is finished and the bees have to go.
So I am asking you all for advice.
If there is a small population of bees would it be best to just do a cut out and place everything into a small nuc and feed them??? I would tie in some of the honey into frames also. And if you agree with this scenario, how would I tell her to feed them for the duration of the winter??
It is a bit to cool at night now for sugar syrup. Since she will have to feed them all through the winter, so would it be best to just place newspaper on top of the frames and dump that bakers sugar on top??
She doesn't have anyother beehives so combining is out of the question.
Please send any advice because she is bringing the dresser to her home tomorrow, and wants to place them into the nuc on Thursday since we still have some decent weather.
Thanks
Annette
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any way she can leave them in the dresser until spring? that would be my first choice, but her winters may be milder....
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any way she can leave them in the dresser until spring? that would be my first choice, but her winters may be milder....
No our winters I believe are colder here. Gets really cold at night for several months. (20's and 30's)
This was my thought also, but if the numbers are really low and the draw they are in is not even filled up, they would have so much room to keep warm. Although, they would have all that honey already in there near them and probably would not starve to death. My feeling is to just leave them alone. Thanks for this input.
Annette
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that would be my choice. if you try to move them, they probably won't make it. if you leave them, they have a chance.
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that would be my choice. if you try to move them, they probably won't make it. if you leave them, they have a chance.
I really did not want them moved, but apparently they have to be moved.
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can the dresser be move and the bees left in it?
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I would agree with Kathy that leaving the bees in the dresser over the winter would be much less distruptive vs. trying to get them into a nuc.
...Tim
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Agreed.... Take the whole dresser home and leave it as is until spring.
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The dresser's finish can not handle rain water. Cold yes but not rain. The individual boards used to make the planks will separate if expose to too much water. So cover the top with something from the home Improvement store: treated plywood, tin, fiberglass roofing slats, etc. The sides will shed the water so should last much longer than the top. I would make the material used stick out 6 inches or so from the sides if I could.
Can you stuff some of the empty space with quilting?
The idea of a dresser hive is awesome. If only...
P.S.- show pictures!
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OK I will forward all these responses to the women and I am sure she will agree to just leave them as is. She will bring the dresser to her property tomorrow.
Thanks for the help
Annette
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My vote is also to leave them where they are until the spring. Insulating the dresser area they occupy may be in order. If they have as much honey as you say, they should be in good shape come spring time.
I don't remove colonies this time of year unless they absolutely 100% have to go, but rest assured I inform the customer they most likely won't survive the removal process.
Today I looked at an external colony on a ligustrum bush. The people are taking my advice constructing a border around the colony to block the wind and letting it take its chances. Late February, early March if they survive we will remove them then.
...JP
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If the dresser is not something she wants to salvage it might do well with some felt paper stapled to it, as a wrap. Also some sort of High density insulation on the top that would overhang the side to shear the water.
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I forwarded all the info to the women.
Thanks JP & Sparky
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any way she can leave them in the dresser until spring? that would be my first choice, but her winters may be milder....
No our winters I believe are colder here. Gets really cold at night for several months. (20's and 30's)
This was my thought also, but if the numbers are really low and the draw they are in is not even filled up, they would have so much room to keep warm. Although, they would have all that honey already in there near them and probably would not starve to death. My feeling is to just leave them alone. Thanks for this input.
Annette
You say they need to have feed, with all of that honey why??
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I would let them bee for the winter, if possible. Protect them from the cold and damp as much as possible. Keep a close eye on them and feed if necessary. HMMM, what an interesting observation hive that would make.... :roll: I am in the process of building a bee barn for just such an occasion when I might have to nurse a hive over the winter months.
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any way she can leave them in the dresser until spring? that would be my first choice, but her winters may be milder....
No our winters I believe are colder here. Gets really cold at night for several months. (20's and 30's)
This was my thought also, but if the numbers are really low and the draw they are in is not even filled up, they would have so much room to keep warm. Although, they would have all that honey already in there near them and probably would not starve to death. My feeling is to just leave them alone. Thanks for this input.
Annette
You say they need to have feed, with all of that honey why??
You are correct, I was still thinking of the cutout.
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I envision a new style of hive!
what if you could check the bottom brood box without removing the top boxes? Basically stackable drawers with frames in them.
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Annette, well???? Do you know what the outcome was of this, I would love to hear what happened, have a most wonderful day, with health. Cindi
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I envision a new style of hive!
what if you could check the bottom brood box without removing the top boxes? Basically stackable drawers with frames in them.
That is an outstanding idea!
***off to drawing board***
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Sit the whole dresser in the shed or barn until early spring, if you need to feed them pour sugar into the draw, or take a hole saw to the top of the dresser for a quart jar feeder.
G3
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OK I wanted to reply earlier, but stuff happens!! Anyway this is where we are right now with the dresser. The dresser cannot be left on the construction site, as we have been told it is a liability issue right now (someone might get stung). So next week we are going down and moving the entire dresser to Shawna's property up in Placerville. We will drill a hole in the top of the dresser and pour bakers sugar into the drawer. Then place insulation all around the dresser and staple tar paper onto the dresser to protect from the rain. Shawna will find some roofing material to place on top to keep the dresser dry.
All that will be left open is the opening for the bees to go in and out. The dresser has to be outdoors, no barn or shed to place this hive.
What do you all think?
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It sounds like a well thought out plan to me. Where I am, I get pretty stiff winds that would blow a dresser over - so if that is the case, you might want to tie it to a fence post or place it where it won't get blown over.
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OH yea - a few bricks will do it. She can watch them if there is a truly bad storm. But something to think about for sure. Thanks for mentioning this as the dresser will be very light. 5 drawers, but only the top drawer filled with the bees.
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Bricks could go in the bottom drawer
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This has been tried but there is a little thing called propolis that makes opening drawers impossible after a short time.
I envision a new style of hive!
what if you could check the bottom brood box without removing the top boxes? Basically stackable drawers with frames in them.
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Bricks could go in the bottom drawer
Good Idea!!
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This has been tried but there is a little thing called propolis that makes opening drawers impossible after a short time.
Are you just trying to goat me into making one. As long as the bees were prevented from getting to the runners on the drawers it could work. I think the bigger problem would be weight and expense but it's something to think about.
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I envision a new style of hive!
what if you could check the bottom brood box without removing the top boxes? Basically stackable drawers with frames in them.
Root sold them in the 60's -> http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,8627.msg54305.html#msg54305 (http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,8627.msg54305.html#msg54305)
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I have had numerous people ask me why they are not designed like this.
I guess it really could not work very well with the propolis still gumming up the works.