# Tips on getting these bees out?



## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Wait till spring. Depending on when really cold weather hits your area, the hive may not have re-attached the comb and gotten everything organized. If you don't get the queen, that's another headache to deal with really late in the year. It's probably close to being too late to raise a new queen and might be hard to find a mated queen this late. All that said, if you have to remove them, do what you can and go from there. Good luck.


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## G3farms (Jun 13, 2009)

I tell these customers that I have a minimum charge and it goes up from there. I would include in my price a small boom lift to get these bees out. That looks to be 25 to 30 feet to the peak of the house. 

The plastic soffit is not hard to remove, it is in a groove in the trim or under a lip in the bent flashing. If it has small nails in it then use a nail punch to drive them completely through the plastic.

I too would wait till spring.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank You for your insights. I appreciate your perspectives. My instinct is that is too cold as well so I do plan to wait and see if they make it through winter before I get closer to the project. I am also going to go over there and observe them and see as much detail as I can about what is up. I had him send me the picture and I am figuring that the spot seems like a definite spot honeybees would take up residence. It figures that they are so hi up. I will look at the soffit with my binoculars and try to see what I will need to do there as well. Thank you for using that word soffit. I was looking for that word and I should have known it but I couldn't think of it. 
The boom lift would be great. I wonder if we could get one for the project. Using a ladder would definitely take more time and be more risky.
My guess is in the spring it will be a fairly small amount of bees and comb to get but I could be surprised.
Jumping ahead here.... If I go to take the bees say middle of the day and I was successful in getting the queen and resealing the soffit would I leave the box of combs and bees down beside the house for a day so the rest of the returning bees to find or is the distance too great for them to figure out and come down to? I am wondering if they could smell the queen smell below all the way up at the peak or if the returning bees would just cluster up there trying to get in their old spot. ha ha I'm way ahead of myself


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Two ladders, ladder jacks (gadgets that hook to the ladder rungs and become brackets for scaffolds), and scaffold planks, will get you almost as good access at lower cost than the man lift. You could then leave the box of bees on the scaffold overnight to glean up the stragglers. Have a rope to lower and raise your equipment, and a helper to hook stuff onto the rope. Then when you climb the ladder you go without an armload of stuff (much safer). Some sort of safety harness highly recommended, if those bees come boiling out you might forget where you are and take a step back. Be careful, I'm sure you will prevail.
Bill


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## whiskers (Aug 28, 2011)

Sorry, double post.
Bill


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## larryh (Jul 28, 2014)

New bee guy, but experienced builder guy here..My vote is boom lift or scaffolding. Scaffolding rental is cheap and set's up really fast. If you're thinking a ladder is the way to go, remember you will need both hands free to work, which is very much a different ballgame than just climbing a ladder with a pail of paint.
There is no point in getting yourself hurt trying to save a homeowner a couple bucks.


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## G3farms (Jun 13, 2009)

Getting hurt to save a hive of bees is not worth it!

spring nuc $150 vs fall from two story house and trip to emergency room $$$$$$

They need your services more than you need the bees, is how I approach cut outs.


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## mcon672 (Mar 5, 2015)

Take it from a guy who has fallen off of a roof, not a good time. You are never the same again. You will get more cutout calls than you ever wanted in time. Cherry pick the easy ones and pass on the rest. Honestly after this year I've decided doing cutouts isn't worth it when I can just put a trap out and let the bees come to me. Whatever you decide, good luck and be safe.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank you all for your thoughts on the matter. The more I think about it the more difficult and dangerous it seems like it could be to do. Falling is life changing I agree. I've been there and it wasn't pretty, sorry to hear that you did also mcon672. I'm glad that were still here to tell about it.
I'm not in it for "getting free bees" They just heard I was beekeeper so I got the call. The initial information I got about the job was that it was on the ground level so I figured I might be able to do it without much trouble. When I got the proper information I found out it was the opposite of ground level so I told the person that I would put the picture on the forum and see what members thought and that I would try to help.
I am very grateful that you all have looked out for me. This information will help me and the homeowner come up with a proper, safe strategy. My wife doesn't want me to do it so that is weighing on the subject also. In the mean time winter is coming so I have some time to research cutting out bees even if it may not be for this particular job. 

Having a custom ladder set up and leaving the bee box up high for the bees to go into is a great tip Whiskers. Thank you for that strategy suggestion!

Thanks everyone!!!


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

There is a book called "Honey Bee Removal" by Cindy Bee (that's not a joke!) and Bill Owens that gives a lot of great info on removals, equipment needed, tips, etc. It has plans for a bee vac also. I think I got my copy from one of the equipment companies or through Bee Culture's book sales. It's a good investment even if you don't ever remove a single hive.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank You Gary! I will look into getting a copy of Cindy Bee's book. I'll bet that it does have some great educational material in it. The more that I imagined attempting this the more I realized that I would need some strategies for holding places to put the combs and bees all the while having hands to hold on and what not. The existence of a book on doing cutouts makes sense for helping people strategize. Thank You!!!!

Thank You also to Barry for BEESOURCE in general. This website is awesome!!!


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## Ashby Apiary (Jan 16, 2015)

I have removed a couple of cutouts very similar to this one this year. I used scaffolding for these and I always wear fall protection when at height. The biggest concern I see in the picture you posted is the electrical line close to the area in question. I always go by and take pictures and plan everything out ahead of time. Expect the best, but plan for the worst. And whatever you do, wear fall protection at height.


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

First thing, first. You need to find out where they are in the structure. Its possible that they are around the chute of the chimney, or running down the wall. Rent, borrow an infrared thermal camera. Use it before the sun hits the exterior wall. Scan the soffit and interior walls. In my experience it doesn't read through brick or stucco well, but if they don't show up on the camera in the interior walls or soffit, you'll know they are in the chimney Locate them now & relocate them in the Spring. If it turns out to be an exterior removal, no way I would do it on ladders.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank You for the suggestions. Watching for the electricity, using the scaffolding and the using a thermal camera are great things to consider. Figuring out where the bees are exactly with the thermal camera would definitely be a good starting point. The bees can be time consuming in general and starting in the right spot with this cut out would help on many levels. I ordered the book that GaryG74 recommended and I will continue to read and watch videos about this type of thing. I'm sure that it will come in handy. 

My bees are enough to manage but learning to remove bees will be a good thing to have some knowledge of incase I decide to start digging into a structure to remove some at some point. This job may not be a the best one for a first timer. This is different than just dealing with a hot hive or moving bees. The height alone is a major consideration. Thank You for helping. I really appreciate your efforts.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

I like the way Ashby thinks. I used to work for a company that has kind of low public perception for what they do. I will say however, their HSE policies are regarded as priority number 1 and they like it when people take it home with them. Simple things as wearing safety glasses when mowing the lawn etc... Their policy on any work at heights... you must have fall protection, so whatever you use if you do the job, make sure you have a harness on, and are buckled into something very secure in case you do fall off.


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## Mike Gillmore (Feb 25, 2006)

virginiawolf said:


> The boom lift would be great. I wonder if we could get one for the project.


That's the only way I would go in this situation. The homeowner would pay for the boom truck rental, or I would turn around and walk away. Life's too short.


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## J.Walters (Sep 24, 2015)

Just from experience: leave the hive go till Spring to see if they even survive. Extracting a hive this late in the season brings on so many problems: Queen, feed, honey, broken comb, etc. I currently have an old abandoned home that is a 2 story, it has 4 entrances that I can see that are active. I'm waiting till Spring for the same reasons...

If you decide to take on the experience, get a boom lift, hands down. By the time your up on a ladder, you have to use both hands, tools, bee vac, nuc box with frames, and expect the unexpected. You want a platform to stand on. As everyone has stated, it's not worth falling, injury, ER or death just for the bees...


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank you all so much for your advice and tips and concerns. I am in the middle of The Honey Bee Removal book by Cindy Bee and the height of this cutout is beyond what I have read so far. This is clearly an advanced level job. I already have someone else that has a cut out for me that is ten feet up he said. The second job is on the way to where my bees are and is less demanding from the sound of it. He said the bees are on the outside wall but my guess is that they are in as far as they can get. I will wait till spring and see if either of the colonies survive and then I will see about attempting to remove them. 


I have a Bee vac that I got for free that I will have to run some tests with. Apparently a bee vacuum is a key tool for cutting out bees. I will also need a bunch of other supplies potentially. This has been an educational subject. I would like to apply myself to this whole heartedly but I must admit that the variations that one may face in these types of jobs is daunting. I will need to read more and study more and see where this may lead.

Thank you all!!


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## jadebees (May 9, 2013)

I have a set fee, if I can walk up and hive them. Swarms may be free, depending on home owner attitude. But.... cutting or removing anything will get a quote of 100's of dollars. 2 story, ladder work cutouts, are often refused by me, or cost in the 4 digits. I get very few of those, and get paid about $125 per hour. Because its incredibly dangerous on many levels. A roofer would get 40-50 per hour to get up there and do repairs. Now add bees , that could kill you, without precautions. You should be paid very well for that, as you're risking your life. If that's not acceptable, they need an exterminator. Traditionally, the bee remover does NO repairs. Do enough cutouts and you'll see why. You have enough to do without mixing carpentry into it. Good luck & be safe. I was a construction professional for 35 years, I have worked in worse situations than that. It's just not worth a life in a wheelchair. Use all the safety equipment you need, and charge the owner. Doing a favor goes away when it can cripple or kill you.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

Thank You jadebees! In the beginning of this thread you can see that when I got the initial information about this I was told second hand that the bees were at ground level. After finding out the height of the job and learning more of what this will entail the risk factor has sunk in and reading more about the work involved has sunk in as well. 

The second job that I may do in the spring is at a home where the homeowner used to do vinyl siding so I am considering bringing my large extra suit and maybe we can dis assemble what needs to be disassembled together He is a cool guy that I have known for a long time so his knowledge of vinyl siding could surely be a plus. This high up job will be a different animal if I attempt it. 
When I imagine trying to get the bees out at that height I can just see myself running out of smoke  I will want to have a good work space set up with everything I need right there if I am going to do it. I won't be able to run and get anything at that height. I'll want to have a second set of hands on the ground or with me to help. Pre thinking all of this through has been a good exercise for me. Timing will be important also. I'm thinking that I will want to get in there mid day and then do what I can and then leave a box up there with a disc entrance for the rest of the bees to come back to. I'm still thinking it all through. Coming back to this thread and reading all of the valuable posts has been great.

When I have moved bees before curiosity seems to bring the whole neighborhood out. The first cut out I bet would be one of those instances. I could see all the neighbors out, kids on swings etc. It seems inevitable.


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## B52EW (Jun 3, 2013)

mcon672 said:


> Take it from a guy who has fallen off of a roof, not a good time. You are never the same again. You will get more cutout calls than you ever wanted in time. Cherry pick the easy ones and pass on the rest. Honestly after this year I've decided doing cutouts isn't worth it when I can just put a trap out and let the bees come to me. Whatever you decide, good luck and be safe.


Amen. Somehow the local Terminix guy got my number and gives it out to people with bee problems...I've learned to "cherry-pick" the right ones.


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