Sunday, August 30, 2015

Owl Box Bees = Removed and now here in my bee yard

I put a piece of 8" length of 2x4 wood on my 4x4 Post.  Screwed it in with 4 screws. I was going to put a piece with 45 degree cuts and make a platform for more support.  I nixed that idea as I wanted it to be simplified.  I will use that to provide support for the box to sit on and just strap the owl box to it.

I drove over about 30 minutes away from here.  Elisa and I suited up.  Got the gear over to the bee hive and yep they're bearding again.  It's in the 80's so the only thing I can think of is that this box has no ventilation and the rather large opening doesn't allow for much circulation.  What a pitty for the bees. 

The concern about this bee hive is the heat that the bees will generate when the entrance is sealed off.  Bees generate a lot of heat, so the box that already has no ventilation other then the orange size hole in it will need to be opened in the shortest amount of time to prevent death by heat and CO2.  I did drill some holes in the acrylic cover I used to cover the hole.

The smoker was lit and going, I smoked them in hopes that they'd go inside.
Yep they did exactly as I wanted them to.  Only about 200 bees estimated didn't make it inside.  That's the worse case I can tell.  This removal was at about 8:20PM tonight.    I tried to drill the wood with a screw to get the cover secure, but the screw wasn't going in, so pre drilling then drilling worked.  Kinda hectic when your working for speed.

Got it on and the bees came down after I cut the zip tie.
  Got them in 2 large plastic bags with duct tape to seal any that came out.  In the trunk they went.  Gathered the supplies and drove home.  Got the bee suits on again.  Went over and strapped it to the post.  I then tore off the plastic in a frantic moment cause of the heat.  Got the first screw out and the hole was just big enough that the bees started to come out.  Quite small bees I am dealing with.  They need some fattening up for sure.  So I got the cover off and the bees came out bearding.  Elisa got about 10 bees on her.  We gathered up the tools and left.  I brushed the bees off her , but some just flew back onto her.  So we went for a walk up the street.  1 bee woudn't leave us.  I got it off her and it landed in my hair.  I got it out with out a sting.  Looking over her 1 more time 1 was on the pant leg.  Got that off.  Were good.

Part of the honey comb did fall off.  Some separation in all this and the heat with comb not being supported.   The bees were doing a super cooling fanning as fast as they could.  Poor bees were hot in just that hour time that they were closed up.  I am having second thoughts about having them in full sun.    I think I will get a paddle bit and see if I can get 2 vent holes in the top drilled out.  I don't really want to do that, but it's going to be better for the bees.  Maybe the sides will be better then the top.  I have screen I will cover it with making sure that nothing can get in.  We do have assassin bugs.

I will keep you posted and take a few pictures on Monday and the following days going forward.

Zak
Liberty Hill, Tx USA


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  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2015 at 9:38 PM

    Nice job on the move and good pictures. This is the hottest time of year for sure. They do need the "right amount" of ventilation. But beware - it seems counter intuitive at first thought, but giving the bees too much ventilation makes it even harder for them to regulate the temperature when its really hot. If the ambient temp is much over 92F you want to be careful to not over ventilate the hive. The bees hatch brood at just about 92 F so in the 90s is good for them. The more air you let in that's over 100 F it will force them to have to work extra hard to cool the hive.
    There's a few things that can help them. A fix that's quicker than painting the hive is to staple white plascic trash bags to the hive sides and top. You already know to do that with sheets instead of covering the hive with the whole bag in tact. ((-: Otherwise painting the hive body a light color will help some. The thing they need most now is ample water nearby. You have that covered already.
    Good idea you have about putting screen over the homemade vents. That can help prevent the weak hive from getting robbed. Same thing goes for the entrance at the orange size hole on front.
    Thanks for the pics and the information. You're doing a great job.

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