How to clean up a big mess?

[JP]

This is what I would consider doing if you have the means: You will need power, either from an outlet or a generator and a compressor with a crown stapler. This is at least a  two person job. Since the top boxes are not nailed or screwed I would remove one long side and remove a frame. Carefully begin stapling each frame together. This would likely involve turning the frame upside down after you have stapled the top bar down to get to the bottom bars.

Have a few empty supers on hand and stack the now assembled frames as you go. Once you've stapled all the frames you can now add the deep with the now assembled frames back onto the set up.

Take the unassembled deeps home and glue and nail them for future use.


...JP

[Sour Kraut]

About the frames:

Next spring, assuming you or he has nailed or screwed the hive bodies together, take it one layer at a time and nail the frames top-bar to side pieces from the top with a nail gun before attempting to take them out

Use 'cement coated' nails, be prepared for PO'd bees from the nail gun

But that should get them to the point where you can pull them out, gun a couple nails thru the side bars into the ends of the top bar, then do the bottoms

What a mess is right.........

[kathyp]

hey JP, what about taking the side off as you suggest (in the spring) and just doing a cut out that way?  seems it would be kind of easy to cut out one frame at a time?

[JP]

hey JP, what about taking the side off as you suggest (in the spring) and just doing a cut out that way?  seems it would be kind of easy to cut out one frame at a time?

I suppose he could wait til spring but he mentioned the second deeps are beginning to warp. I think this needs to be done now. With two or three people and the right set up as I suggested this could be done rather easily and relatively quickly in my opinion.

There will be a little spilled honey here and there and bees flying about but using the smoker wisely and wearing proper protection I don't see this as a major undertaking.


...JP

[phill]

Thanks, JP, that's an interesting idea and it would work, but I don't have the equipment. The boxes are in rough shape, but I'm confident I can shore them up enough to last through the winter. Then, as Kathyp suggests, we'll treat this like a cutout.

After the winter it will be easier: the boxes will be lighter, the bee population lower. (Probably a lot lower, because I'm betting they'll swarm.) My only concern is that by springtime the remaining bees will have moved up into those shaky 2nd deeps.

Here's what I plan to do:
- Find 9 scrap boards and cut them to about 2" longer than the dimensions of the brood boxes.
- Put 4 boards around each of the unglued deeps, tighten them with pipe clamps, then fasten with screws. Basically making a box around each box.
- With the 9th board I'm going to whomp my friend repeatedly on the head and tell him to take better care of his bees.

[Michael Bush]

Buy beg or borrow a cordless drill.  Get a pilot bit with a countersink, a #2 philips bit and some deck screws or sheet rock screws.  Drill each hole and screw them all together.  A strap will help get them tight together as you do this.  Not much you can do about the frames you want to leave in right now.  Worry about them in the spring.