Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: Sniper338 on April 26, 2017, 07:18:55 pm

Title: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Sniper338 on April 26, 2017, 07:18:55 pm
Ok...  we have a metal pipe in the ground illistrated by the picture.  Pipe protrudes 5 foot 10 inches above ground level.  Pipe is 10 inches in diameter.

Hive is not within the first 6 inches to 1 foot from the top of the pipe...  pipe is not cut even at the top edge.


How would you go about getting these bees?
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Captain776 on April 27, 2017, 05:12:28 am
There will be many ways, but here is one.
Try drilling a hole in the pipe 6" inches above the concrete to see if the comb extends that far, try to see where the comb ends, you may need to drill a few holes, try drilling 3/8" and use a flashlight to see if u see comb.
Hopefully it doesn't go all the way to the bottom.
Then you can cut the pipe off with a torch, after cutting the pipe off, then quickly cover both ends.
Then make yourself a plunger, wrap rags around a broom handle until it slides snugly thru the pipe or cut the cover of a 5 gallon bucket so it just fits snide the pipe.
Put down a tarp or blue plastic and plunge it out to one end...........have a NUC Box or an 8 frame ready and salvage what you can

Bruce
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: BeeMaster2 on April 27, 2017, 01:37:37 pm
I'm not sure the bees will survive a cutting torch cutting off an 8" diameter pipe. Instead use an electric hand held metal cutting band saw to cut the pipe. Almost no heat and safer for the bees. It may take a while depending on how thick the pipe wall is.
Ask Divemaster about his hive cutting tools.
Jim
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Sniper338 on April 27, 2017, 06:43:44 pm
Cant drill into the pipe or cut it.  They still need it as is.  Just need the bees out.
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Captain776 on April 27, 2017, 09:41:22 pm
Cant drill into the pipe or cut it.  They still need it as is.  Just need the bees out.
Then perhaps you need to fashion a funnel from screen and try to bait them into a bait box.
There is videos how to do this.

Bruce
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: divemaster1963 on April 27, 2017, 10:30:02 pm
can you see down into the pipe to see the hive? is the comb attached to sides or to somthing across the pipe.IE rod for achoring chain. build platform around the top at a good working hight. get rod as long as the hie is deep ( judge this. ) get piece of 18 gauge sheet metal cut to the dia of pipe. attach one edge to pipe and wire to another side of circle. now slide the pipe and plate down the inside of the pipe past the hive and then try to lift the circle so as to seal the bottom and make a lift. he is the messy part get a rod and attach a cheap long blade to the end at right angle. and bend to lay flat against the inside of the pipe. now the fun part start cutting the comb away from the wall all the way around down to the plate. then slowly raise the plate and cut the sections off the top and put into frames.its messy and you will loose some of the bees but you get brood and nurse bees and maybe the queen.  I had a job in a old stone chimney that was 8 feet long I even had to buy hoe's to make tools.it will take time time to do. it took me 6 hours on my stomach to do it.

john
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Acebird on April 28, 2017, 09:23:38 am
I think I would drill a 1" hole with a hole saw about 10" above the concrete and shove the bottom end of a bucket in the top of the pipe to seal it off and get them to use the hole.  Then I would place hive boxes next to the hole with drawn frames with maybe a queen lure.  Now get a bucket smaller then the pipe and pour in a bee repellent.  Tie a string to the handle so you can pull it out later.  lower it down as far as it will go and seal off the top again.  Wait for the bees to take up residence in the new hive.  Then seal up the 1" hole when they are using the new hive.  This may require adding a queen.
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Captain776 on April 29, 2017, 01:40:03 am
I think I would drill a 1" hole with a hole saw about 10" above the concrete and shove the bottom end of a bucket in the top of the pipe to seal it off and get them to use the hole.  Then I would place hive boxes next to the hole with drawn frames with maybe a queen lure.  Now get a bucket smaller then the pipe and pour in a bee repellent.  Tie a string to the handle so you can pull it out later.  lower it down as far as it will go and seal off the top again.  Wait for the bees to take up residence in the new hive.  Then seal up the 1" hole when they are using the new hive.  This may require adding a queen.

Best idea yet.
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: herbhome on April 29, 2017, 02:34:18 am
Set a platform next to the top of the pipe with a bait hive on it. Place at least one frame of eggs in the hive and as much drawn comb as you can get. Make sure the hive entrance touches the pipe. Duct tape a screen funnel onto the end of the pipe.

The bees will leave the pipe through the funnel but will try to return at the end where it attaches to the pipe. They will scent the brood in the bait hive and enter it to tend the brood. Eventually all the bees will leave and shift over to the bait hive. Sometimes even the queen will come out but you won't recover the comb this way.
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: KeyLargoBees on May 19, 2017, 01:50:48 pm
He specifically states that he cant cut or drill the pipe....

Quote
Cant drill into the pipe or cut it.  They still need it as is.  Just need the bees out.

so unless you trap them out i don't see any hope for getting them out alive with any high % chance of getting the queen. At that point its a scrape and dump clean up effort.
Title: Re: Bee removal help... continued with visual..
Post by: Captain776 on May 21, 2017, 08:53:49 am
What does this pipe do. Why can't it be cut........sawed off and re welded into place........is that an option?
Are the bees still in it?
Did trying to trap them out work?