On Sat, Apr 22, 2017 at 1:40 PM, randy oliver <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Ruth, Could you please elaborate on your method?
How to Kill a Colony with Dry Ice
The dry ice method of putting down a hive works well if you are well
prepared. This won't work on a hive that has rotting woodenware, or is not
able to be accessed all the way around (is bolted to a wall for example-
yes I have seen that in a back yard. The goal is to seal them in before
they know something is up, and to leave only a small number of bees flying.
To make that happen you have to have everything ready in advance with no
fumbling. The hive needs to be on a solid bottom board; a screened one will
nullify the effect of the dry ice. I take off the entrance reducer (ahead
of time) because I seal up the entrance with one solid piece of wood and
the reducer gets in the way of a good seal.
*Supply List*
*Dry Ice-* 2 bags from Smart and Final (approximately 20 lbs per mature
hive). Slit the bags all the way open so you can just pick up the plastic
and dump the ice in when it's time. Lay the ice on their opened bags on the
ground next to the hive.
*Large roll of heavy plastic wrap* like Saran wrap, in excellent condition
so that it can be unrolled easily (if edges are dinged you will be
frustrated- it won't unroll!)
*High quality duct tape* ("Tough") pre-torn into one long strip to go
across the front entrance of the hive. Stick it on to the edge of the hive
cover to prepare for when you're ready
*Empty Super*
*Wooden strip* to fit completely over the hive entrance (I've also closed
it up with pre-cut duct tape but you've got to be quick. Much safer to cut
a piece of wood.)
*Spray bottle* with soapy water (Optional)
*A helper-* although it can be done alone
Get there about 20 minutes before sundown. Get all your gear laid out while
you're waiting for the bees to go in for the night. Light the smoker with
good fuel for thick, dense smoke. Make sure it's really lit. ... Wait
until there's only a few bees left hanging around on the porch. Then,
quickly lay the piece of wood over the entire entrance, that covers it
perfectly, and quickly duct-tape it down with your pre-cut piece.
This next part works better if there's a second person there. Have the
empty super there, ready to throw on top of the hive as soon as you take
the top off, that's where you're going to put your two bags of dry ice.
So it's almost dark now. You crack the hive-top up about an inch and the
only bees that will come out are the ones that are hanging around near the
top anyway. Push plenty of smoke in. Have your helper put the super on
immediately as you remove the hive top. With no helper you just have to be
as quick as you can to get the box up there. Immediately drop the ice in
that you've gotten ready.
Put the top back on. OK now you've got some bees flying in the air. Most of
them are going to end up trying to get back in the hive, down on the
landing board. Now you start wrapping your hive with the plastic wrap, and
be sure all seams are covered. The first bit of wrap you stick on with a
piece of duct tape but after that it will stick to itself. Pay extra
attention to the hive top seams and any other areas where air might escape.
As you wrap, you will see all the bees landing on the hive trying to get
back in... you just wrap them right into the plastic wrap. Last time I
ended up with only about 10 bees in the air. And if you have a spray bottle
ready with some soapy water, that'll take care of that. *Leave wrapped and
do not touch for at least 3 days and 3 nights, minimum. *Four or 5 is
better.
For the record, I have done this without the plastic wrap, just duct-taping
all seams. But the extra 5 or ten minutes it takes to wrap the hive
completely is insurance that the carbon dioxide will stay inside where you
need it to be. Final clean up after unwrapping must be done with a shop-vac
so you may need to move it to where you have an electrical outlet. Clean up
done by hand would be extremely labor intensive.
After that, all honey is edible and any other supplies inside may be
redistributed.
Ruth in Los Angeles
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