In a message dated 97-05-13 15:59:54 EDT,<< Greg & Melinda Holley
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 >>I have the chance to attempt getting two feral hives.  One is in an old
 wood sided house. There are several holes where the bees are going in and
 out. I thought about trying to stop up all the holes ,but one and use a
 screen funnel and hive.  Is this possible on an older house or am I just
 wasting my time?<<
 And another responents replied: >> I've just completed a bee removal
operation and I think you should go for it.  I used a tube of caulk to seal
up all of the extra holes.  The caulk cost me 98 cents at Home Depot and I
already had the caulk gun.  It worked very well.  I was able to seal up the
entrances while the bees were using
 them.  Save one good one that has a good place to mount your cone and
 suspend your bait hive right in front of the cone.  Be sure to have a
 queenright bait hive.  Also be prepared to visit the removal daily for a
 while because the bees will amaze you with how they can find other
 entrances.>>
 
I want to echo that that worked very well for me only the house was "Ash
Lawn-Highland" the home of former president, James Monroe.  I had volunteered
to be the beekeeper, putting four hives in an outfield for pollination of
their "historic" gardens.  I sold honey in the shop (Marked "Gathered from
the Blossoms at Ash Lawn-Highland....a great marketing gimic) and was happy
to give impromptu talks to tourists who might spy my distant hives.
 
One day the manager of the house called to say that there was a swarm in the
end of the house and they were worried.  I roped off a l0 foot square, placed
my bait hive up on a ladder (near the cone) and followed the above procedure
(complete with tasteful grey caulking to match the house).  Since tourists
passed by the area by the hundreds everyday, I hung a large sign on the
ladder  headlined "WHAT'S GONG ON HERE" and explained the procedure.  I
figured a screen cone hanging off a house, a large white box on a ladder and
a rope barrier was going to attract attention.  It did.  The staff at the
house/museum appreciated the barrier and the explanation ('cuz then they
didn't have to explain a dozen times) and we all enjoyed the "educational"
aspect of the venture.
 
Five weeks later I got a tweensy little swarm in a box but increased sales of
honey at the gift shop.  I can just imagine the conversation that might have
gone along with the presentaton of such a momento: "Ethel, we got this for
you in Virginia.  It's real good.  We tasted some.  But you wouldn't believe
where the bees were living! They had to go up and down this little, bitty
screen cone......."
 
It was great fun  to do, especially since it gave me an opportunity to
educate the public one more time about an unusual aspect of bees.  On another
occasion the local paper came and watched me set up a similar cone-trap in a
hollow tree on a private farm. The ensuing article and accompanying
photographs were, again, good PR for bees and beekeepers.
 
Moral: Don't do anything without a reporter nearby.   No, just kidding, but
do try to get as much coverage and publicity for bees and beekeepers s you
can.  Emphasize the wonderful job they're doing for America with their
pollination (patriotic little creatures that they are) and be sure to slip in
some reference to their plight and current need for research funds!
 
Faith Andrews Bedford, Ivy VA and Tampa