10 calls a week now.

[Alleyyooper]

Been getting 10 calls at least a week now. Help we have honey bees in a out door speaker, under the deck and in the eves among other places. 99% of the time it is yellow jackets or bald faced hornets after we got thru the 30 questions.

Just today I get a call from a guy who is contracted by a college to remove some outdoor asbestos ceiling tile that have honey bees above.
He wants me to sit in a class on proper handling of the stuff for 8 hours then remove the stuff and honey bees. Tried to explain this just is not the time for doing this as we only have so many days before it is to cold for the bees to recover from the trauma.
I explained that if they waited for spring the bees may not make it thru the winter and would solve their problem. He gave me the number for the care taker so I can meet with him and explain it to him.
He did call me back and say they would pay me 100.00 per hour for sitting in the class for 8 hours then taking the tile down properly and removing the bees.
Now the money would be nice I will admit. I just hate to do the work and the bees not be able to recover, much rather do it in the spring.

   Al

[Perry]

Hard to turn away that kind of money, but if it's something you don't feel you want to do I would back you 100%. Despite what we all are told, money is not everything.

[Curtchann]

 

[iddee]

If I had a weak hive or two that could use a few thousand extra bees, I think I would go get the wife's Xmas shopping money. Keeping the bees alive doesn't always mean giving them their own home. How many swarms have you combined with other hives in the spring?

[rwlaw]

For that kind of money, I'd have to bite. Plenty of time for a combine, or if the queen makes it, they'd be a good candidate for that observation hive you always wanted. And still have money for the wife's Christmas presents.

[G3farms]

abatement class here I come.

Would not turn that down at all!

[Les]

Think a bee suit is hot?  Ever see an abatement suit?  No thank you for any amount of money. 

[Alleyyooper]

Well I am going to check the building out this afternoon. Then call the contractor to make arrangements for the class. I have some spare drawn comb enough to make 3 deeps, I think I can install two frame feeders and a hive top feeder and all the honey from the job goes back to them they should do OK and if it looks like they won't I could give them to another colony.

Nope I have never put swarms together. I have got all my swarms in the spring or mid summer and they have all did OK.

Christmas money my foot, I need a new motor for my snow blower, a power streering pump seal kit for my main work tractor, a new exhaust manifold for my loader tractor and can use some front steering axel U joints for my truck.

No I don't know how hot a bee suit is, have never wore one. Was told they were hot so I never spent the money for a sauna suit as a friend calls them.

   Al

[Bakersdozen]

iddee said exactly what I was thinking. 

Sauna suit...drink plenty of water the day before wearing.  You will go into the situation fully hydrated.

[Alleyyooper]

Went and looked at the bees and location yesterday afternoon. Piece of cake once I get thru the 8 hour class and remove some tile 16" wide and maybe a couple feet long.

   Al

[Les]

Let us know how things go.

[Alleyyooper]

Asbestos abatement guy and I talked Monday the 31st of August. He really didn't want me to have to set thru a class for 8 hours and I didn't either.
It was decided one of his guys was going to remove the asbestos tile so I could get at the bees. He would buy a veil for his guy and the abatement suit would be fine. Job was to be done on Tuesday the 8th day after labor day. That morning it was raining hard wind blowing and lots of lighting. Called and canceled the date, Wednesday long range forecast looked for more of the same so We made a date for Thursday.

Got to the site and the abatement guy was there. I got him to crack the tile a bit so I could get a long knife I had made in there to cut any comb loose from the tile then had him remove that small section, Then I used the knife to cut the comb loose from the next section so he could remove that one. That then exposed the whole colony.

Started the bee removal just after 11:00 AM took 1/2 hour lunch break Just after 1:00 PM, Hive got full of bees by 3:30 PM returned home and got a new set up and returned at 5:00 Finally called it a job well done at 6:30. I should have used a double hive set up.
Lot of bees way more than I expected from what I had been told by the people that run the college there. Old hard dark comb very little new stuff. 6 frames of brood and 5 pails of comb filled honey.
Earned my money doing one this one.
Going a bit later this morning to clean up and stragglers, that had been out foraging and those hanging about the buckets of comb but didn't go in the truck when I loaded it up.
Not used to spending that much time on my feet and not moving much. Feet still feel tired this morning.

Some pictures to post later this week end when I have time to sit down and up load them.



   Al

 

[Perry]

Looking forward to the pictures. 
These jobs are almost never quite as simple as we first think.

[Alleyyooper]

See that conduit way back by the steel beam? that was the main entrance.



straight up at concrete colum is where the entrance was.





they were also useing The seam in fronbt of the couduit a bit.



Abatement man Andrew, Not the bee veil over the hard hat, nice kid.



First bit of tile out of the way, I smoked tham at this point, Andrew was a bit on the nervous side for a while.



All the way open now just a mater of sucking bees off the comb and cutting it away.





Now I am in the brood.



More later.

   Al

[iddee]

Beautiful hive. Looks like loads of fun. Thanks for posting.

[apisbees]

Nice size colony.  As far as asbestos containing material you wont find it any more stable than it. breaking will release very little dust, only if if was cut would it release a lot of dust that would be a health hazard. It is interesting how they wrapped the comb around the brood area instead of keeping the combs parallel to one another. Only it probably made removal a bit more challenging for you.

[Zweefer]

Very neat!

[LazyBkpr]

Awesome cut out and great pics...
   For the first time that I can remember since I have helped, or kept bees, I have swarms in September, and I am getting swarm and cut out calls in September...   I have had two swarms of my own bees, caught them both..... then what? Kinda late to let them try to make it, so they got sent back home...
   Doing swarm calls and cut outs this late... I usually use those bees to strengthen hives that need it for winter.. worst case scenario, I shake them out at one of the yards if they looked good and healthy, but they will be carrying mites so another puff of OAV may be in order.. crazy year!!

[Alleyyooper]

You can't see it so well in the pictures but the brood comb was in a curve.











Yesterday I went back to get stragglers. I think there was a colony near by. Bees just kept coming and coming doing the same as when they are doing their first orientation flight that hover thing then come in to where the comb had been and land or go to where a bit of comb had felon the ground. I spent two hours there sucking up bees till it clouded over and looked like it was going to rain. I had taken my box in a box vac because I didn't expect more than a hand full of bees. Bet I had two pounds in the box.

When I got home I used a sheet of news paper and put the two hive bodies together then placed a empty box on top, filled five frame feeders with honey comb for them. I am hoping they rob their own honey and take to the cells in the drawn comb that was in the hive bodies. Thinking about filling a hive top feeder with more of the comb today and adding it to them.

  Al