# Gas Tank Bees



## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

I was given a hive of bees in a gas tank. *Taking any suggestions on how to get them into a manageable hive. *


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

I would probably do a trap out.


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

Since they seem to be well established, and if I could move the tank to an appropriate place, I would leave them in the tank and take three or four starts from them each year. In early Spring, take the queen, and let them make themselves a new one, (get the genetics).

It should be easy to seal off all entrances except one in the tank. An easy trapout.

cchoganjr


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I'm with Cleo on this one.


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

That's what I was thinking. Just wanted to make sure I was on the right track. I have access to some heavily wooded property with few bees. I think I may stick it up in an old deer stand and rig it up for starts.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Why make it harder to get to? Just put it on a stand?


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

That's pretty cool. I bet that sucker is full!


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

I would get it off the ground by a couple of feet, but, at a height you can work comfortably. 

cchoganjr


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

A friend of mine found a swarm in a 5 gal gas can brought it home and attached it to a hive with a small tube and when he found the queen in the hivebody laying he removed the can and left it next to the hive and then did a normal cone trapout, he said it was his best hive coming through winter. It looks like with this one you could just set a hive body right on top where the hole is and the seal off the fill neck should be real easy to get them to move up into a body


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

You are right. I'm certainly into making it easy, although that doesn't seem to be my default setting. That's why I posted the question I'll pot it on a 50 gallon barrel in the shade of the woods. It would be dead in a day in the South Texas sun. And if I miss a swarm, those woods need some bees anyway!


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

It's completely full and probably weighs 80 lbs, but some of that is tank weight.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I would imagine that would be a cold home in the winter. I don't know where Victoria TX is, so that may be a non issue for you.


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

Victoria is in South Texas about 20 miles from the Gulf Coast. Heat in the summer is the problem. It rarely freezes, and the rare low is 20 in the winter. These bees have been in this tank at least 7 years according to the owner, who bought the property 7 years ago. They were in the back of a small wooden shed type structure, with shade but no insulation from cold. So they must be able to regulate the temperature sufficiently to survive in this area. 

My first hive came from an open branch hive removal on November 19, 2012. The brought in pollen all winter long and were booming when spring arrived. Something is blooming year round. So our winters are very mild. Its a good place to keep bees.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A sawzall will get them excited, but it would be useful to cut it open and do a cutout...


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

That thing would probably rattle like crazy with a sawzall. I think that I would overwinter it and cut them out in the spring during the first decent flow when the numbers are lower and there would be less honey to deal with. But I'm a wimp.


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## rtoney (Apr 20, 2011)

If there is an entrance at the top i would super it and let make honey.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

To me the top entrance looks about the size of the bee escape hole on an inner cover. I don't know that they would expand into it. But it wouldn't hurt to try!


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## rtoney (Apr 20, 2011)

Tin snips would take care of the hole and not bother the bees too much.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Really good snips probably would work. Anything less probably would not.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Looks like time to super that hive to me. Right over the fuel pump hole.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

When you say super do you mean high-test?


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

txbeek said:


> Taking any suggestions on how to get them into a manageable hive.


I would use a Hogan style trap box (but with CAPTrap style flexible hose and the hive entrance below the base of the cone instead of in front of the end of the cone) and Bee Quick or Honey-Bee-Gone:
1. Put a short, opaque, flexible hose on the main entrance. Let the bees come and go through this hose for a couple of days.
2. Build a trap box -- Drill a hole the size of the hose in the short side of a hive box near one sides. Directly below the hole for the hose, drill a 1¼" entrance hole for the bees. Build, but don't yet install, a 7-8" long cone out of #8 wire that can later be put inside the box over the hole for the hose. (Mount the cone on a piece of wood with a hole in it that you can screw over the hose hole.) Screw a piece of plywood to the bottom of the trap box. Put another hive box on top of the box with the hose, and put an inner and outer cover on the top box. 
3. Put the hose in the side of the box and seal off all other entrances to the tank so that the bees have to enter and exit through the trap box. (No cone yet.) The hose should be as short as practical. Put frames with foundation in both boxes leaving room for the cone that will later be put over the hose hole. Let the bees come and go through the box for at least two days, or longer at your convenience. 
4. After the bees are coming and going through the trap box, put a frame or two of brood in the bottom box next to the openings. Nurse bees from the box should move out and cover the brood. 
5. After at least two days (again, at your convenience), install the wire cone in the box over the hose hole. 
6. Drill a ½" or so hole in the tank as far from the hose opening as practical and spray a fair, but not excessive, amount of Bee Quick or Honey-Bee-Gone in the drilled hole to chase the bees out of the tank and through the cone. Be patient and use just enough BQ or HBG to move the bees. Repeat this the following day if and as needed.
7. After three weeks or so, disconnect the hose from the tank and assess the situation and let us know.
*Always be carefull cutting, drilling, welding, smoking, or working around gas tanks.* And tell Jim Cole in Victoria that his friend from Shreveport says, "Hi."


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## matrout76 (Feb 2, 2013)

txbeek said:


> It's completely full and probably weighs 80 lbs, but some of that is tank weight.


 Thats an old Jeep gas tank http://www.quadratec.com/products/51306_01_07.htm and weighs less than 20lbs when empty.

Might be easiest to just set a brood box on top of it with frames and seal up the holes, making them use the box to come and go for a while.

The tank is probably 18 or 20 gauge steel (sheet metal) and can be cut with some tin snips (and strong hands)


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## RMC (Feb 16, 2014)

I would put the tank on a stand were you want the hive located. then remove the fuel pump (no cutting required)a set a box full of frames on top of hole were you removed the fuel tank and let the bees move up.


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

Since I run all TBH, I don't have any supers or frames. But I might try and place a 24" tbh nuc above it as a super and give it a try. Or I might try to super it with Mason Jars like I have seen on the web. Been wanting to try that anyway. This will be fun to play with.


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## rtoney (Apr 20, 2011)

I put a super on the log I brought with bees in it. That was about a week ago and the bees are working good.


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

Turn the honey into Mead and use it to power up that old Jeep that BS member Matrout76 says it belongs to! :scratch:


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## jimsteelejr (Sep 21, 2012)

I am the impatient sort so I favor cut outs over trap outs any time but if there is no pressing reason to get the out quickly I agree that removing the cover where the fuel pump goes in and putting a box over it is the easy answer. The bees will move up its their nature. When you find brood in the box move the tank a few feet away and put a trap out cone over the hole. After a week or two you can cut it open and salvage what ever is left.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

I've done tests on steel gas tanks and I can say I don't have any tin snips that would cut one effectively. There are some air-powered tools that will. A good nibbling tool might, and I've seen some air-powered shears that might work. A Sawsall would cut it but even a saber saw would work. Abrasive wheel cutters, too. But all this would be traumatic for the bees and anything but shears will leave a lot of metal chips in the comb.

At least if bees are alive in there, you don't have any gas fumes to cause an explosion.

Any chance a bee vac thru the fuel pump hole would work?


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## txbeek (May 21, 2013)

I have a metal cutting circular saw that would easily cut the tank. But since I now have 30 plus hives, and more on the way as I am overrun with cutout jobs, I think I will just try to build a super that will fit over the top entrance for this summer, and then use it for starts next spring. They seem to be doing so well in their metal hive, leaving them be seems the most prudent course of action.


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