I've had a request to remove bees from the wall of a house.  After
searching the Hive and The Honey Bee and submitting searches to
[log in to unmask] on  three sets of keywords: bee wall , bee
house,  bee removal house,  I think I'm ready to remove the bees.
There were a few things I don't quite have all the answers for . . .
 
The bees are in the lath and plaster wall of an old farm parlor.  Fire
damage was concentrated at one spot in the wall.  Lath and plaster
were removed to the ceiling at that area.  About 5 feet to the right
of the main damage, they were removing lightly damaged lath/plaster
when they encountered honeycomb and bees at about four feet above the
floor.  They stopped removing wall material.  With nine foot ceilings,
the comb may be anything up to five feet long.  It runs parallel to
the studs, in seven strips, where I can see it.  The room is unheated.
There is an outside entrance located about 20 feet above ground level
outside.  
 
My plan at this point, since the lath and plaster will be removed
anyway, is to expose the entire hive, cut the comb into pieces to fit
on a frame and wire or rubber band them in place.  I can see where
there might easily be enough to fill two full hive bodies.  Plan from
there would be to leave the hive in the room, hopefully with the
window open, and get them used to the hive body then block the door
with screen and move them out in the night.
 
Questions/Problems:
 
Should I wait for a warm day so I can open room windows while working
and maybe let some of the bees get out of the room during this
process?  I can see where they might not be too happy about this
forced move.  Or can I heat the room with a space heater and hope for
the best that way?  I know that bees DON'T like to be messed with when
it is cool.
 
The owners father was a beekeeper and left somewhere between 50 and a
100 hive bodies, bases, lids, tops, frames for same in an old honey
house and garage.  He really wants to save the bees AND would like to
have them on his property.  He also says his father _thinks_ he may
have had problems with AFB.  The equipment has been sitting since
sometime around 1930, or earlier.  
 
Since Hive & Honeybee says the spores may "live indefinetly" I see a
problem with using the standing equipment.  Could scorch and wash the
insides of boxes, tops, bottoms and some empty frames and put bees in
that . . .  There is also an ethylene oxide sterilization place
locally . . . however I see dollar signs mounting and him not wanting
to go to that length.
 
He also has no area that is over three miles away - I've read you can
move bees less than three feet or greater than three miles.  What is
the likelihood that the bees will stay put anywhere near his farm once
the hive is relocated?
 
Thanks to any for help.  This will be a first time for recovering bees
for me.  I feel somewhat comfortable with the idea after reading BEE-L
for the last year and a half.
 
 
-- John Taylor --
(Remove NOSPAM for e-mail)
Wild Rose Creek Apiary
Southeast Missouri
 
When in danger, or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!