# New TBH



## Doug-TN (May 8, 2004)

Hello everyone,
I have wanted to get a hive of bees for quite some time now but have yet to do it, 1. because my wife is scared that the kids would be attacked and killed by the bees, and 2. because its a fairly expensive hobby to get started. Then I found this site and I just cant stay out of here....I just finished my first TBH and got the paint put on there on May 6th. 
Question #1: How long do I need to wait before I can put some bees in there? I put a coat of primer then three coats of external paint on the outside of the hive and did nothing to the inside. (last coat of paint was on the 6th)
Question # 2: I have put the word out that I am interested in collecting a swarm, but I am afraid that I am about too late. A friend of a friend has two trees in his yard that he wants cut down. both trees have bees in them. One of the holes about head high, the other about waist high. The large tree has had bees in there for 12 years. The small tree is a swarm from the large one. I have read about the cone method but I am about an hour and a half from the site and dont really want to drive out there any more than I have to. What is the chances of cutting the tree down and gettting the brood/bees out?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>1. because my wife is scared that the kids would be attacked and killed by the bees, and 2. because its a fairly expensive hobby to get started. Then I found this site and I just cant stay out of here....I just finished my first TBH and got the paint put on there on May 6th. 

Maybe you can set up an obeservation hive somewhere, like the garage? Once she gets used to watching them you'll have her hooked.

>Question #1: How long do I need to wait before I can put some bees in there? I put a coat of primer then three coats of external paint on the outside of the hive and did nothing to the inside. (last coat of paint was on the 6th)

I've painted hives with bees in them, so I'd say you should wait until you closed the paint can and cleaned the brush.

>Question # 2: I have put the word out that I am interested in collecting a swarm, but I am afraid that I am about too late. A friend of a friend has two trees in his yard that he wants cut down. both trees have bees in them. One of the holes about head high, the other about waist high. The large tree has had bees in there for 12 years. The small tree is a swarm from the large one. I have read about the cone method but I am about an hour and a half from the site and dont really want to drive out there any more than I have to. What is the chances of cutting the tree down and gettting the brood/bees out?

Certainly. But for a totally inexperienced person it's quite an undertaking. It's exactly how I got into bees, but it's hard to recommend when I look back on how many mistakes I made and how long it took me to realize I needed a full suit with a zip on veil.









Brushy Mt. has a video, free bees for you that shows four old men doing just that. Finding and cutting down a bee tree. They aren't even wearing a veil. I do NOT recommend you do it with any less than a full suit with the ankles, wrists and the place where the zippers end on the veil duct taped tightly. And a pair of beekeepers guantlets and a smoker.

The bees educated me a lot when I did it.


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## BWrangler (Aug 14, 2002)

Hi Doug,

Getting bees out of trees is alot of work and isn't always a successful way to get bees. The queen is often lost in the carnage. And you never know what kind of bees you will be getting if successful. They might get nasty. If you attempt the tree try to get an experience beekeeper to help you out.

I would check with some of the local beekeepers and see if they would have some extra bees and a queen. They might prefer to give you the bees ra


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## Hillbillynursery (Nov 13, 2003)

I am about 3 hours from Knoxville toward Nashville. I would not mind helping one Saturday if they are in my direction. I am some what new to this but I just removed 4 hives out of one old church. One of them was a total lose. It was a swarm from this year so the comb was to tender and broke/ripped everywhere I tied it into the frames. One colony had several queen cells in it which I used to start nucs. I did loose one of the other queens but it was because the bees replaced her after I got her home. She must have been damaged in the process. I wish I had had the full suit. I went better prepared each time I went out. It was hard working in 85 degree weather with a jacket on over my old coveralls with every cuff rubber banded shut. BTW if you just want a nuc I have one more I will let go of.


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## Doug-TN (May 8, 2004)

Hillbily,
I would love one. I called the ag extension agency here at UT and they have my name on the list to get swarms that folks call about. I guess they give the list to the 911 dispatchers as well as animal control. I have also called a few local exterminators and they also have my #. Not one word..... I have one TBH that is ready for some bees and another that will be ready this week. Today at 2:00 EST, I will be off work until Friday night. If you have some spare time, I would love to get a nuc from you so I can get this started. As far as the bee tree goes, the guy wants the trees cut down. I have thought of putting together another TBH and taking it out there and trying the cone method on these things, but dont really have the time to go out there and see how its doing. The fella that has the trees is not eager at all to help....he just wants the bees and the trees out of there. Its in Morristown. Ill talk to him and if you would like to go out there and try to get them, I am willing. One of the trees is as big around as a truck tire. Thats the one thats been there for at least 12 years. The other is a small tree.


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## Hillbillynursery (Nov 13, 2003)

Doug Email me I will be home in the morning. Hillbillynursery at hotmail dot com
(fixed so the spammer software can not pick it up just replace the at and dot). I will be with the bees in the afternoon. Anytime you wish to come I can be there except time to get the kids from school.


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## Doug-TN (May 8, 2004)

I have a question:
If you are using a tbh that will not hold a regular lang frame, how do get your hive started with a nuc?


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## Scot Mc Pherson (Oct 12, 2001)

Generally you don't start with a NUC at least not a langstroth NUC. You start TBHs with package bees. When TBHs become more standardized, and they will if they continue to grow in popularity, I think you will start to see some TBH NUCs.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Put the nuc in a Lanstroth hive and when it's booming do a shaken swarm to populate the THB?

That or make frames that fit your TBH and cut the brood comb out of the nuc and tie it into the frames and put them in your TBH.


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## Doug-TN (May 8, 2004)

How do you do a shaken swarm?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

How to do a shaken swarm:


Equipment:

I always make a swarm box to put them in. Take a regular box and cover the bottom with #8 hardward cloth or screen. Put screen on the hole on a inner cover. Put a board on each end of the box under the screen to hold it off the ground an inch or two for air space so they don't overheat.

For each hive you are getting bees from (the more the better but one booming hive can work too) make sure you know where the queen is. I either set the frame she's on aside or catch her in a hair clip queen catcher.

Shake bees off of the frames into the box. I like to put my hands on the end bars and slam my hands against the box, like the frame is going into the box but it hits my hands instead. Use brood frames, so you can get nurse bees. I try to steal bees evenly from all of my stronger hives. This mixture of bees will have no strong loyalties and will form a new swarm after a while. Try not to weaken any of your hives too much. If you like you can spray them some with syrup or syrup with HBH (Honey bee healthy) in it. When you have as many bees as you want for your new swarm, put in a couple more frames because some will drift back to their hives.

Between hives put the inner cover (with the screen on the hole) on. As you let them set any length of time they will cluster on the lid, so hit the box on the ground before you open so they will get knocked off the lid.

After I have plenty of bees, I like to put them in the basement overnight to think things over and get organized as a new group. Then I'll put in a queen in a cage and let them get used to her for a few hours. Now you can put them all in a hive. I prefer to put the hive in the shade and close up the entrance with screen for a day while they get organized so they don't swarm and the bees don't all drift back to their hives. This works MUCH better if there is a feeder with syrup and one with water. In a TBH, just put two boardman feeders on the floor of the hive (finally a use for those boardman feeders).

After a day and a night of this, I'd probably just direct release the queen, but you can do the standard candy release if you like.


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