# The cut out of my Life!



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Let me start with a bit of background there I a fellow who took up beekeeping in my area 2 years ago. this year I have seen plyers all over town advertising cutouts with his info. I thought great someone s picking up the gauntlet, As I stopped doing them a few years ago.

Thursday I got a call from a friend who delivers Meals-On-Wheels asking me about doing a cut out. Although a good friend I explained I no longer do cutouts. He all but pleaded with me and I finally agreed to at least go look, but he would have to drive! 
As we turned off the state road onto a county road I was very familiar with I asked Dave if this house was in Beala. Now Beala is an old community the houses are 1890 vintage double boarded houses most of which have several layers of shingle siding or insulbrick which can no longer be found and falls apart when removed. Now, there was even less of a chance I would come out of cut out retirement to do it. We pulled into the drive and as soon as we exited the truck the bees were on us. We went to the house where we were ushered in by a little old lady,(now I turned 73 Yesterday, So when I say old I mean it.) She said hello my name is Lillian and offered us coffee, then began to tell me her story. 
Seems she had hired the new Cut out artist to remove this hive in the back of her house. He tore into the house and worked for an hour, then him and his helper left and had not returned. she said she had been calling him for 4 days and he would not return her calls. She was trapped inside her house because of the bees. Other than Dave (who brings her dinner) no one dared come round. Oh please Mr. Tenbears get them out of here for me I will Pay anything she pleaded. 
How could a fellow say no. Well under one condition, Dave helps me! 
Soon we had scaffolding erecter which was no easy feat as the ground was terribly uneven and cluttered with scrap. As is the case in most double boarded houses the bees were in the floor of the second level. Built with rough sawn timber the joists are 24" apart and a full 8" deep the hive encompassed two compartments and ran 7 Feet back into the house the equivalent of 11 deep 10 frame hive bodies. I took out 7 vacuum boxes Mine hold about 30,000 bees comfortably. Although there were only 9 frames of brood. We removed 5 average family size coolers of honey comb. I found the queen at near dark In a small cluster of bees near the front of the opening, as if she knew I would be back for her. We closed the house up and calked all the seams, we were able to salvage matching scalloped shingles from an out building that was falling down on the property.
When finished I told the owner (Lillian) it was safe to come out and inspect the repair. As she looked at the job she said she could not even tell where the bees were and gave me a hug in tearful appreciation. Then asked what she owed. I told her I would send her a bill. Oh, I never will. I got 7, 10 frame deeps of bees to which I added My own queens, and the gratitude of the sweetest 90 year old in Pa. That is payment enough for me. Now If I can get Dave to pressure wash my scaffolding life will be good!


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## cervus (May 8, 2016)

Great story! You're a good man.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Best cutout of her life too.
Freedom again at 90.


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## e-spice (Sep 21, 2013)

What a nice story. Great job TenBears!


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## Colino (May 28, 2013)

cervus said:


> Great story! You're a good man.


:thumbsup:


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## Caribhopper (Jun 28, 2015)

Great job Tenbears. I did a cutout about 2 weeks ago the same type of story. Not as many bees as you but there were 3 cutouts and 1 swarm at the same house.


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## Trooper (Jun 5, 2016)

Great job!!


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

A tip of my hat to you Tenbears; have a taste of the mead you've been saving for a job well done. (that warm fuzzy you get for doing a kind service is something money just can't buy)


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## Outdoor N8 (Aug 7, 2015)

Nice! Some things money can't touch.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Did you keep the original queen too, or were they pretty mean bees?


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

It's great to hear that it worked out for you and the homeowner. She sounds like someone that could be interested in buying some honey


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## COAL REAPER (Jun 24, 2014)

good on yah tenbears


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## 357 (May 2, 2016)

Well done!


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## John T (Jun 11, 2016)

Good Job :thumbsup: I Like Your Attitude


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

JRG13 said:


> Did you keep the original queen too, or were they pretty mean bees?


JR: They were pretty mean. But I kept the original queen. I figure they had reason to be mean their home had been tore into, partially destroyed and left open for several days. I have had normally gentle bees behave badly after a bear demolished their hive. So I figured I would give the queen a chance. I can always requeen later!


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## Steve zone 5 WI (Jan 2, 2013)

Very, very nice Tenbears! 

It sure makes a person feel good when your in a position to help doesn't it!

Steve


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

First, Happy Birthday Tenbears.
Job well done, that's some good karma!


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## K Wieland (Sep 15, 2011)

Good job!

Having recently completed my first cut out, I have a question for you all. I imagine my situation was very similar. Hive is between first and second floor in an older house.

Once you get 3-4 feet in, how do you cut out and remove the comb? I was "tippy towing", full arm inserted in the space and holding the very end of the knife and could barely reach the end.


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## crmauch (Mar 3, 2016)

Good Story! Glad you could help her out! Makes me feel good about a fellow Pennsylvanian.


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## sakhoney (Apr 3, 2016)

Tenbears :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:SAK


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## Wandering Man (Jan 15, 2016)

So sad the new guy abandoned her. A good thing someone with your integrity stepped up.

Thanks for being that man.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

K Wieland said:


> Once you get 3-4 feet in, how do you cut out and remove the comb? I was "tippy towing", full arm inserted in the space and holding the very end of the knife and could barely reach the end.


 Here is what I have done for years, we have a lot of old double boarded houses here in North West Pa. I have an industrial metal dust pan that is 16 Inches wide. to which I have epoxied a long rake handle, I also have a how that is straight with the blade inline with the handle, rather than having a bend so the blade is perpendicular to the handle when I get in to where I can no longer reach I run the long handled dust pan into where the comb begins. Then take the hoe and cut the comb from the floor. it almost naturally falls forward into the dustpan. (except the last row) Un some instances I will cut 4 inches off each end to take the brood comb intact.


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## Muzkrat (Apr 13, 2015)

Great story ! Thanks for sharing.


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