Tricks & Tips

Removing a wild colony

 Trying to cut wild brood comb to fit frames and then tying it in place is both time consuming and messy; it also usually results in some very poor, distorted combs which then have to be replaced at a later date.  A better method is to get the queen laying in a box of well-drawn comb, whilst allowing the brood in the wild comb to hatch above a queen excluder.  The method is illustrated below with a colony that had established itself on the branch of an old espalier apple tree in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon.
This was a small colony, but the method can be scaled-up if necessary.

 

There were just four combs to be removed.

 

First a box of drawn comb was set up near the wild colony...

 

 

...and then an excluder and an empty brood box added.

 

After smoking the bees gently, the first comb was removed.  In this case, the wax was still new and soft, so the comb was removed in two halves.  Disposable latex gloves can easily be rinsed or changed when sticky.

 

The bees were gently brushed down in front of the hive with a twist of grass so that the queen would run into the bottom box.  The pieces of comb were then placed on the excluder and propped with twigs so that the brood could emerge.

 

There she is!

Of course, if you find the queen she can be run into the bottom box.  There is then no need to brush the remaining combs and they can be smoked heavily to clear them of bees.

 

In she goes.

(NB - this yellow queen is not one of mine! PE)

 

Now the remaining combs were removed...

 

...and placed on the excluder.

 

All combs removed...

 

...and safe in the top box.  Now the hive was closed and strapped ready for moving during the evening when all the bees were inside.  If the colony had been larger then we would have added more queen excluders and empty boxes as necessary.

Subsequent management will depend on the size of the colony.  As soon as the queen has established a reasonable brood nest in the bottom box, supers can be added as required and the box, or boxes, of wild comb put above them.  Once all the brood has emerged then they can be removed and the wax recovered.