|
HELP!
Jul 9, 2015 15:24:15 GMT
Post by farmchix on Jul 9, 2015 15:24:15 GMT
We just moved onto our new homestead. In the process, we found a honeybee hive in an awkward place. We want to save them, but after talking to the County Extension and a local beekeeper, it's not looking good. As you are walking out onto the back patio, there is a concrete step that attaches to the basement. There is a skinny crack that the bees have made their own....for about two years. My best guess is that they have their honey between the round spots of the cinder blocks, as they survive all winter. We are surrounded by a farm that uses a lot of chemicals, so the fact that they are still alive...is, well, amazing. Not knowing anything about bees, I figured we could just bring in a new queen (in a box hive) and capture as many of the workers as possible...and only end up losing the original queen. Now, I am told that the workers are all pretty loyal subjects and without drilling into our house....my plight of saving them is not going to happen. Any suggestions??
|
|
|
HELP!
Jul 10, 2015 2:55:43 GMT
Post by moldy on Jul 10, 2015 2:55:43 GMT
Do you have to move them? Is a family member deathly allergic to bees? Are they getting into the house thru the basement?
We have bees in several outbuildings - one is a storage house (was DH's Ggrandparents) and the other is an old schoolhouse we use for a shop. I don't want to hurt the bees or damage the buildings, so for now, I just leave them be. There is no way we could patch all the tiny holes in the house (think tar paper shingle siding) to keep the bees from coming back.
|
|
|
HELP!
Jul 10, 2015 11:43:47 GMT
Post by farmchix on Jul 10, 2015 11:43:47 GMT
I do need to move them. They are right where we go in and out of the house. No one is allergic. I want to save them, but it is starting to feel like that isn't possible.
|
|
|
HELP!
Jul 10, 2015 19:24:12 GMT
Post by allenw on Jul 10, 2015 19:24:12 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
HELP!
Jul 12, 2015 0:35:01 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2015 0:35:01 GMT
farmchix where are you located? Google your state, bee removal, and click the first few sites that pop up. There should be several with nearby beekeepers listed you could call to get second opinions. They are mostly right on simply relocating the worker bees. allenw is correct, a trap out will work. It is just a very long peocess. It can take 6 weeks.
|
|
|
Post by farmchix on Jul 21, 2015 13:44:10 GMT
Here is my sad bee update....contacted a friend who is a beekeeper. She also referred me to the county extension office. Called the county extension office. He referred me to the "go-to" person locally who helps in these situations. Called the "go-to" person. He said the only way he could help would involve putting holes in the foundation of the house, etc. Gave us the recipe for extermination. I tried power-washing to get them to move, which, for obvious reasons, did not work. Last night, we exterminated. We are heart-broken. Hubs does want to take up beekeeping, but we can't until next spring. We are truly sad that we had to exterminate, but couldn't justify the couple thousand dollars to repair the foundation after extraction. It's a sad day here at the new homestead.
|
|
|
Post by hobbitlady on Jul 21, 2015 20:32:38 GMT
Try not to feel too bad....sometimes bees just go into places too hard for people to deal with and without education and experience it IS hard to start them in a new home late in the year anyway(requires full set-up and lots of feeding,etc to get them ready for winter). If you are getting bees in the future you can "make up for it" by treating yours well and expanding them with splits to more hives and all that sorta fun stuff! In the long run your contribution to keeping bees alive will More than make up for the sad loss now. Mourning a little is a good caring feeling I think, but look ahead!
|
|
|
HELP!
Jul 21, 2015 22:13:08 GMT
Post by farmchix on Jul 21, 2015 22:13:08 GMT
Try not to feel too bad....sometimes bees just go into places too hard for people to deal with and without education and experience it IS hard to start them in a new home late in the year anyway(requires full set-up and lots of feeding,etc to get them ready for winter). If you are getting bees in the future you can "make up for it" by treating yours well and expanding them with splits to more hives and all that sorta fun stuff! In the long run your contribution to keeping bees alive will More than make up for the sad loss now. Mourning a little is a good caring feeling I think, but look ahead! Thanks! I truly feel absolutely horrible. There are dead bees everywhere...........
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 1:44:59 GMT
That is too bad. Unfortunately it happens. Occasionally, I have to recommend extermination as well. Normally when it involves trees though. I find tree removal impossible without cutting them down.
|
|