Author Topic: Official Birdhouse Cutout thread (Read 6836 times)

Nugget Shooter · « **on:** October 23, 2016, 12:07:29 pm »

Good morning folks,

There were several requests for a photo shoot of the removal of bees from a birdhouse removed from a property 30 miles North of me last week, so here goes...

This removal was different for me in that I got to temporarily take the birdhouse home to remove the bees then return to owner making it simple as well as we caught all the bees in the birdhouse by closing after dark.

After asking for a bit of advise here and getting it from idee and others I let the bees sit birdhouse and all in their new location for a week or so and now comes the cutout.

Going to remove this side to start and figure out the best way to proceed

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #1 on:** October 23, 2016, 12:10:50 pm »

I have learned after 4 cutouts that adding some better support than just wire or rubber bands is very helpful to me and the bees and I do it like this with 1/2 inch hardware cloth (screen) works great and holds the comb well.

Cut to size and bend in hooks then staple to frames

More to come...

Jen · « **Reply #2 on:** October 23, 2016, 01:04:03 pm »

Patiently waiting for session ll

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #3 on:** October 23, 2016, 02:43:00 pm »

Ready to start, I like rubber bands because they rot apart after several months and are gone from the frames.

OK here is what I found inside, I checked out comb direction by peeking in the entrance before taking the side off. Looks like old comb being re-homed by this colony. Tons of wax worms and much of the old comb had been eaten by them.

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2016, 02:47:41 pm »

And away we go....

First of the 3 removable combs halved and installed and starting on main brood area....

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #5 on:** October 23, 2016, 02:50:44 pm »

Second comb out and installed and time for 3rd

This was left on the wall of the birdhouse and had to be removed to get the rest of the bees out. They were very calm and not stinging throughout the removal.

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #6 on:** October 23, 2016, 02:56:11 pm »

There was almost no honey and a small amount of pollen in this hive and most comb was empty except for some eggs and brood....

After installing all comb except what was on the wall I let the remaining bees walk to the new hive and I could smell the workers fanning the queens smell which was drawing the others in. Some were stubborn and are still trying to work in the old hive, but slowly moving out.

Have now moved the birdhouse and will add a feeder above the deep in a few....

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #7 on:** October 23, 2016, 03:03:56 pm »

OK, whew, done for a bit to let them calm down. 2:1 sugar water on screen inner cover with medium super and lid

Lots of bees going in and out with confused field bees returning.... Hope all will be well. Placed a piece of plywood between the new bees and the hive next door as some were darting into their opening trying to find their new home and quickly run off.

More about how it goes later....

Jen · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2016, 03:34:02 pm »

Nice Job and Great Pics! Thanks!

Two questions:

Did you get a chance to see the queen?

And with all those wax moth larvae, was wondering if you should spray those frames with BT? Curious, because I'm just this year using BT with frames I will be storing for winter?

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2016, 04:10:22 pm »

Never saw the queen during removal, but was evidence she is there with eggs as well as brood and capped brood on the center comb and inside or two adjoining combs. Lots of empty cells on outer combs as well so they have room to store the feed I am offering.

As far as spraying my frames they are brand new and the only eggs that will transfer will be on the comb, we have wax worms here all the time, but the bees keep them in check as long as the mites are kept from weakening the hive. I think a mite count is in order after they settle in, if they do....

But I have had good luck as long as they have food inside and we do not have winter as most see it and bees are active almost all year with cold spells lasting only a few days at best. Plants bloom year round of one species or another, so we have dearth in dry, but no loss of forage due to cold.....

Here in AZ we deal with mites as well as wax worms, but other problems elsewhere like SHB are rare in the desert thankfully since their pupa to adult stage requires being in lose soil. Our lose soil is inhabited by billions of ants as well as hot as 130 degrees on an average sunny day thus nipping them in the bud so to speak.

Mites here get OAV treatment as needed....

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #10 on:** October 23, 2016, 04:56:11 pm »

2 pm here in Arizona and this is who is left in the box, few stragglers and still slowly abandoning the old digs.

The new hive has settled down some now as well and field bees are still out working and bringing back pollen which makes me feel good. Will shake any remaining in the birdhouse out close to dusk at the front door.

Perhaps the former colony that lived in the birdhouse left due to mites? Then wax Moth infestation? Or?

Any input welcome, but they seem OK and hoping they prosper with some help....

Perry · « **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2016, 05:08:31 pm »

Great thread and fantastic pictures. I was wondering what all that white larvae stuff was and read that it's wax moth larvae? Wow that's a lot.
The pic with the birdhouse leaning against the lang hives is great, it really gives you the relationship in size, I had no idea until I saw that pic just how big that birdhouse actually was.

Well done!

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2016, 05:21:12 pm »

Thank you Perry,

The white things are actually cocoons that pupa close themselves into to turn to moths and the webby looking stuff is where the worms are and the web protects them some from the bees. Most were scraped off into the soil and full sun which quickly dispatches them and the ants oh the ants takes about 20 to drag a big worm away....

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2016, 07:45:00 pm »

Well this is cool, there are or were about 50 to 70 bees still in the birdhouse about 30 feet from the new hive kind of refusing to leave. So I moved it closer....

It is late afternoon here and within a few minutes bees from the new Langstroth were going to the birdhouse and making bees follow them to the new digs. Some were pulling them to get them to leave! Dang bugs are just amazing sometimes and now there are very few left in the old home and likely by dark all will have moved.

Lburou · « **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2016, 10:24:00 pm »

Quote from: Perry on October 23, 2016, 05:08:31 pm

... I had no idea until I saw that pic just how big that birdhouse actually was.
Well done!

X2

neillsayers · « **Reply #15 on:** October 24, 2016, 01:07:23 am »

wow, NS, this colony was on the way out. Hopefully you've given it a fighting chance at a new life.

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #16 on:** October 24, 2016, 10:05:52 am »

They are looking good this morning and field bees are busily going in and out. The birdhouse only had about 10 bees left so shook them out and birdhouse is where they now can not find it. I to hope they make it and now have a home free of the wax worms and theit droppings which were a couple inches deep in the bottom.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #17 on:** October 25, 2016, 01:20:56 pm »

I was thinking what Ef said... HERE they would be done, but I think there they have a chance!!!
I need to find about 20 acres of land near you I can bring my pollination hives for the winter. i LOVE that area of the US...

Nugget Shooter · « **Reply #18 on:** October 25, 2016, 07:08:02 pm »

Yes our not having a winter so to speak means I only need feed them and help them build up for the 1st flow starting in January as always depending on rain. We are in a mild dearth right now waiting on moisture to turn the desert green again.... But the new colony will not have to struggle with much in the way of freezing temps which are very rare here and days under 32F can usually be counted on one hand for the entire winter... Sometimes more, but not all in a row and days are warm.

Lburou · « **Reply #19 on:** October 26, 2016, 11:05:24 am »

We got a call last year from an elderly couple with 40 decorative birdhouses in their small backyard. One had honey bees. A delightful couple, and we were happy to help them out.

I put a pill bottle in the entrance hole, put a piece of OSB (wood) on the bottom and fastened the house to the OSB, then took it home, much like NS did above. A few weeks later, a retired Physical Therapist and new beekeeper, Crosby, and I did the cut out. Here it is before we started...

We started by removing the shingles for access to the top of the combs. We were able to use a medium sized serrated knife to cut the comb from the roof, one comb at a time.

First look at the brood nest showed a spotty pattern with mite guano in the cells. They needed to be treated (with OAV).

It was a banner day for Crosby and his first cut out. He secured the comb into frames with rubber bands then placed the frames inside the NUC box with a feeder.

The bees had moved down into the bottom of the bird house during the cutout, so we let them march into their new home. I might have used a couple drops of lemongrass oil on top of three frames to increase interest in their new digs, plus a little smoke behind them to get them moving out of the birdhouse. They did go in eventually. A good tactic, if you catch the queen, is to put her in a queen clip and place her in the new hive box. They will move more readily if she is inside. Her confinement there insures that they will not fly away.

Job done.