Hi All/Judy/Matthew/Ralph
 
With regards bee removals and cones:
 
I have done a lot of bee removals in the last two years (140+) and
have had reasonable success with the cone method in selected places.
 
The method works well in air brick hives - just pop a cone over the
entrance of the hive, put a nice sized hive body with a transplanted
nuc in it next to the cone - place the hive entrance so that bees
coming into the old hive entrance hit the cone and bounce onto the
wrong hive entrance and walk through. One days chaos and thereafter
it is plain sailing.
 
Natural environments dont work so well as it is difficult to block up
al the holes. Trees that have hives are often wrotten and you block
up some holes and the bees just chew some more.
 
As regards bee vacuums - bees have their own vacuum - if one gets
them scenting you can get 99% of the bees into a box really easilly.
I think the vacuum is brutal and problematic. Just wait till the next
day - all the bees come back anc cluster where the centre of the old
brood nest was - bruch as many of these into a receptacle and dump
them in a box - place the box next to the majority of the bees and it
set them doing a 'lost queen' scent. She will go to the area with the
most bees scenting and then everyone else follows. I have watched
this happen often. It is very easy.
 
As regards protective gear - I have a belief that the best way of
taking out bees is with none - just dress sensibly with white cloths
and short pants - don't tuck anything in so any bees that get in can
get out etc. If one wears no gear it becomes infinitely more sensible
to treat the bees nicely - resulting in very easy handling.
 
I find I usually remove combs from the outside of the brood nest and
work inwards - working very gently. Inspect each comb for the queen
and shake the bees into a big box. If one doesnot get the queen this
way then come back the next day as mentioned earlier.
 
Keep well
 
Garth
 
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
 
Time = Honey
 
If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!