Author Topic: Tree Trapout in Sanderson FL. (Read 9371 times)

BeeMaster2 · « **on:** June 09, 2018, 02:58:22 pm »

I received a call to remove bees from a tree. The owner said that the he saw the bees for the first time the day before. He was pretty sure they were not there very long. I decided to vacuum up the guard bees and look in as well as I could and then smoke them out based on them moving in this week. I removed a lot of bees from the entrance but the moment I stopped to look into the hive they filled the entrance with bees again. I was finally able to see inside and I could see dark orange comb in it. I kept trying to get a picture of the comb but as you can see below there were too many bees.

Here are 2 videos that I took after I installed the Trapout.

https://youtu.be/a-tXifcPQlk

https://youtu.be/bQ-EZK5VjCw

Hope these help those who want to do Trapouts.

beepro · « **Reply #1 on:** June 09, 2018, 07:54:23 pm »

How long it will take to completely trap out this hive?
After the trap out is over what do you do with the entrance into the tree?

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 09, 2018, 08:05:27 pm »

Quote from: beepro on June 09, 2018, 07:54:23 pm

How long it will take to completely trap out this hive?
After the trap out is over what do you do with the entrance into the tree?

I just checked on this hive. The bees are definitely moving into the Nuc. The problem is that the bees in the hive are covering the inside of the wire cloth and the field bees are feeding them through the wire.
In the past the bees have moved out in about 3 to 4 weeks. I am going to have to add a screen over the cloth. I suspect this hive to take a lot longer. It is an older bigger hive than the other ones.
I will fill the void with expanding foam to seal the hive up.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 09, 2018, 08:08:41 pm »

Here is a picture from earlier today.

cao · « **Reply #4 on:** June 09, 2018, 11:21:00 pm »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 09, 2018, 08:05:27 pm

I am going to have to add a screen over the cloth. I suspect this hive to take a lot longer. It is an older bigger hive than the other ones.

I would think a piece of thin plywood(or anything solid) would work better than screen. It would concentrate the scent from the hive to just the cone area. I also think it would help if the entrance of the nuc was a little closer to the base of the cone.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 10, 2018, 12:39:59 am »

Cao,
I have done that before with a small hole for an exitthe bees died it th tree from lack of air. I won?t do that again.
None of my recent Trapouts boxes have been real close to the hive. The last 2 even caught the queens.
Jim

beepro · « **Reply #6 on:** June 10, 2018, 02:52:50 am »

To prevent the bees feeding each other, is there a way to make a double mesh for the
trap out, one inside the other? This way the bees cannot feed each other with a gap in
between the 2 mesh. / / \ \ <<== Double mesh with gap in between.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:25:15 am »

When I put the next piece of screen on I will staple one side and then stretch it tight to the other side of the opening. That will provide a gap.
Jim

Acebird · « **Reply #8 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:37:32 am »

I think I would just suck them off the screen and let them go miles away from the hive. Could be home apiary if it is far enough away.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:48:18 am »

Ace,
In five minutes it will be covered in bees again. This is a big hive. If you look very closely, you will see that the entire inside of the wire is a solid mass of bees. I already vacuumed up 2 to 3 thousand bees the first day and it did not change anything.
Jim

Acebird · « **Reply #10 on:** June 10, 2018, 01:16:38 pm »

OK, 2-3K bees is not a lot of bees if the colony is 60K strong. If the bees on the inside are continually fed they are not going to leave. So I am thinking those bees that are doing that have to be removed. I also think closing that screen off would help. I think that would encourage more bees to get outside the hive.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 10, 2018, 03:26:23 pm »

Ace,
I will be putting another layer of screen with a gap between it and the existing screen so that they cannot make contact. I do not want to block airflow because it is very possible that I could suffocate the bees in the tree before they can get out.
Jim

Acebird · « **Reply #12 on:** June 10, 2018, 06:40:43 pm »

That is one scenario. The foragers are covering the screen so the ventilation is cut off anyway. Cut it off for them. Make it hot and they will exit. They can still exit right? The goal is to get them to exit.

iddee · « **Reply #13 on:** June 10, 2018, 06:51:04 pm »

Ace, your posts are showing how little you know about trapping bees. The more you post, the more you show how little you know, so it would behoove you to quit guessing and just stay quiet.

No, they will not leave. They will cover the brood and fan until they die. If the feeding isn't stopped, they will last long enough in a weakened state for the SHB to take over and kill them. ETC. ETC. ETC.

Acebird · « **Reply #14 on:** June 10, 2018, 07:03:07 pm »

Quote from: iddee on June 10, 2018, 06:51:04 pm

If the feeding isn't stopped, they will last long enough in a weakened state for the SHB to take over and kill them.

Jim is going to put another screen on to stop the feeding so I guess again they will die and the SHB will take over. Or do you think not?

Acebird · « **Reply #15 on:** June 10, 2018, 07:07:44 pm »

Wally, what is the end game of a trap out? The SHB, wax moths and any food seeking critter comes in and consumes what was there. Some time passes and a swarm will take up the cavity. History repeats itself.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:20:08 pm »

Ace,
The idea of a trap out is to make it so that as the bees leave they cannot get back in. Normally they cannot get in they move into the provided Nuc that eggs in it. In this case they can feed the bees nectar through the wire so they are doing it. If I add another layer with a gap they will no longer be able to transfer the food and then they should go in the Nuc.
As the bees keep leaving, younger and younger bees become field bees. No food is coming in and egg laying should stop. When the food runs out the queen and the remaining bees abscond. When that happens I will use a can of foam and fill the void so that the bees cannot reuse the tree as a hive.
Jim

iddee · « **Reply #17 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:22:31 pm »

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php/topic,20038.0.html

Acebird · « **Reply #18 on:** June 11, 2018, 08:29:40 am »

And you provide a photo of a traditional trap out cone which has a wooden base. The wooden base gets mounted to the elongated entrance very similar to what Jim shows. Then the part of the entrance that is not covered by the wooden base is completely sealed. Your photo Wally is not the only one that I have seen. I would call it the norm.

https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=20038.0

eltalia · « **Reply #19 on:** June 11, 2018, 10:14:39 am »

" Your photo Wally is not the only one that I have seen. I would call it the norm."

You would know or should know Brian seeing is great, but it does not beat
doing. As much as Wally wont welcome the attention I am going with his
remarks as to input from you here on this topic.

Jim, three items of interest which may build pause for thought.

*Ventilation;
On the opposite wall/end/side of the cone placement a 25mm penetration
screened with stainless steel fine mesh.
*Entrance;
When setting up provide a 25mm penetration, screened both sides of
ply/rocksheet. Again stainless steel mesh is a must have,
*Cone;
Wrap/cover the cone up to 100mm from the open end. Use material
that prohibits sunlight penetrating by 100%.

As said before today I do not follow the popular method of T/0, but
these adaptations from my method may be of help to yourself and
others in that method. Lucks to those bees.

Bill.