In response to a question on capturing barrel bees originated by Milt
Lathan, J. Waggle wrote
>> suggested that a 'no-pest-strip' be placed 'near'
>> the entrance.  They
>> tried it and the bees absconded after a couple days
>
> I strongly disapprove of the above!!!
> I am a licensed pesticide applicator here in PA.  I DO
> know that 'in this state', it is illegal to use
> pesticide in a manner that is not in accordance with
Where are the 'pesticide police' when you need them?

J., while your attitude in protecting bees is appreciated there's of course
no teeth to protection of honeybees -- though supposedly 'protected' in most
states.  People should save bees because it's simply the right thing to do.
There are more pesticide applicators which choose to make money killing bees
than sending business to someone whom might save them.  Thankfully there are
pesticide outfits that will go out of their way to find beekeepers -IF- they
can find one willing to remove beehives from structures.

For those that are interested in a few challenges in removing hives THE best
place to start is thumbing through the yellow pages and give the various
pest outfits a ring.  If you end up charging for your services in removing
bees, remember the outfit that referred you either by $$ or honey as they're
taking food off their plate to help you save bees.

My recommendation?  I'm with J. -- stay away from toying with the no-pest
strip as you're bound to run into an unwanted consequence if you're trying
to take the bees alive.

Whiskey barrels are a 'tension' fit with grooved tops & bottoms which make
it tough(impossible?) to 'pop' out the top or bottom without releasing
tension held by the metal straps.

The good news is the straps and barrel can easily be disassembled just by
pulling off the straps, depending on how well the barrel is strapped.

The bad news is every barrel is like a house of cards -- take off the
tension & watch it collapse.

This is all direct experience as I've removed bees from an old whiskey
barrel before.  What my advantage was on that job was the barrel was 100+
years old and the top/bottom were rotted out, making it easy to pull up the
entire hive.  Suggestion?  (1) Mark the barrel pieces at one end so you know
EXACTLY how to put it back together.  (2) Use a bunch of duct tape & wind it
round & round the barrel.  (3) Pull off the straps, or at least the ones
closest to the top --- or bottom if you prefer to flip it over & work from
there... which might be the easiest.  (4) Then you should have released
enough tension to pry out the top or bottom.  The tape should keep
everything from falling inward.

Be aware that if the hive is new, say newer than 3 months, any jostling will
likely send the comb(s) crashing to the bottom of the barrel killing bees &
queen.  New, natural wax comb is very, very soft.  One year old+ hives are
better braced & easier to remove.

Matthew Westall - EBees - Castle Rock, CO
- where we started & finished with fantastic rain this season-- but all dry
inbetween stunting the growth of plants; so ~average year despite all the
water.

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