Follow-up on Bees

Messages
1,405
Location
Villa Park, CA
Some time back, I reported on a swarm of bees that settled in one of my trees. I tried to get the "bee rescue" people to come pick them up, but they wanted to be paid to do it.

So instead, I made them a home and transferred them into it this morning (with their comb) while it was cool and the bees were inactive.

For all the beekeepers out there, I know this is not a standard hive, but I just wanted to provide them a home. I'm not looking to raise bees for honey. My concern is whether they'll survive - it's a small colony - but I know they would not have survived without some protection. They were making comb in the tree and looked like they were not going to move on.

The hive is about 18" across the front, about 15" deep, and about 18" high. The wood is white oak. The construction is a bit rough because I knocked it together fairly quickly, but I did use hand cut dovetails to fit the sides together. I used a French cleat to attach it to the fence wall. And, no, the finish is not beeswax, although it may eventually be.

My father was a beekeeper, but I don't have any equipment. So I went to the Borg yesterday and bought a paint strainer (essentially a fine mesh bag) for a 5 gallon can. I put on a wide brim hat and put the paint strainer over it to keep the bees away from my face. But the bees were very docile - I might have been able to transfer them without the head gear. But better safe than sorry, I suppose.

So now, I'll have to see if they survive the move. It'd be nice to have a colony in the yard.

Mike
 

Attachments

  • Bees1.jpg
    Bees1.jpg
    102 KB · Views: 45
  • Bees2.jpg
    Bees2.jpg
    90.9 KB · Views: 55
Thats actually very cool. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Did you make any frames to go in there? Or is it pretty much a simple box?

I sure wish I had a colony of bees nearby.
 
the hive need a coat of white paint to keep the inside cool
this is the start of something special
 
That looks great, Mike. Your "bit rough" construction is quite a few notches above my "bit rough" construction. ;)
 
That looks great, Mike. Your "bit rough" construction is quite a few notches above my "bit rough" construction. ;)


And yours would have been probably a nicely turned hollow vessel in the shape of a bee hive!


Mine would most likely have been pine boards glued and pinned together :rolleyes:
 
Thats actually very cool. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Did you make any frames to go in there? Or is it pretty much a simple box?

I sure wish I had a colony of bees nearby.
No, no frames - just a box. I really don't want to get in the bee business (my dad was a beekeeper). I just like having a bee hive in the yard. They're interesting to watch.

Since there's no frames, I eventually won't be able to open the top because they'll attach their comb to it.

If I ever want to get honey, I'll make a box with frames to go on the side of this box, drill a big hole between them, and put a thin excluder between the two boxes. That way, I can rob the side box without affecting the main box.

But I really have no interest in going into the honey business. The only reason I'd do it is if they run out of space and start swarming excessively. Removing a few frames on a regular basis will keep them in the hive and reduce swarming.

Mike

[For those who don't mess with bees, an excluder is a plate with holes in it. The holes are big enough for worker bees to go through but too small for the queen. So all the comb on one side of the excluder is pure honey, without any bee larvae. The side of the excluder where the queen is is the nursery, with lots of bee larvae and some honey storage.]
 
Last edited:
And make sure they're the Africanized bees. That should really improve relations with the neighbor :rofl:

But seriously, that could get you sued.

Mike

which got the worse sting killer bees or the deadly yellow jackets ?
yes I know they are not bees but they will sting until the thunder rolls
 
I'd just like to have some bees to make sure my garden gets pollinated. I was actually surprised last year at all of the bee activity on the Tomatillo plants we had. They weren't very big bees, but there were quite a few.

In this desert environment, I can't help but wonder where they hide their hives. They weren't very big bees, but they were definitely very active.
 
Mike you dun good :thumb: These insects are highly threatened today and we need them for our own survival.:thumb:


As to hanging some on my fence for the NN, well we have peace here at the moment so i would like it to stay that way. However if things were to get out of hand again i think the American Hornet would be the way to go.

Preferably trained ones with missiles.:D
 
Top