Anyone ever done bee removal before.

[kace069]

A guy at work knows someone who supposedly has a bee infestation and was wanting to know if I was interested. From what I have read about this before you almost never get the queen and with it being so late in the season I really see no way to salvage the colony except to see if they want to join one of my current colonies.
So of course there would be some papers sighned preventing me from being responsible for damages. But what do I charge? I have read sometime before that the going rate was $500.
That would be a nice chunk of change. But is that really reasonable, I was thinking something more like $200.
Anyways I have no experience removing bees from anywhere but from their supers.. >
But I think I can pull it off.
I have a feeling it really isn't bee's but who knows.

So any advice is welcome, maybe it is more trouble than it is worth.

 

[David Baldwin]

kace,

Depending on what the homeowner wants, $500 may not be out of line. Properly done, the bees should be removed as well as the old comb with the honey, wax and brood.

Leaving the hive remains behind is going to be attractive to next years swarms, and to other pests like mice. (Duh, I forgot - you're a beekeeper so you'll know that...sorry...)

The homeowner should expect to pay for a carpenter to either assist you or to repair the walls you will probably need to open to extract the comb.

Don't feel bad about charging for your services. You probably won't be able to salvage the colony, or the honey. The wax from the comb you might be able to salvage. Their insurance company may even pay for the infestation remediation - which should include any structural repairs necessary.

Make sure you have a very clear idea of what they want and that they have a very clear idea of what you can do.

Good luck with it.

David

 

[beeboy]

It's not too late to requeen the hive after you collect it. A lot depends on how large the hive is and how much honey is stored in it. Never tried to remove a hive from a house so can't give you any tips on the job except if you have the queen and the brood all the rest of the bees will follow. There is a lot written about removing bees from a building, get as much comb and brood as possible and tie it into frames to draw the bees out of the hive. If you get the queen then the hive will move into the super and out of the building. It will take at least two or three days for the bees to settle in and remove any honey that was left. After that remove the rest of the wax and comb and repair the wall. Sounds like a big job but you could end up with a good hive.

 

[kace069]

I don't really have the equipment to hive anything right now and it is so late in the season for me I don't think I can get a population up for the winter.
I haven't heard anything yet, I think the idea was for them to get out of paying at all. But of course I haven't spoke to the homeowner yet there is a middle man and I am not even going to approach them until I know that they are willing to pay to get rid of them.
Of course I will be up front about having no experience in this area of the buisness and maybe even suggest a proffesional, but I am sure they will charge much more than I would.
From my understanding the hive is on the outside of the building and not inside a wall or anything this is another reason why I thought that this would be a great opprotunity.

On the other hand who knows how mixed up things are with the middle man and whether or not the homeowners have even identified the insects correctly. If it is a giant wasp nest they are on their own.
I hear so many people tell me they have bees building a nest somewhere around their home. When I say are you sure they are honeybees? They say I think they are yellow jackets. I always think great, why tell me this.

 

[beeboy]

I've even heard of home owners who want to be paid for the bees by the bee keeper, go figure. Since it is a friend of a friend situation I'd just leave it alone unless the home owner contacts you. Then go over and check it out, chances are it is a wasp nest, all stinging insects are bees to the uninformed.

 

[Muirghein Tarot]

Since we have moved to stinging insects how about a quick question about one.

Are Bumble bees a member of the honey bee (honey makers)family or at they more like the wood boring bee we have around here that will eat holes in you wood siding? The only way I can tell the difference is one has a white dot on it's back and isn't as aggressive.

By any chance have you seen the footage of the Japanese giant wasps. Oh my god! They look bigger than a dragon fly and kill whole hives with just a few of them.

Thanks for answering questions .
Tarot.

 

[beeboy]

Yes the bumble bee is in the same family as the honey bee but is a different genus, Bombus. Bumble bees collect and store honey in small thimble shaped honey pots. The carpenter bee is a totally different genus, Xylocopa, and does not store honey although they collect necture and pollen from flowers.
The show about the japanese giant killer wasps was awsome, would not want to get stung by one of them.

 

[Dahole]

Keep in mind that it is very rare for a HB to build a hive that is not inside some structure. For example one of my swarms moved into a hollow part of a tree in my front yard before I could get them into a box. The exception to this is AHB. They are known to do it all the time.

Just because you have not done it before is no reason to charge less. If you know bees and have work to do, get paid for it. If it is inside a wall, the first rule is start high and work down the wall!

 

[kace069]

Well this hasn't panned out. I haven't heard anymore about it. I am thinking the homeowner wanted a freebie. Thinking a hobby beekeeper would be more than happy to come and extract bees just for fun. haha
I am guessing they are just going to live with them. I haven't asked and had forgotten all about it until I got a post reply email.
But I am thankful for the advice guys.