At 04:23 PM 6/24/96 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi Group,
>
>I am a second year bee-keeper with a challenge.  I lost all of my bees this
>spring to the woes of beekeepers and am looking for other hives to start
>over.  You all were most helpful on the last question and I thought I would
>try again.
>
>I shoe horses also and tell all of my customers to tell me if they see any
>wild hives or swarms.  I got one of those great calls that someone found one
>and I went to see it.  The very large hive is in a locust stump, 4-5 feet
>tall and 3 feet in diameter.  I guess about half of the bottom of the stump
>is sound and half rotten.  The bees are going into the root area and the
>hive appears to be partly below ground level, partly above.  Since the
>mites, etc have killed about everything around here, this would be a
>resistant hive and it would be good to save the queen.  I can leave the hive
>where it is as long as I want, but they want a reasonable time for it to be
>moved.  Next spring is OK with them.  Here is the plan I have devised;  tell
>me if it sounds good.
>
>1.      Suit up completely and saw off slices of the stump until I expose
>the hive.  This         will give me a flat table on which to mound the rest.
>2.      Punch a hole through the honey  at the top to give a clear path from
>the hive to         air above.
>3.      Put a brood chamber on top with drawn out comb and put in Apistan
>and some of         these grease patties to protect the hive from parisites.
>They are still in         danger of being killed from the mites eve though
>they are alive now.
>4.      Next spring go out and tend the brood chamber weekly (?) till I see
>the queen up         in the brood chamber.  Then put a queen excluder below
>the brood chamber to keep         her up there.  Let the hive develop and
>move it when the brood is laid enough to         give her a good hive.
>5.      I could probably then move her during the day and put a new brood
>chamber there         with another queen in it for the existing workers to
>follow for another hive.
>6.      The last step would be to cut up the stump and see whether there is
>any brood         down there, especially with queen cells and take
>everything out for the farmer to         be happy.
>
>How does this plan sound?
>Are my ideas about the queen being a source of resistant bees accurate?
>Any suggestions?
>
>Thanks,
>
>##################
>>From the desk of,
>
>Bruce Kemp
>[log in to unmask]
>1-540-626-4677
>
Hi Bruce
 
I recently had to remove a colony of bees from a tree in a lady's front
yard.  The opening was up about 15 feet.  I first went up in the man list
bucket and smoked the bees for about 10 minuets.  Fortunately they settled
right down.  We then cut a log above the colony and removed it,  we then cut
the tree about 8 ft. Below the opening.  I then started taking slices off to
defineing the top of the cavity.  The second cut was about 12 inches and
about 10 inches was honey and bees.  I nicked the slice with the chain saw
and split it using wedges.  At this point I got very lucky.  The queen just
walked out into the open right in front of me.  I was so surprised I almost
didn't catch her.  Once I had her caged, I put her in a hive body with only
foundation.  I then finished splitting the log using the wedges so as not to
kill more bees than necessary.  When I got the whole thing open I removed
enough brood for 3 frames and laced it in then put this in the hive with the
queen.  I then removed all honey, brood and comb from the log and started
smoking the bees toward the hive.  I then lifted the hive body and put a
queen excluder between the body and the bottom board.  I then released the
queen into the hive, closed it up and set it across the split open log..
Within 1/2 hr., all the bees in the log were marching toward the hive
entrance.  By late afternoon, they had fanned enough that the field bees had
found the hive and were beginning to come and go.
 
I believe you can do something similar with your colony.  Make a cut about
1/3 of the way through the stump as close as possible to the ground,  Then
make a cut about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep across the top of the stump.  Then
drive splitting wedges into the cut to split the stump.  The object here is
to expose the nest so that the queen can be found.  Once she is found cage
her while the stump is being cleaned out.  Find some brood comb that
contains open brood.  Cut this comb so that it can be inserted into an empty
frame.  Place the brood in the frame and wrap enough butchers twine around
the comb and frame to hole it in place until the bees can attach it.  They
will remove the string.  Once these frames are made up, put them in the hive
body with the queen. Shake as many bees as possible into the hive.  I would
advise putting a queen excluder at the bottom of the hive body to keep the
bees from absconding.  At  this point, remove everything from the stump.  If
you can, remove the stump.  At this point the bees are very disoriented so
put the hive as close  to the old location as possible. The bees at the
entrance  will be scent fanning and will soon get the rest of the bees
started into the hive.
 
I think it best to get the bees as soon as possible for 2 reasons.  First
you can start treating for mites and other pest.  And second, so that they
can start building up and preparing for winter.  This way you will have a
good strong colony in the spring that will probably produce a good crop of
honey.
 
Frank Humphrey
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Frank Humphrey
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