Tools for the cutout.

[KONASDAD]

In keeping w/ KP's suggestion of a dust pan, i now use a fireplace dust-pan. It has a long handle, is sturdy, but narrrower for tight spaces and deep sides to keep bes in pan. I use a painbrush for bee brush so its not wider than pan.

[NWIN Beekeeper]

I see two items not on anyone's lists that I would add.

Branch Swarm Removals
First off A plain white sheet.
All too many times a little bit of the cluster falls off into the grass and it takes too long to wait for them to walk into the hive.
With a sheet you can pick them up and shake them into the swarm hive.

Cut Outs
A long (approx 24" long and 2-4" wide) knife or blade.
This is handy for cutting combs loose in long voids like wall spaces.
A sturdy piece of sheet metal (air duct) works very well with one edge sharpened.

PS. Bee brushes are over-rated. I have reverted to goose feathers to brush bees from combs. Fewer bees get tangled, release far less alarm pheromones, and thus excite the bees far less. Older methods can be better methods.

[JP]

I see two items not on anyone's lists that I would add.

Branch Swarm Removals
First off A plain white sheet.
All too many times a little bit of the cluster falls off into the grass and it takes too long to wait for them to walk into the hive.
With a sheet you can pick them up and shake them into the swarm hive.

Cut Outs
A long (approx 24" long and 2-4" wide) knife or blade.
This is handy for cutting combs loose in long voids like wall spaces.
A sturdy piece of sheet metal (air duct) works very well with one edge sharpened.

PS. Bee brushes are over-rated. I have reverted to goose feathers to brush bees from combs. Fewer bees get tangled, release far less alarm pheromones, and thus excite the bees far less. Older methods can be better methods.

I have three scrapers in my tool box. Two are the same that long handles can screw into, one handle's about 2' long another about 3 and a 1/2' the other is about 5'.

Sheets do work well, especially under bushes and tall grass.

I don't care for bee brushes, never did, you're right they p.o. the bees,


...JP

[sjbees]

Kinda late for a comment on tools for a removal, but my sawzall only gets used on soffets or when both sides of what is being cut are visible.

Nests can be in wall partitions that have water pipes and electrical romex running through them. In a couple of cases the bees had used the holes the romex ran through to expand their nest into the next partition. Cutting through either kind of copper raises not only the prospect of damage liability, it could involve personal injury as well.

Instead of a sawzall I use:

 - Angle grinder w/diamond blade on stucco
 - Spiral cutter w/ceramic tile bit on sheetrock (the ceramic bits last way longer than the HSS)
 - Circular saw for the major cuts on timber plus the spiral cutter to get tight into a corner.

Ryobi makes all three in the 18V One Plus line, and the new lithium ion batteries do a remarkable job. The batteries are good enough that the electrical tools are back under the workbench.

[Understudy]

Kinda late for a comment on tools for a removal, but my sawzall only gets used on soffets or when both sides of what is being cut are visible.

Nests can be in wall partitions that have water pipes and electrical romex running through them. In a couple of cases the bees had used the holes the romex ran through to expand their nest into the next partition. Cutting through either kind of copper raises not only the prospect of damage liability, it could involve personal injury as well.

Instead of a sawzall I use:

 - Angle grinder w/diamond blade on stucco
 - Spiral cutter w/ceramic tile bit on sheetrock (the ceramic bits last way longer than the HSS)
 - Circular saw for the major cuts on timber plus the spiral cutter to get tight into a corner.

Ryobi makes all three in the 18V One Plus line, and the new lithium ion batteries do a remarkable job. The batteries are good enough that the electrical tools are back under the workbench.

You are correct. What my years in construction have taught me is I cut a small opening and then look in and find what obstacles there may be before cutting a big opening. I still prefer sawzalls in many cases because of the ability for it to get into tight spaces.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[sjbees]

> I cut a small opening and then look in and find what
> obstacles there may be before cutting a big opening.

The pipes and Romex I've encountered have often been completely concealed by drawn comb, and usually didn't find either one until well into the removal.

Nests that are in the partition below a window almost always have Romex running through them.

On 2-story houses I've run into water pipes a few inches below the top of the stud, totally invisible until the cutout was almost finished. Probably done during a retrofit that replaced galvanized with copper.

[Robo]

The worst one I did was located right above the circuit breaker panel.   The romex wasn't invisible,  but boy was it a pain in the butt.

[JP]

This one was a lot of fun. Went in from the outside and removed bees and brood and honey comb til the cows came home and then was greeted with a little 50lbs worth of surplus honey around a suspended light fixture.

Had to move all the lady's furniture to the other side of the room, take down her bed, pull the carpet back, cut the floor out, remove the monstrosity, then put everything back. And then I had to remove the other colony that was 5' over from this one!











I guess the good Lord wanted me to have a challenge on that day!


...JP

[kathyp]

you have gone back to image shack and i can't slideshow your cutouts     

how long did that take you and how many boxes and  buckets did you fill??

[JP]

you have gone back to image shack and i can't slideshow your cutouts     

how long did that take you and how many boxes and  buckets did you fill??

Kathy, My pictures can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus

That is one job I would just like to forget, I had a lot of trouble making this customer happy. I moved the person up in my schedule to accommodate them and nothing I could do was good enough.

In the end all was well, but let's just say I was under a lot of pressure to do the impossible, to make this person happy, which I really believe no one can.

I know I made at least three trips out to this house. I got two hives out of it.


...JP

[Irwin]

Man thats alot of work and yes there are some people you just can't make happy

[Bee Happy]

That is one job I would just like to forget, I had a lot of trouble making this customer happy. I moved the person up in my schedule to accommodate them and nothing I could do was good enough....
...JP

I've been in this situation before in the electrical field.. extra demanding customers who want  you to drop everything and run to them and then fail to pay you or get obnoxious about paying (trust your gut - if you think they're gonna be a real hassle just don't deal with them) I got burned a couple times but developed an instinct.

my contribution to the cool tools? a luxury I know but... search "fiber optic wall scope" pricey, but you drill a 1/4" hole in the wall and poke the scope in for a look around (same with the drilled holes for pipe, romex, etc.)

[JP]

Gadgets I have, problem is surplus honey. Some hives pack it on. Robo was nice enough to post a link for a borescope I wound up buying, actually I purchased two, the price was so good.

My old one broke but was much longer than I needed it to be. The new ones are perfect!

I like a good challenge, some say I am a glutton for punishment. I seem to like trying to turn yahoos in to good customers. Usually my patience wears them down if they are somewhat reasonable people.

I have walked on occasion, but it is rare that I do so.


...JP

[Robo]

Robo was nice enough to post a link for a borescope I wound up buying, actually I purchased two, the price was so good.

Here is the link for anyone that is interested.  I now have one in my toolbox
http://www.etooldirect.com/diagnostic-tools-meters-27/provision-pv2618-2-5-8mm-7400-pixels-hi-def-borescope-2140.html

[deknow]

We did an easy cutout last week:


Ideally, I would have made up some Lusby style "swarm ketching frames", but i had limited time, and no frame wire in the house...so i used a method i saw jim tew use in a video....quick and easy way to tie combs into frames:




Nails on the top and bottom bars...next time, I'll use rubber bands on both ends of the string (this makes removing the string easier).


This is 5-6 days after doing the cutout.  I was able to remove the strings from 7 of 8 frames.

More photos of the cutout can be found:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/Cutoutdevins
Details of the "Tew frames":
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/TewFrame
More closeup pics from yesterday:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/RoyalWormsAndCutoutProgress

deknow

[kathyp]

very cool.  i'll look at the pics later so if this is answered already, my apologies.

when you remove the bands, do you also take out the nails?  if not, how do you keep them from making a mess if you can't keep the frames tight?

[deknow]

when you remove the bands, do you also take out the nails?  if not, how do you keep them from making a mess if you can't keep the frames tight?

nails are just on the top and bottom bars, and don't extend far enough to interfere with one another.  remember, only the top sections of the side bars touch each other, never the top or bottom bars.

deknow

[kathyp]

got it.  thanks!

[joker1656]

I know this is an older thread, but it sure is helpful.  Great list.  Thanks!

[Jim 134]

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/Cutoutdevins
De

e did an easy cutout last week:


Ideally, I would have made up some Lusby style "swarm ketching frames", but i had limited time, and no frame wire in the house...so i used a method i saw jim tew use in a video....quick and easy way to tie combs into frames:




Nails on the top and bottom bars...next time, I'll use rubber bands on both ends of the string (this makes removing the string easier).


This is 5-6 days after doing the cutout.  I was able to remove the strings from 7 of 8 frames.

More photos of the cutout can be found:
tails of the "Tew frames":
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/TewFrame
More closeup pics from yesterday:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dean.Ramona/RoyalWormsAndCutoutProgress

deknow

 

 
 
 

Did this in the Peace Corps 1983-1985 in North Africa in Tunisia but use frame wire and nails.


            BEE HAPPY Jim 134