# Bees in a pipe How to remove



## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

Sounds as if you have a pretty good plan. The only thing that I would add to it is to get yourself some type of honey bee repellant and squirt it on the other side of the hive if at all possible to keep the bees from moving further away, in particular the queen. Gives you a better chance at capturing her.


----------



## dsegrest (May 15, 2014)

Just guessing. No experience in this area... Put a porous bag over the open end. Drill a hole behind the inhabited part of the pipe and pour a little "honey robber" or something similar in the hole. Once the bees have come out and been captured, the comb with brood and honey can be dug out fairly easily.


----------



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

I would get a sheet of 18 gauge sheet metal. You can probably go as thin as 28 gauge but that may bend. Roll a 36 inch long piece into a tube just small enough to fit into the pipe and move along its length easily and pop rivet, or spot weld in that shape. on one end pop rivet or spot weld two 2 inch wide strips of the tin in an X pattern. attach a rope to the X for removal. begin sliding the sheet metal tube into the pipe rotating it clockwise then counter clockwise once in contact with the comb, To cut comb from the pipe walls. Push in where the hive was started and just a bit further. Use a broom handle to push if necessary. Then slide back out. The hive should be in the sheet metal tube in its entirety and mostly intact. drill out the pop rivets and open the tube. You can now rubber band the comb into frames, keeping an eye out for the queen, cage her and finish the job. 

That is how I would go about it. Necessity is the mother of invention!


----------



## Cleo C. Hogan Jr (Feb 27, 2010)

I would leave them in the pipe, run the pipe into a 10 framer and let the bees move into the 10 framer. Move the 10 framer away, and let bees rob out the original colony. Then cut/push out comb and melt for the wax. Not sure of your weather, but it should be done during a decent honey flow, best done in Spring.

If you start pushing or pulling anything through the pipe, while the bees are in it, you will have one honey mess in the pipe, and a drove of dead bees trapped in the honey mess.

cchoganjr


----------



## Ryan Williamson (Feb 28, 2012)

It might be easier than you think. One of the ways they used to make splits from hives kept in logs was to get the bees to move out on their own feet. This was done by steadily thumping the log until all the bees came pouring out. Something about the vibration would send them packing. I think I saw a YouTube video of beekeepers doing it once that you might be able to find. 
Have fun how ever you go about it!
Ryan


----------



## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

Cleo C. Hogan Jr said:


> I would leave them in the pipe, run the pipe into a 10 framer and let the bees move into the 10 framer. Move the 10 framer away, and let bees rob out the original colony. Then cut/push out comb and melt for the wax. Not sure of your weather, but it should be done during a decent honey flow, best done in Spring.
> 
> If you start pushing or pulling anything through the pipe, while the bees are in it, you will have one honey mess in the pipe, and a drove of dead bees trapped in the honey mess.
> cchoganjr


Cleo - I should have posted that the piece of pipe is 12 feet long. But Goldenrod is just starting to blossom. I think this is going to be a big mess, but it is going to go into the ground as a corner post for a big pipe gate. So either I take them or they die.


----------



## CajunBee (May 15, 2013)

Boy, that's gunna be a huge gate! dsegrest had the best idea....Set up like Cleo's trap (with old comb if you have it),drill a hole behind them and smoke or other repellent to run them out into the trap box. Once most are out, then do whatever to salvage what you can of comb and brood.


----------

