Hi,
I keep my bees at a neighbor's house and he recently discovered bees living
in the wall. They are coming out of a small hole under a second story
window. In order to ensure that I can continue to keep my hives in his yard,
I am going to try to get them out using a screen cone and a bait hive. I
read many of the posts on BEE-L and I have a few more questions.

1. When is the best time to attempt this? The hives are in California, so
the bees will fly all winter. Should I try it now when the population is low
or wait until spring when nectar is available? I assume I will have a better
chance of getting a queen for the bait hive in spring.

2. How long should I wait to get a queen? Should I have one as soon as the
bees start to enter the bait hive or should I let them live in the hive for
a while before introducing a queen.


Thanks for any answers.

Michael Sullivan