# First cutout and odd behaviour



## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

Over the weekend, my cousin and I did a cut out. Some bees had established a colony between floors, and were using a hole in an exterior wall as an entrance/exit. We did not use a bee vac, and the cutout seemed to go well. We strapped the brood comb in some frames, and put the frames in a nuc. There was quite a bit of brood comb, but not a lot of honey. 

Some of the bees, and probably the queen were clustered beyond reach. I explained to the home owner the bees would probably move to the brood combs very soon. 

We left the brood combs in the nuc overnight, and sometime the next day, the remaining bees moved to the nuc. I stopped by around 7:00 the next day, everything seemed great. The bees were using the nuc just fine. What I would consider normal activity. 

Returned around midnight and packed up the nuc. It was about a 10 minute drive home. The only time they made any noise was when I set the nuc on the hive stand. Normal buzz alarm. Then I put on an internal feeder.

But, in the two days since, very, very few bees have left the hive. Once about eight bees came near the entrance and did a mini "washboard" then went back in. Other times a few bees will poke their heads out, look around, then scurry back in. 

Is this normal for a cutout? Should I be worried that someone possibly sprayed the bees? 

Thanks 
Shane


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## jip (Apr 10, 2009)

Have the homeowner called you back saying there are still a lot of bees there? ;-)
10 min away isn't that far. Is it more than 2-3 miles?


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

jip said:


> Have the homeowner called you back saying there are still a lot of bees there? ;-)
> 10 min away isn't that far. Is it more than 2-3 miles?


Definitely more than three miles away. Yesterday, after a gentle tap on the side of the nuc, the bees sent of the alarm buzz.


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## scrapiron (Aug 18, 2011)

They are fine. There is a lot of work to be done in the nuc, they are just busy repairing the comb. If you got the queen, activity will pick up in a few days. If no queen, activity will pick up in a couple weeks.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

My dad hasn't been around? Maybe he stole them!


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Shane did the grabbing and I was shoving them in the frames. Those bees have a lot to do to fix my handy work!


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