# When is it too late to do a cutout?



## DavidZ (Apr 9, 2016)

Do it, and feed them the honey you take from them. If it's that big, I'm guessing there is +50lbs honey, don't rob them of the resources.


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## Beebeard (Apr 27, 2016)

I'd say go for it, IF you have the available resources. Put their honeycomb in a bin with a tight lid to try to keep robbing down while doing the cutout, once hived keep the entrance in their new box small, keep them crowded, and backfeed their own honey to them internally. You need consider stealing frames of resources from your stronger hives. If you have some that could spare a frame of honey, do that. Also try to find a good frame of brood to give them too, they will need those young bees for their overwinter population and may not have the time to raise enough on their own. Again, this is only if you have those resources. It will be a challenge to get them what they need to overwinter otherwise.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

I did an October cutout of a very small colony/swarm that had only been in the wall long enough to build a little comb. It was a dinky colony but at the time I was in full-blown "save all bees" mode. Fed it up as much as I could and by miracle it wintered but was still a dink. It dinked around until June and then showed signs of swarming. Have never wanted a swarm but this one I was willing to roll the dice on and let it go. It swarmed, I found the swarm because a neighbor ran over it with a mower. Gathered it up with marked queen and all. 
(it absconded and I was content) The cells the old dink queen left behind were good because now that dink is suddenly a strong colony. Lucky me.
Looking back I think I'd have passed on that cutout but the paycheck was large so who cared about the bees. (me) 
The experience was worth it and it'd probably be good for you too especially if you're a bee lover.


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## WD9N (Dec 28, 2014)

Ok, I just finished up building a bee vac to give this a try. (Bushkill style) It is in an old township building that is no longer used, I can pretty much tear the building down and they don't care. The only reason to get them is the neighbor is complaining to the board because he has a bunch of hummingbird feeders across the road. If I don't take them they are going to spray them, so they are dead for sure if I don't do it

I worked for this township several years back and the building has had bees in it since before that. At one time, it had three colonies, the parent colony and two swarms that just moved to different walls. I guess you might say it is an old bee house!

Thanks for the replies and any further thoughts on the topic are still welcome.


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain at this point.


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## WD9N (Dec 28, 2014)

I did the cutout 9/17/16. It was a pretty big colony with a large number of bees and a good amount of honey, and it took 11 hrs to complete. I couldn't get to the queen because she ran and hid in a void I couldn't get to without hours more work. I have several capped queen cells as of 9/23/16. I am impressed with how fast they have started building the combs back together and attaching it to frames.


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