Hum a bum buzz buzz
Holy Crap!
Just walked into my potting shed (also known as Shed of Dreams, like, I better get this x farm implement for future use and store it in said shed) and I’ve got bees!
I stopped (backtracked, blocked traffic) a couple years back to grab a super I saw on the side of the road. This was before all my research that says things like “don’t reuse old hive equipment ever,” etc. So I have it, in my shed, and overnight (literally) there are now bees in the super. And in the shed. And chasing me all over the place should I go near the door.
I am overjoyed, of course. I planned to get a nuc last year but CCD killed my bee guy’s hives. I am overjoyed likewise that bees are so numerous here that they’re finding an old super squirreled away in an old shed. It’s great news, mostly…
Well, folks: but how do I get my tools out of there now? What do I do? Especially since I have a load of new chicks coming!! help! move the super outside at night? what? buzz buzz
Glad you came to visit!
Got something to say? Email me at fastweedpuller at gmail dot com.
fast grow the weeds 
Smoke ’em and move ’em.
If they’re in the super at night, get a place set up and move them where you’d prefer them to be.
Can you get a hive body in the mean time, really fast? You could put the super on some cinder blocks and put the hive body on top with the hope that they would move up into the body, then reverse the order.
Of course this is total newbie advice, so I could be all wrong. But that’s what I’d do in a pinch.
Read these for possible ideas…
http://midbeaconhill.blogspot.com/2008/05/ceanothus-and-honeybees.html
http://midbeaconhill.blogspot.com/2008/06/collecting-honeybees.html
Maybe there’s people in MI who do this kind of work?
I am a novice but here goes……If you are going to move them (and obviously you need to) do so at night. Work out where you want your hive and get it ready before hand, then move them when it is dark.
I had a hive (recently collected swarm) given to me recently. It wasn’t moved until about 2-3 hours after sunset. The bees were still pissed about being moved, so after we moved them from the car to their spot by wheelbarrow, we had to wait a further two hours to move them from the barrow onto the ground. I had an experienced beekeeper helping me ( he collected the swarm)- maybe your bee guy would do the same.
It sounds like you’ve got a good swarm which could form a strong hive. Once you’ve moved the existing box, then swap the box ….I would get a new box to sub your current super (this forms your brood chamber) and put a super (honey chamber) on top. Let’s hope our terminology is the same and we’re talking 8 or 10 frame boxes. If your going to keep them, disease free gear is essential as you would know. I’m going to have to do this with my hive and re-queen the hive in the spring.
Suit up and smoke them.
Okay that picture took ages to load…so yep, same system.
woo-hoo —- congrats! bees like manna! Looking forward to your play-by-play account of how you handle them.
How absolutely lucky is that? To find a home meant for bees hidden away in the shed? Amazing and so very happy for you- despite the dilemma of how to get them out… Do you have a suit yet? Maybe a mosquito netted hat covering? gloves? pants tucked in socks? triple shirts, etc? I would go with moving GENTLY at night. At homesteadingtoday.com they have a bee section with some very informative people. You may want to inquire over there so you do not get hurt or lose the batch.
Looking forward to hearing more of your adventure!
Go over to Birdchick.com’s website, and you can read up on her adventures as she heads into her second year of keeping bees.
I second the advice about working at dusk and using smoke.
Cautionary tale:
My father-in-law kept bees for years, then lost two hives to tracheal mites. After he lost the second hive, he gave up keeping bees, but never removed the hives. One summer, two years after he quit, a swarm took over one hive.
They didn’t make it through the summer.
You and the bee guy need to check each comb for signs of several types of ailments: mites, foulbrood, etc… If the brood comb looks healthy, put a brand new super on top. Your brood will build up. Then, I’d destroy that old box. Burning takes care of it. If you can’t do that where you live, contact someone who can.
Good luck.