Bees in tree


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Old 03-29-18, 06:52 PM
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Bees in tree

I have a swarm of bees clumped up about 25 fee in the air in a tree in my back yard. They're about a watermelon's worth of volume. The weight of these bees actually bent over the branch. They've been there for a full 24 hours. Obviously they're gonna spend their 2nd night there tonight. The location is at the very top of this tree. If it rains they are gonna get hit. If the Santa Anna winds really kick up then they're gonna get tossed around. That's why I'm surprised that they are still there. Not the greatest location. www.filmlocationhouse.com/images/bees3.jpg

What are some DIY solutions I could try if any? Stick some incense onto the end of a pole saw and lean it up there?

What would a pest control guy do? Put on a bee suit and spray water on them?
 
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Old 03-29-18, 06:57 PM
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A friend of mine had a similar instance in his yard. What has happens is the queen has left the hive for some reason and all the other bees are staying with her. They called a local bee keeper and he came an collected as many of the bees he could.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 03:54 AM
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Most likely they're making a nest. You picture reveals very little. Take a pic farther back so we can see the whole thing. If the hive is high enough and not a danger to you or family or passerby's, then leave it. If it is a danger, then do as Toyln suggest. Are they honeybees?
 
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Old 03-30-18, 03:55 AM
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Agree with TI, find a local bee keeper and they will usually come and get them. May actually be from a loocal keeper who now has an empty hive. He might be able to use a vac and a long length of pvc.

Bud
 
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Old 03-30-18, 05:23 AM
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Most likely honeybees and the hive is moving. I would do nothing, or I'd call a beekeeper. My experience with beekeepers is that they won't risk their lives for a swarm as they aren't that expensive to buy and the good news is that honeybees are making a come back.

They aren't going to stay there; They can adjust to weather conditions. They are looking for a void space in structures or hollow trees for nesting.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 05:38 AM
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This was the first summer in awhile where I have seen many honeybees in my yard. Neighbors must think I'm crazy because I mow around them when I see them. Not sure what spray they stopped using but it has helped.

Bud
 
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Old 03-30-18, 06:07 AM
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It's looking more and more like the varroa mite is a major factor in Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD has been noted over the centuries as the 2nd article points out. This mite has long been known to be a danger to honeybee colonies. Pesticides have been looked at hard and no definite link as of yet. I suspect that CCD is cyclical much like biological behaviors and reactions oftentimes are.


Saving the Bees: Honeybee Populations on the Rise After Colony Collapse Disorder

Clarity on Honey Bee Collapse? | Science
 
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Old 03-30-18, 10:59 AM
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If you're in SoCal, you might want to call the state department of agriculture. Africanized honey bees (AKA killer bees) have been found as far north as the Bay area. You can't tell them from 'regular' honey bees except by close inspection so anywhere they've penetrated to, it's suggested that you treat all 'unknown' honey bees as AHBs.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 01:28 PM
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How much is a beekeeper gonna charge?
I stuck a pack of incense sticks inside 2 coke cans, and then using a pole saw stick I was able to hang it right under the swarm. It irritated them but they're still there. I'll have to try double or triple the dose.
They are not hanging on to any thick part of the tree. It's just a small limb and a clump of needles.
Are they honeybees? I thought bees were bees.
 

Last edited by AndyRooney; 03-30-18 at 01:49 PM.
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Old 03-30-18, 01:39 PM
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A beekeeper should remove the bees for free. They will take the bees back to a hive box and let them make honey, that he/she will sell.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 02:20 PM
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might check your local craigslist for swarm removal, problem is there 25 ft up and not going to be very easy to remove so you may have to call around to find someone that may be setup with equipment to retrieve them that high up. good chance they will leave soon anyway if you don't do anything.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 03:37 PM
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A beekeeper should remove the bees for free.

The guy that came to my friends house did it for free.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 04:49 PM
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If you wait long enough they will probably leave. They have scout bees that are looking for a suitable place to live. If you wanted to provide them a home you could probably make one. A box that is about 20x20 and 10" tall. with a bottom and a lid. The bottom could be about 4" long on one side so it sticks out a little. Drill a or notch a few weep holes in it right at the bottom. That will be their entrance.
Its also where the bait will run out. Make a few dividers out of 1/4" plywood to give them some surface area. Space them about 1 1/2" apart.

Now for the bait, take a pint mason jar and poke maybe 5 pinhole in the lid. Heat up some sugar water that is as syrupy as you can make it. Suspend that jar upside down inside the box so that it is raised off the floor... it will slowly drip. Tip the "hive" up just enough that those drips will run out the bottom and down the board.

As soon as the scout need discover the sweet water, they will report back to the swarm and tell the queen and the rest of the bees what they have found. If they think it's a suitable home, they will probably move in.

Once they are inside, call a beekeeper and tell him you captured a swarm and that he can have it. You could also go out at night with a red flashlight and tape their entrance shut with duct tape... If you want to capture and contain them.
 
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Old 03-30-18, 04:52 PM
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good chance they will leave soon anyway if you don't do anything.
I hope you're right. I just positioned 3 boxes of burning incense and they still didn't leave. These are persistent pilgrims! I did do it later in the day at 3:30 PM. Maybe tomorrow they'll pack up and go.

Another idea I thought of would be to use my pole to hook some rope around the lower part of the branch they are on. Then pull on it from back inside the door around the side of my house. You think that might cause them to pack up? I ought to be able to shake the hell out them!

UPDATE: These bees had started to build a honey comb inside this box they were in before I smoked them out and they nested up the tree. Pretty impressive structure. Strong like plastic.
http://filmlocationhouse.com/images/comb.jpg
 

Last edited by AndyRooney; 03-30-18 at 06:13 PM.
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Old 03-30-18, 05:34 PM
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IMO, best to be talking to a beekeeper. Your efforts to make them move may be successful, but their next stop might be your house, or your neighbors. Right now they are doing no harm and they have not been classified a s normal honeybees vs the africanized variety which you shouldn't be messing with.

Most beekeepers will have dealt with issues like this before. It just takes a call to find out.

Bud
 
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Old 03-30-18, 06:51 PM
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See post #3. Enough said!
 
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Old 03-31-18, 03:44 PM
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I smoked them out with 4 packs of incense sticks. Unfortunately they moved about 8 feet away. I'll smoke 'em out again tomorrow.
http://filmlocationhouse.com/images/moved.jpg
 
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Old 03-31-18, 05:16 PM
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besides craigslist here is another site for swarm removal just click on your state.
Bee Removal List | Bee Removal Source
 
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Old 04-02-18, 04:54 PM
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I smoked them out yet again. This time they moved about 3 feet to the right into a eucalyptus tree. Since eucalyptus is highly flammable I won't be smoking them out any more. It might rain this Saturday. They are exposed directly to the sky so maybe they'll move if it rains.
UPDATE: I stepped away for 15 minutes and the bees are gone from the eucalyptus tree. I don't know where they went. I can't hear or see any bees.
 
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Old 04-02-18, 08:22 PM
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As it turns out they moved about 10 feet to the same tree. They sure made that move quick and they all calmed down. At least they're farther than ever from my back door. I think I'll leave them there for a few days.
I cut down the branch that they had clumped onto for 2 days. There were slight signs of honeycomb wax . I'm surprised they would even think about creating honeycombs on a thin exposed branch.
 
 

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