Colony Cut out - 30th April 2011

A late post just to document a cut out I did in South Leeds on the the 30th April 2011. My bee keeping association took a call from a roofer stating work had stopped due to a bee colony in a roof. All the roof slates had been removed and the new sheeting had been installed apart from this one corner where the slates had come off but the felting was still in place. I think it had took them a couple of days to ring us and the colony was very docile, may be from the very cold nights (they were still hitting freezing). This is the space that was left once all the comb was removed. It was a good sized colony.

 This is the box the colony went in. I had national frames with rubber bands round them and slotted the comb in. This is the box trussed up ready to be lowered down the scaffold I was working from. I only just managed to get the comb in.

 Just in case you dont know what scaffold is. This is where the bees were taken from. I was working in the top left hand corner of the house. The cut out took around 90 minutes and then I went back later on giving any flying bees time to go in to the box.

and the bees are now doing fine. I did not know if I had killed the queen or even got her, but the colony went to my apiary and left to get on with living in piece and quiet

Weather on the 30th April 2011 was wet and damp and freezing during the night time. Today on the 23rd April 2011...heat wave (twenties) with short rain showers

 

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