# Beezilla cutout



## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Have done a few like that size or better. I think I'd wait until spring. That or plan on feeding them. 
I think you got maybe 12-15 pounds of bees there.


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## ShrekVa (Jan 13, 2011)

I have no experience with "likely Africanized" bees. I would have my smoker ready to go and not be afraid of smoking them, have frames with rubber bands ready to go or frames with wire staped to the top bar extending down to attach comb to. Only frame good brood comb, discard pollen and open comb, trash bag let them rob later, and bucket any capped honey. The less comb the less likely you are to have shb, if you do try to save a bunch of comb good luck, I haven't had any with it. Have you box set up off the ground and close by, have an empty super with screen staped on top for space on top. once you have most the brood in there the bees will likely follow and eventually calm down, you already have your box ready to go and screened on top so its easy to move the next day. Also a spray bottle of syrup is handy and can help ground the bees so to speak so you don't have as many fliers, and can help when you transport them. It looks like a good sized colony but I wouldn't say its a monster. Just a few thoughts, good luck to you.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

TexasFreedom said:


> Comments? Anyone else find a monster like this, and any comments on your approach? Plan B?


Vacuum.


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

I'll bet that one nice thing about a vacuum is that when 10K bees decide to land on the screen of your veil, you can just suck them up so you can see out again.
Bill


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

whiskers said:


> I'll bet that one nice thing about a vacuum is that when 10K bees decide to land on the screen of your veil, you can just suck them up so you can see out again.


Don't smoke them if you use a vacuum. Don't remove them without a vacuum if they are aggressive.


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## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

Riverderwent said:


> Don't smoke them if you use a vacuum. Don't remove them without a vacuum if they are aggressive.


:thumbsup:

If you have time I would do it in stages. Vacuum a significant number and take them away. The remaining will cover the comb. Newspaper combine with a good nuc. Let the colony settle. The next day they will be more manageable, you can do it again, if necessary. At some point you will be able to start pulling some comb. Kind of like a trap out. You can boost many hives that way.

Or, get more vacuum boxes and do it all at once. I wouldn't count on smoke impacting them in a positive way...:no: AHB tendencies are manageable if you are prepared. Getting caught off guard isn't fun!


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Can you set up your vacuum using a 55 gal drum or something?


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

Good Grief! Everything IS BIGGER in Texas! Since it is likely Africanized, you really don't want the queen, and the workers are going to be mean as dirt. So what is it about the colony that you would like to keep? The comb? The honey? Or is it simply a matter of removing the unwanted hive? Plan D could just be a bucket of soapy water to kill off the mean hive and then you can harvest the comb to add to your existing hives.


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## Dan P (Oct 29, 2014)

Can you modify a lid or boxes to except a vacuum hose or something to vacuum them into a double deep with frames and then cut what comb you want to save and place in another on top after all vacuuming is done. The more you vacuum the less aggressive they become.


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## TexasFreedom (Feb 25, 2016)

ruthiesbees said:


> Good Grief! Everything IS BIGGER in Texas! Since it is likely Africanized, you really don't want the queen, and the workers are going to be mean as dirt. So what is it about the colony that you would like to keep? The comb? The honey? Or is it simply a matter of removing the unwanted hive? Plan D could just be a bucket of soapy water to kill off the mean hive and then you can harvest the comb to add to your existing hives.


There are a number of questions and comments... let me work my way through.

First, Ruth. I PREFER slightly africanized bees. Yes, they can get to be 'too much' but there are some great advantages to a hybrid queen. AHB are more productive in making babies. More workers = more work done. They defend their colonies better (good and bad: but good includes pests and varmints). Little trouble with losing queens. Greater honey production, maybe as much as 30-80% (as an average). Generally healthier. Rarely victims of robbing (but often instigators). You will rarely have an AHB collapse or get driven out by hive beetles compare to Europeans. Bottom line: European bees are maybe 4 times more likely to fail compared to AHB. And with many people having 30% failures, that's a significant number.

OK, starting from the first replies: Betty. We don't have much of a winter here (central Texas, maybe 3 days of 'freeze' per winter. Yes, I may need to feed some, but they don't need to produce that much heat and it won't be that hard to push them through the season.

Shrek: Yup, can't argue anything you said.

(everyone with vacuum): I'll just need to use my inverter to run a vacuum as there's no power for 1000 ft. Or maybe a generator. But agreed, it will be very useful. 55 gal drum? It's not that big a colony! Oh, and AHB are much less likely to vomit honey combining smoke and vacuum. Odd, but true. I can stack 2 or even 3 deeps with frames to make my vacuum a super-sized version. But I'll be there all day or all week vacuuming that way. I really want to avoid vacuuming all together, hence my smoking idea.

TB: it's about 15-20 miles away, so I want to limit the # of trips.

Good points all around. It was mid-90's today with a 'cold front' coming (ie ONLY the 80's for the highs)... so still some time before we'll be attacking this project.
Thanks to all, & let me know if there are other ideas.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

TexasFreedom said:


> I'll just need to use my inverter to run a vacuum as there's no power for 1000 ft. Or maybe a generator.


Test the inverter ahead of time or bring a generator. Bee vacs pull some amps.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Done this sort of thing for years. Vac the bees. They are going to bee aggressive any way you do it. Again, no smoke if you vac. 
The smoke thing (Plan B) may make them jump ship altogether.


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