# bees in a bird house



## jjgbee (Oct 12, 2006)

In my area bees that go into those little decorative bird houses are all african. They like a small cavity. 8in x 8in. Euoropeans want an enclosure more like 20x20. Kill off those soft ball size swarms and do everybody a favor. Duct tape over the entrance works.


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## gpr (May 22, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback. I was of the understanding that the African bees would attack when someone got close. My friend has been standing off to the side and never been warned to stay away by any of the bees.


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## LBEE (Jun 4, 2008)

Last year I was called about a colony in a birdhouse. I went after dark, plugged the entrance and took it home. I removed it from the birdhouse later on. This year I also saw bees underground in a cement culvert. Oh yes, we do NOT have the "African Bees" here in Oregon. It is almost as if the bees will do something, every once in awhile, just to prove us wrong. I have even seen bees building comb out in the open. But, the ones you are looking at MAY be "African", so do be careful.

Larry


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

There are a few pictures and lot-o-info about AHB at the link below...

http://www.ok.gov/~okag/cps-bees.htm


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## BaconStreetBees (Mar 26, 2009)

Does your friend know bees? I was told that someone had honeybees in their birdhouse and when I drove 45 minutes to get the bees, I found that they were wasps. Even after the phone call to make sure that they knew if they were honeybees.


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

I have picked up bird houses, duck boxes, squirrel boxes and owl boxes with bees in them. To date, none have been AHB. The boxes were not small, they were about the size of a 5 frame nuc oriented with the long dimension vertical. I usually pick them up about dusk by just screening them in and taking the whole box. Later I cut them out at my convenience.


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## gpr (May 22, 2009)

Thanks again for the comments.

I have yet to see this swarm/hive. Based on the amount of time that has passed, I expect it to be a hiave in a small space. 

If the space is as small as I am expecting, I am surprised they are staying in the bird house and not just moving on. Anyone know if this is typical behavior for bees, staying in a space too small to produce brood and honey for the winter?

Greg


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## jjgbee (Oct 12, 2006)

Having worked with and experimented with AHB for the past 10 years, I know what I am talking about. AHB will live in a space 8in X 8in or less. They will move into 4in wheel lines used to irrigate alfalfa. The test I use when approaching a suspect swarm, FULLY suited with gloves and all, exhale on the swarm. Europeans will bristle and may send out one gaurd to sting. AHB will slam your vail with about 100 trying to sting. As for not being agressive when you are near, may I relate this story. A fellow had a colony in the eves of his shop. He insisted they were not AHB. He walked near them all the time. I climbed the ladder to take a look. They bristled to smoke. I told the guy to move inside. He didn't. He moved back about 20 feet. I exhaled on them and the war was on. He got stung 6 times on his head before he could get inside. The bees continued to clear out 3 neighbors and we had to move some horses. I had 60 hives in citrus. I split supered those hives and pulled 2 mediums from every hive with a few stings. I moved that set to a seed alfalfa job with no stings and no agressive hives and all were strong. 14 days later, the farmer calls me and says 1 hive has gone crazy. In a yard of 60 hives, the farmer could identify which hive that was sending out the stingers. They would attack his window near his head and followed him 1/4 mile back to his shop and stung him when he got out. They are just unpredictable. Pre AHB I worked big bee yards with only a bee jacket and vail. No gloves.


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## gpr (May 22, 2009)

jjgbee,

All I can say is, wow! I will certainly approach this with more caution. 

Do you have any suggestions as to the best way to remove the bees if these are AHB? Sounds like it would be better to destroy them rather than letting them to continue develop and build more swarms and hives, or is destroying them too extreme?


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## Gene Weitzel (Dec 6, 2005)

jjgbee, based on your test, 100% of the feral bees I have recovered from small cavities would not be AHB. However, mtDNA testing has shown that 30% of the feral bees in my area are AHB. I have found that many times they will be quite manageable and "EHB like" when the colonies are small. Put them in a hive and let them build to two deeps, crack the top and all heck breaks loose! I have also found ferals that tested 100% EHB that would fail your behavior test. With only 30% AHB in my area, it would seem that even amoung the AHB they may have more EHB influence so behavior based tests are not that reliable. I can say that there are some removals I have done that based on behavior, there is almost no possibility that they are AHB, I have one such colony that I can work without a veil and have never taken a single sting from (they are currently a double deep with three medium supers and have about a gallon of bees hanging out on the front in the evening), they are amazingly gentle. All I am saying is that your experience may be accurate for your area, but it would not necessarily be representative of all areas where AHB have encroached.


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## gpr (May 22, 2009)

OK now, I have seen the small hive. 

The bees have an opening to access the hive with the front hole you would expect on a bird house. Now for the next question, if I take the bird house down and move it to an actual hive, how do I dismantle the bird house and expect the bees to stay? Since the bird house is so small, 7" x 10" x 10" high, what do I do with the bees to avoid them just taking off. The bird hose has been nailed together. I can seal it up easily enough to get it to a new hive, but not sure how to open it so the bees will stay.

I look forwad to hearing some suggestions. 

Thanks.


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