-----Original Message-----
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Peter W. Plumley
Subject: Removing attic colony


"I'm looking for advice in successfully removing and relocating a colony
that is occupying space in the attic of a very old house."

Remove the combs one at a time from one side of the "nest" to the next.

Any comb with honey should be put aside, you are interested in brood only at
this stage and comb with honey is too heavy, messy and delicate to try and
include.

Cut the comb to fit into an empty wired brood frame, obviously making sure
that you keep the combs upright.  Once you have cut the comb to size, keep
the comb flat and place the frame ontop of the comb in the position that the
comb should be in the frame.  Cut along the wires into the comb, not all the
way through but in such a way that you can push the wire into the comb,
thereby supporting the comb when it is placed upright into a brood box.
Secure the comb in the frame with a few elastic bands, to prevent the combs
dropping out sideways.  The bees will eventually remove the bands but by
which time they will have secured the comb in the frame.

This should be done for all the combs until the brood box is full.

As you work all bees on the original comb should be brushed off into the
brood box.  Once you have the first frame or two in there you will find that
they will be quite happy to stay there.

Do your best to get as many of the loose bees into the box, you will
probably not see the queen but she will inevitably be brushed into the box.

You now have a broodbox full of brood, young bees, the queen and no food.

Place a super of drawn combs and two or three full frames of honey ontop and
make sure your hive is bee-tight.  If you don't have any full frames
available you will have to feed the colony or alternatively crush the
removed honey and comb and lay it in a plastic bag ontop of the brood frames
and/or the honey frames.  The bees will repack the honey into combs and
remove the plastic bag/s bit by bit.

This hive should be left as close to the original position for a day or two.
All the bees will move into the box and the hive can be sealed and removed
one evening thereafter with few or no bees being left behind.

Make sure that the original site is cleaned up as best possible to prevent
the next feral swarm from locating there.  Painting some type of bee
repellent onto and around that area would be a good idea.

This process is really quite simple.  My introduction to beekeeping was by
removing an established colony, in fact I obtained my first colony this way,
only I used a jigsaw to cut away a panel of a derelict boat to get at the
combs.  I am also South African so I was working with the "terrible African
bees."

The original comb should eventually be replaced by properly imbedded
foundation frames, so whenever you open the hive in the future make sure you
have some at hand.

Good luck
Mel Kayton
Sunnyside Farm