Wood Duck nesting box bee hive removal.

[Some Day]

New guy here with a question.  A neighbor mounted a wood duck box on a tree near his pond in mid April.  He checked it in late June and it is packed with honey bees.  How would you go about removing the bees and saving the hive and the nesting box?

I am asking after the fact of course.

[Perry]

Sounds like a good old fashioned cut-out to me.

[Some Day]

Well, since I am not well versed in old fashioned cut outs this is how I went about it so far.  I cut a piece of 1/4" plywood to cover the entrance of the duck box.  I waited until after dark so most of the foragers would be home.  I got up on a ladder and screwed 2 1/2 of the 4 screws into the plywood cover before the first defense squadrons flew out of  the 1/4" gap of the cover and explained their reasons for why I shouldn't bother them.

I decided to wait and come back before dawn with duck tape to close the gaps. At 4:30 A.M. I was able to close up the gaps with out escapees.  I removed the screws that were holding the duck box to the tree and placed it into the car and drove 6 miles home as the sun was just coming up.

Now what?  I was going to unscrew the top of the box and saw out the comb pieces with brood and honey and rubber band them into empty frames.  But the ensuing battle and casualties did not appeal to me, besides it was going to be 95 degrees and the honey would not be dripping it would be flowing from the combs which I am sure would have been a dinner bell sounding to the other hives at home causing a robbing frenzy.

I had to come up with a plan quickly or they would die in the sealed box as the temperature rose.  I decided to cut another piece of 1/4" plywood with a 1" hole bored in the center.  In the hole I place a 12" long cone made from 1/4"mesh wire that I wrapped around a 2413 aluminum arrow shaft to size the opening.  I hoped the tip of the cone would be large enough to allow workers, drones, and undertaker bees to exit but then not be able to get back into the hive.  I replaced the solid plywood blocking the entrance with the plywood containing the wire cone.  Next I placed an empty 10 frame deep on a stand about 4" above the duck box.  I stapled a wire 1/4' mesh "bridge" about 6" wide from the duck box to the reduced entrance of the deep box.  Inside the deep I placed one frame of honey. and left them alone for 24 hours.

The next morning I checked the duck box to find the box and wire cone completely covered with bees bearding and very few walking or flying to the deep.  I then sprayed sugar syrup on the wire bridge and the entrance to the deep box.  By 11:00 AM the deep was awash in bees devouring the honey on the one frame.  In the afternoon I took a frame with fresh eggs, larva and some sealed brood from another hive and added it to the deep.  I put a hive top feeder on the deep also.  Then I left them alone for 5 days other than checking to see if the bees were still bearding at night on the wire cone.  Each day there were less and less on the cone and more activity going in and out of the deep.

Upon inspection of the deep on day 6 several queen cells were being drawn out so I added an additional frame of drawn comb and one of capped brood.

On day 12 I removed four of the queen cells to be placed in nucs. I left the rest for the bees to decide who should be queen.

Today is day 15, do I cut out the rest of the duck box into another hive body? Or should I wait a few more days for the new virgin queen to be mated and start laying?

This is a long winded way of saying I don't know what the heck I am doing.

[Perry]

I would say you have a pretty good handle on things and for someone who "doesn't know what I'm doing", you have done an exceptional job.
I would probably wait a few more days, the old queen is still in there and probably still laying if she has enough worker bees. Time is now on your side.

[apisbees]

The duck box bees will still have her queen and brood emerging. If you want to save them and the comb I would remove the lid and do the cutout rubber banding in the comb and move them into a nuc box. you have removed the bulk of the bees and all the old guard bees so they should be mostly young house bees left in the colony now.

[Some Day]

I would really like to save this feral queen as she had really built a strong hive in the duck box in just two months.

I am worried about the timing of cutting out the hive.  Is it possible that the feral queen would move to the new deep where her old work force resides and assassinate the new queen?

I have another hair brained idea.  I bored a 1" hole into the bottom wood of a package bee wire cage. I drilled a hole into the syrup can that is in the top of the package cage and cut down a wine cork to seal the hole so that I can re-fill the can with syrup.  If I suspend the package cage over the duck box with the tip of the wire cone inserted into the bottom of the package cage any emerging bees will be in the package cage.  Will the old queen decide to swarm again in the next 2-3 weeks?  If so I would have her in the package cage I would think.  Then I would know I had her safely and could transfer her to a nuc?

If she has not swarmed by the 1st or 2nd of August the new queen should be laying in the new deep box if everything goes according to Hoyle.  I could then do a cut out and rubber banding the comb into frames and hope I get the queen unharmed into the nuc.

How do you have patience when dealing with bees?  I want to do things, like right now!

[apisbees]

The colony is were the queen is and where she is laying brood. she seldom comes out and by the time she will, the trap out nuc will have made their own queen so there is little chance of her entering the  new colony.
I can tell by your questions and posts that you know what needs to be done but are trying to get to the end results with out going threw all the work that is involved to get the job done.
Get at it, take your time, stay calm, you have removed the guard bees and the old forager force, so the bees that are left in the duck box are young, and will be a lot less aggressive. Doing a cut out is to fine of work to try doing it with bee gloves on so loose them Go bare handed or use nitrate dish washing gloves. Move the duck box away from the trap out nuc, any bees in the DB are young and have not orientated yet so they will stay with the queen and brood that you have moved into a nuc.

Welcome to the forum

[Some Day]

Duh, move the duck box again, of course!!  I don't know why I didn't think of that.  I guess I should just get with it and cut the duck box out.

I have helped on two cut outs of abandoned houses this spring.  I did not really care for all of casualties of young brood and foragers plus many bees were left behind.  Both cut outs have been successful so far, so all is well that ends well I guess.

I'll let you know how the duck box cut out turns out.

[apisbees]

Pictures?

[neillsayers]

Pictures?

X2

[Some Day]

Pictures?

X2

You guys are asking a lot from a Troglodyte.  I assume you mean pictures of the duck box and the removal and not pictures of the grand kids.