My first water box cutout

I got a call today from a Camarillo tire store about bees in a "water box".

I quickly found the box the bees had made "home"

After carefully openening the lid (some comb broke off, but it was unavoidable)

Plenty of comb/bees inside the box

I initially came just with a NUC box, but this would never fit inside such a box.
So I went home and got a wooden medium size box.

When I returned the bees were no scared by the few puffs of smoke I gave them and most had returned on the comb. Which is what I wanted in order to catch the queen without a bee vac.

Before I cut up all comb I first shook the bees into the wooden box.
I was able to fill about 9.5 frames with comb.
At first they still wanted to go out. So the queen wasn't in there yet.

At a certain point a few of the ladies started "fanning" at the entrance of the hive, indicating "here is the queen" and you could really see a mass movement of bees towards the wooden box

As a service to the customer I sealed the entrance of the lid so they wont have returning visitors in the future.

statistics: 1 nailed me (on my back) :-)

home build bee vac used for the first time: room for improvement

I used my home build/developed bee vac for the first time.
Problem is : it works too good
there is so much suction that I think the bees get "crushed" in the roller coaster ride of their life. :-(

I did manage to suck half a bee box full:

I am going to make a modification to my setup
I am going to put parts of an AC unit at the entrance of my bee vac that effectively will reduce the air speed (much like an air brake)
Next thing I want to do is get a larger vacuum hose. I want the air speed in the hose to be lower, the only point where I want it to be higher is at the entrance of the tube to suck up the bees.

All (surviving) bees are now inside the box .
I plugged the old entrance to the home.
Will check again in a few days

Dry run bee vac

I just did the first dry run of my bee vac

Suction might even be too much!! :-)

But that is easier to compensate then not enough.

In 90 minutes from now I will return to the cutout from earlier this week in ventura and we will try it out.

Will update later.

friday May 6: swarm catch, trapout, beevac

I spent most of the day buying/building a bee vac.

I build something based on what i've seen/used with others.
Don't know if it gonna work though.

Took a quick shot last night 11pm it was almost finished:

I am helping in a trapout.
The home owner produced a trapout device using plastic bottles.I really like his idea.
He installed it at night when the bees weren't flying.
I sweeped a lot of bees from the wall into a box with comb & honey and put it in close range.
Let's hope they move in!

Last catch of the day was a swarm that had been hanging there for at least 3 days.
This was a really easy catch

pest control sprayed my trapout!

I got a call from friends of another Backwards Beekeeper (hi James) about a colony that moved inside a wall. They were entering the wall through a water pipe which wasn't properly sealed up.
I installed a trapout device on the wall, and put a wooden NUC box with a couple of frames of comb and honey in it next to the exit.
2 days later i get a call from an EXTERMINATOR who comes regularly to that home to check for mice/rats.
Without asking _anyone_ he simply sprayed the bees.
And (those are his words) he didn't "notice" the wooden box and the trapout device.

I told him i am never gonna use that box again, nor the trapout device and I should be reimbursed for my work.
"I didn't spray directly onto your box"

Well, he didn't see it in the first place right ? how does he know he missed it ?
And spraying means that some pesticides has landed on that box (which was directly underneath the trapout device)

I am so incredibly p****d..

I dunno what to say.

Danny

honey packaging

Since I brought along some honey from Southern Arizona that I want to resell, research started for the right packaging.

I am also starting to "design" a logo/label , acquire a bunch of EAN bar codes etc to make selling honey easier.

What would people like ?
A squeeze bottle, wide cap opening for spoons to get in ?

Any feedback appreciated.
[click on picture for larger version]

Cut out in ventura

I did my largest cutout so far today.

Underneath the floor of closet in a bathroom

We had to cutout the floor to access it.

 Photo taken from the right hole towards the comb

 After removing most of the comb.
I filled almost 3 medium boxes (28 frames) with the comb & got some excessive honey !

*UPDATE*
I was in a bee suit from 10:30 till 4:30. except 2 glasses of water no break.
It was 85F / 29C in the shade and a _lot_ hotter in the small area where this was taking place.
I really needed a bee-vac for this, which is what i am going to make *NOW* after doing 2 swarm catches today.
I didn't get the queen and was not able to scoop up enough of the bees. I am afraid the brood will be dead by now :-(