Author Topic: Trap Out Anyone?  (Read 3127 times)

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Offline Jen

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Trap Out Anyone?
« on: February 29, 2020, 11:55:54 am »
I've been a beekeeper for 15 years now and haven't attempted a trap out. I understand that they are pretty easy, and I want to do it right the first time. I'm going over to the house today to take notes and photos. The bees are coming and going on the exterior wall of a house. If the bees are up high in a two story house, or up on a steep pitch of a roof, then I won't attempt it, it's got to be ground level or it's a no go for me.

In the meantime, have any of you done a trap out before... successfully? I do know that there are youtubes on this as well.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2020, 12:57:22 pm »
Jen, I can't believe you haven't seen this in 7 years.

https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php?topic=29.0
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2020, 01:03:27 pm »
Hi Iddee :) Probably because I haven't been interested in trap outs... curious maybe, but not interested enough to give it a shot. Thanks! I'll go get a cup of jo and start learning  8)
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Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2020, 01:30:32 am »
While I'm reading these posts, here are two pics of the house involved. These people are willing to pay what is needed to remove the bees safely. Bees have been living here for about 5 years, now they have found a way to get into the house and many bees collect on the front windows and die daily on the window sills. Mike says he doesn't mind if we nail down stepping blocks onto the shingles to be able to move up the roof to put the cone in place. 

How do I price this job out?




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Offline iddee

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2020, 06:49:46 am »
Jen, bees do not "find a way into the house" after 5 years. Here is what happened.
The hive died during the winter. The new swarm moved in recently and are exploring all the entrances and exits. After a week or so, they will seal the non-usable exits and only use the one to the outside. Then the folks can live with them as they have for 5 years.
Otherwise,you can trap them out over the next few weeks and charge them 300 up to 1000, depending on the time and trouble.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2020, 08:35:33 am »
Beautiful house.  Steep roof line.
If you are serious about doing this, be sure to understand what their expectations are.  No surprises.  Do they realize that someone will have to go in a remove all the comb and honey out of wall?

Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2020, 11:42:14 am »
Good morning  :)

  Baker, Mike and I discussed the removal of the comb and honey. Looking at the photo, you can see the corner edge of an upper deck. About 20 feet to the left of that upper deck, the other corner of the upper deck, is where crawl space begins which leads to the interior wall of where the bees are. It's a tight crawl space, not worth it in my opinion. The only other way is to cut the exterior shiplap siding out to get to the comb and honey. Which in my opinion isn't worth the scar that would be left on this beautiful home.

 When the bees are removed and the entrance sealed off, what would be the problem if the comb and honey simply stayed in place forever?
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Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2020, 12:37:24 pm »
Iddee, Mike said that the bees make their way into their home every year for 5 years now. I'm not thinking that every year there is a new swarm. What I am thinking tho, is that there may be more than one colony in this house.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2020, 01:59:50 pm »
First, neither of you have read my posts. There will be no honey, only wax, after a proper trapout.There is no reason to open the hive area.

Secondly, whether they are the same hive or another swarm is determined by whether they enter the house or not. A survival hive knows where the exit is. A new swarm has to establish it. This year is a new swarm. It will quit going in the house in a week or so.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2020, 02:17:04 pm »
I beg your pardon! I have seen the vids and read the posts of 4 that you posted, working on the 5th  :P
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Offline iddee

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2020, 03:09:11 pm »
Then you should know that dry wax won't hurt to be left in there, and nothing else will be there.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2020, 07:06:34 pm »
Jen, if I'm not mistaken iddee , explains that after trap out is successful , Q will understand that her egg laying cannot sustain for a healthy hive so she will abcond. Meaning there is nothing left , accept honey and pollen.
After Q abcond, then u place Q rite hive near by and that box will rob everything out of house comb. Seal that entrance once bee quit going in, that means comb has been robbed out. Rodents,ants or other critters don't want wax only moths.

Offline neillsayers

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2020, 09:19:32 pm »
Pulling up a chair and hoping to learn something. :)
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Offline Jen

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #13 on: March 02, 2020, 12:54:51 am »
Hi Neil  :)

Mikey, well that explains why Baker said to get the comb out. Critters and ants did not occur to me. Thanks  ;)
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Offline rober

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2020, 10:28:16 am »
here's what I've run into...with bees in a tree I've done the cone & attached catch box. once the bees start using the box as an egress I add some frames. once they start using the frames I add some brood. you can then start removing bees by shaking them into nuc boxes. sometimes the queen senses the brood & comes out looking for a fight. at that point it's a done deal. this has happened to me about 1/3 of the time. I have quit doing trapouts unless they are within a mile of my house & do not require a ladder. it's just not worth the time & effort to me. I also no longer do trapouts on houses. only cutouts. sometimes when the bee population declines the hive beetle population explodes & the bees abscond leaving behind their slimy aftermath. I had a house a house where this occurred & the homeowner freaked out when hive beetle larva & roaches started coming thru small cracks near the baseboard. when I opened the wall I found & removed 150 lbs of slimy comb,beetle larva, roaches, & black mold. if a hive does abscond there will be beetle slime, wax moth worms, roaches, & ants. so I now only do cutouts on houses. keep in mind I am a carpenter so I leave a house looking like I was never there. on older houses with flat roofs bees often use the roof vents for access. the older homes have several sets of vertical bricks with openings between for airflow. in these I build a plastic containment barrier & open the ceiling. I also found similar vents in homes that had old time gas fireplaces that needed venting. often these fireplaces have been removed & sealed. in that scenario I have a bricklayer ready to come behind me to relay the area I opened as I am not a mason ( brick mason that is. I am a traveling man. Graham Washington #413 F & A M) I then tell the homeowners to add screened vent covers.
I also built rigs like this. on an outbuilding one piece covers the hole. shelf brackets mount to the building to hold the box & telescopes onto the piece attached to the building. there's a bee escape attached to the box entrance. on a tree I've screened the entrance shut. with a hole cut in the screen a piece of 2" flex conduit is silicone in the hole. it's best to seal the pipe in the hole BEFORE you seal the hole.










Offline rober

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Offline rober

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2020, 01:27:50 pm »
cut out in 3rd story wall. removed 4#'s of bees & 175#'s of wax & honey.


Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #17 on: April 13, 2020, 10:36:42 pm »
I've done quite a few trapuouts, AND cut outs, The mighty TedH helped me with one of them..  You have the trap out guru here with Iddee so pay attention to his videos...
   Like he also said, charging a price tag of 300 to 1000 dollars, depending on difficulty is not beyond reason...  I also tell the people I do a "CUT OUT" for that they will have to hire a carpenter to come in and repair the opening I will leave behind. I have never had a problem with getting approval.  One hive I have a vid on in my website is my daughter and I doing a cut out in a house.. the hive went from the first floor all the way to the roof in the second floor. It was a long hard cutout, and I charged them accordingly, and they were HAPPY to pay the price to be rid of the bees.
    Go to the link, watch the cut out of Mrs. Kays bees.. furhter down is a cut out in the house I mentioned, "Mikes Bees" that went floor to roof. There is also a link to the master showing how to do a trap out on this page.   Wish you were closer Jaybird, I'd come help you do it!

http://www.outyard.net/swarms-and-cut-outs.html
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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #18 on: April 13, 2020, 11:35:01 pm »
Good info- thanks Lazy!
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Offline rober

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Re: Trap Out Anyone?
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2020, 11:23:14 am »
I'm averaging 6 cutouts per season. I am a carpenter so I do put the home back together. if I have to open up any masonry I  have the homeowner coordinate  with a brick layer before I start. also any taping or painting is up to the homeowner. I no longer do any cutouts above the 1st floor. my fees average around $400.00 but have been as high as 900.00. I had one 5 story building that had been gutted for rehab. it was a concrete structure but bees had found voids behind the steel window lentils. I had to rent an aerial lift to remove 11 hives. that job got pricey.