Free Standing Hive Removal in the Winter

[MrILoveTheAnts]

Down south there are hives that simply form under decks and tree branches, without any real shelter. Can these be removed in the winter time? Like when there's still snow on the ground?

[asprince]

I would not. Winters are very stressful to bees. Cut outs are extremely stressful. The chances of a hive surviving both at the same time are slim. If you do not get the queen, getting a replacement queen this time of the year are very slim. Now if the hive is going to be destroyed anyway, I would take a chance.

Steve   

[JP]

Down south there are hives that simply form under decks and tree branches, without any real shelter. Can these be removed in the winter time? Like when there's still snow on the ground?

I'll mimic what Steve said. Once a colony goes into winter mode you really don't want to mess with them, except perhaps to emergency feed.

Even where I live I have people waiting for the season to turn, which here is later this month/early March.

I have five removals I can think of right now that people have been patiently waiting for the bees to come out of winter.

One is an external colony in a shrub that I first looked at in January & advised the customer to add a windbreak, which they happily did.

That is what I always suggest on external colonies trying to survive winter, adding a windbreak & waiting it out.


...JP

[Kathyp]

even this year, when it has been exceptionally warm, i am waiting.  got my first call yesterday for a removal, but the odds of saving a hive this early are so low, i really want to wait until at least next month unless they are going to destroy the hive anyway.  fortunately this was an easy call because this guy was way out of my area  :-D

the fever is starting to burn!!!!!!!!

[Shalako]

I removed a colony yesterday from a tree that fell and busted open. From the looks of the stores they were about out of food. I put the comb with honey in an empty deep super then placed another deep with foundation over it. I have visual confirmation that I got the queen.This morning I fed syrup with fumagilin-b and dusted with terramycin. Is there anything else I need to do to give them a better chance of making it? The weather is 50 to 60 yesterday and today with colder weather coming later this week. I'm not very experienced with bees so any information will be greatly appreciated.

[Kathyp]

i would have skipped the drugs.  you have hopefully have gotten a true feral hive and the best thing about them is that you get good survivor stock from them.  i'd also not put the honey in there.  it is a magnet for SHB and other critters as it usually is drippy.

feeding is good and then just leaving them alone so that they can regroup.  don't give them to much room.  you didn't say what you did with the brood?

[Shalako]

thanks for the info. brood was placed in the bottom super with bees and honey. I wired and braced it all vertical.

[iddee]

I would remove the foundation box for now. As Kathy said, don't give them any extra room if you can keep it compact. I do differ with the honey, tho, as it's still too cold in Tn. for SHB to be a problem. Feed them all you can. Sugar, honey, whatever you can get to them.

[Shalako]

Thanks iddee. I wish I had read this thread before today. I should have helped cut the bottom of the tree off the fence and then figured out a way to cover the exposed hive until next month but lesson learnt. I put the foundation on top hoping they would move up and free up my open deep for the two packages I have coming the first of April. I guess I'll order some more. I'm learning you can never have enough woodware. Another question - These bees were extremly docile considering the activity going on i.e. taking out comb and disturbing the whole hive. Only two stings without a suit, just a veil. Is this due to the cooler weather or could this be their natural temperment. I ask because the two swarms I've gotten around here in the past were pretty agressive once hived and settled in.

[iddee]

When doing a removal they will guard until the nest is opened. Then they seem to just give up and quit fighting. Many times I will remove my veil, even my shirt, in the middle of a removal. Once they regroup and have a home to defend, they will defend it.

[Kathyp]

find iddees pics of him doing cutouts with 1/2 his clothes off.   :evil:

the exception to the gentle cutout that i have found, is when i am doing two or more in the same area.  they seen to get more aggressive but that's probably because one hives alarm stirs up the other.  that's just a guess on my part.....

it doesn't matter if you don't save this hive.  you learned and will learn with each that you do after this.  early cutouts are a toss up for survival, but sometimes they just need to be done.  if they don't make it, don't feel bad.

[David LaFerney]

thanks for the info. brood was placed in the bottom super with bees and honey. I wired and braced it all vertical.

How much brood did they have? 

[JP]

Thanks iddee. I wish I had read this thread before today. I should have helped cut the bottom of the tree off the fence and then figured out a way to cover the exposed hive until next month but lesson learnt. I put the foundation on top hoping they would move up and free up my open deep for the two packages I have coming the first of April. I guess I'll order some more. I'm learning you can never have enough woodware. Another question - These bees were extremly docile considering the activity going on i.e. taking out comb and disturbing the whole hive. Only two stings without a suit, just a veil. Is this due to the cooler weather or could this be their natural temperment. I ask because the two swarms I've gotten around here in the past were pretty agressive once hived and settled in.

Hives still in winter mode or just coming out of winter mode don't have the numbers they would have other times of the year. Less numbers usually equates to nicer bees.

Let them grow and show you their true colors. They may stay docile or could become a little/lot more defensive.

Hard to tell with swarms. A dry swarm can be really aggressive, sometimes its just the bees though.


...JP

[Shalako]

Not alot of brood. Some could have been in the comb that got busted up when the tree went down but I didn't think to check. I just thought the small amount of brood was because the queen was cutting back due to winter. Now that I think on it, there wasn't any uncapped that I remember. So much to learn that can be seen at a glance with experience. Do I need to requeen if they make it thru to spring? As far as live numbers go it was a pretty healthy colony in my opinion, which isn't worth much. I would guess them to be more than I get with a 3 lb. package.

[Kathyp]

i would not requeen if her pattern is good and the temperament of the hive is acceptable.  if this hive was survivor stock these are the bees you want to cultivate long term.  they have made it without treatment and without human intervention.  i use these hives for requeening my other hives.  i would do nothing the first year unless you can see that there is a problem.

[Shalako]

Quick update on the hive. They made it through the last of winter and look to be doing good. I added the top bars from some frames I hadn't assembled yet to the top of the deep they were in and put the deep with foundation back on. They have drawn out about half of it so far. The queen hasn't moved up into it yet so I can't tell about brood pattern in the jumbled mess in the lower deep. Temperment is great. Mowed around them for the second time today without getting run off.