BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > HONEYBEE REMOVAL
Collecting abandoned bees
BeeMaster2:
Yesterday I saw that the commercial Beek removed their bees so I made up a 2 medium box full of drawn stickie frames. We extracted honey on Tuesday. There were about 60,000 bees left behind. They probably lost about 1000 bees from each of the he 64 hives.
Here is a video showing the bees entering within minutes of putting the box down.
https://youtu.be/1A-j0PBHA4o
This morning at 5:45 I went there hoping they had moved into the box. I took an extra 5 frame nuc with 5 more stickie frames. I was planning on leaving it if there were a lot of bees left after I removed the first box. Here is what I found this morning.
I ended up placing the second box up against were the bees were the thickest. I used smoke to heard the bees left in the grass into the box. They started pouring into the box and then after several minutes they suddenly started pouring back out of the box and went right into the second box.
I picked up the Nuc and put the top on and put it in the truck. I had to pick up the 2 medium box with the front and 2 sides covered in bees. It was so heavy that I could barely pick it up high enough to get it in the truck. I paper added these bees to 4 queen right hives and I placed another stickie medium box in the back of my truck to collect the ball of bees left after I removed the 2 boxes. I just added it to a 2 medium box.
Then I started scooping up the bees hanging outside of the hives and poured Them in different boxes to help fill them up. I them just started pouring bees on the entrances of the remaining hives.
BeeMaster2:
In this first picture you can see the paper sticking out the sides of the 8 frame box and the hive on the left side. I added the Nuc to the 8 frame and one medium to the hive on the left. It had so many bees in the top medium that I had to add another stickie box above it. I still had to sweep bees from the out side and spread them around.
I added the bottom medium to the hive on the right and again had to add a stickie on top of it and again sweep the bees off the side and spread them around. I put the stickie that collect the bees remaining in the truck on the second hive from the left. Notice that I did not paper add.
Acebird:
--- Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 07, 2018, 03:03:21 pm ---There were about 60,000 bees left behind. They probably lost about 1000 bees from each of the he 64 hives.
--- End quote ---
So now what is the plan? You got 60000 hungry foragers. Did the commercial operator leave because the flows are over?
BeeMaster2:
--- Quote from: Acebird on June 07, 2018, 09:05:51 pm ---
--- Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 07, 2018, 03:03:21 pm ---There were about 60,000 bees left behind. They probably lost about 1000 bees from each of the he 64 hives.
--- End quote ---
So now what is the plan? You got 60000 hungry foragers. Did the commercial operator leave because the flows are over?
--- End quote ---
Yes.
I have a apiary site in Jacksonville that I will be moving my bees to. I have the bee trailer that I will load up my bees on and move them.
I?m concerned about t putting all my bees in one location with the possibility of them being sprayed for mosquitoes again. A lot of hives were killed last year here in Florida in order to kill mosquitoes.
Jim
beepro:
Glad that you rescued these poor little stranded bees. Now they have a
new home. The timing is just right!
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