:drinks: Hi All, I'm new here and need help. Here goes we have a hive that has lived in a wall for many years. We had to move the entrance because of reroofing our house. I read that they find the hive by smell. Is there any way to help with this? Thank You :beg:
It's about 4 ft. under a very small roof which is in the shade. The othe entrance was higher and in the sun. I probably messed up by glueing a stick under the hole for them to land on.
yes they find the hive by smell (pheromones). If you are asking if they will find another way into their hive, well that depends on how well you sealed the hive up, do they have another way in? If you are wanting to keep them in your wall (which is illegal here, not sure about in CA but would assume there also) the will need a new entrance.
I hate to say it but drill a hole in your wall at least 1", bigger would be better.
Are the bees using the new entrance where you glued the stick? If so then you have no problem, if no bees are flying in and out then there could be a problem.
As far as the illegal thing, I doubt anybody is going to come knocking on your door and handing out a citation. It is was made so that bee inspectors could easily manipulate a hive to look for diseases. The hive had to contain removable frames that the combs were on.
The bees in the hive will find the EXIT. They will reorient to it and it will become the entrance. They will show the way to any bees that were out when the entrance was moved. No problem at all.
As far as legal, it is not illegal to allow a wild swarm to live on your property in any state that I know of. It is only illegal if the hive is "managed" by a beekeeper.
Thank you for th answers. It's just that there are a large number of bees dead on the ground. It's warm during the day and freezing at night. These bees have lived in this wall for 30+ years. We've lived here 17 years, and the hive has swarmed 3 times. So these are wild and non threating bees.
When you moved the hive, was there any sealants or other chemicals used to seal the house? If so, some of them could have gotten into it and died. If it is a strong hive, only foragers will be lost, so the hive should survive fine, and use the new entrance in the future.
Welcome to the forum not sure the make up of the hive and its actual location. But I would suggest having them removed. Bees in a wall can cause problems down the road if you are not careful. You may be able to find a local keep or bee club that would be willing to give you a hand rehiving them in a managable hive and you can enjoy the bees and get the honey to :thumbsup:
When I came home this afternoon most of th foragers were using the new entrance. The wall is more decorative than anything. The wall would b destroyed to remove the bees. It looks like things are fine. :yahoo: I do think I will drill another hole close to the other one. Thank you.
When I came home this afternoon most of th foragers were using the new entrance. The wall is more decorative than anything. The wall would b destroyed to remove the bees. It looks like things are fine. :yahoo: I do think I will drill another hole close to the other one. Thank you.
I don't think they will swarm this spring, the last swarm lives in a tree not to far away from last spring. I tried to call a local bee keeper but he was out of business. Don't really want to keep a hive. To much work. If anyone wants the next swarm pm me. I just think its great that this hive has been here for sooo many years. When the roof was redone no one got stung, I find it amazing how docile these bees seem to be. Thank you Omie
Hi Perrybee, I was thinking the same thing. They are helpful little buggers. THey make sure I get cherries,plums and everything else. I have a large yard with multible gardens that feeds a lot of us. The bees,blackbumble bees, hummers, and me and the hubby.
the california almond growers who can not live that far lovemybees informs the market every year that the value of the pollination from that one hive is $150.
I think I would get me one of those paper bucket shaped trap with a queen lure and hang it somewhere in the tree a short distance from the existing hive. when you then capture next spring times swarm it then would be easy to move from point a to point b.
Hi again, You are right about the almon farmers. They start to grow about 30 miles south of here. Up here we all grow mostly walnuts and cherries. By the time almond pollination is over the hives for cherries cost a whole lot less. I guess so they don't have to go north to soon. To bad you don't live closer you could trap the tree hive. Between gardening, taking care of horse and age I'll let the bees take care of themselves and enjoy watching them work. It is facinating to think you cross breed you're own bees.
lovemybees:
If I'm understanding your posts, you want the bees around, but don't want to be a beekeeper.
Maybe you could contact a local, hobbiest beekeeper, and have him/her catch a swarm and put them in his/her equipment on your property.
This way, you could have the benefit of the pollination for your orchard and garden, and the local beek could have an outlying bee yard. I have a similar situation coming up next spring. I have a removal to do-and am talking the property owner into letting me set the bees up in a hive on his property.
I see this as a win-win situation, and we get to share in the honey rewards.
Good luck.
Thanks Gunsmith, That's a great idea. I'll check into it. :thumbsup:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Beekeeping Forums
116K posts
4.4K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, health, behavior, housing, hives, care, classifieds, and more!