Cut out and transfer from bucket

Hello. I am brand new to beekeeping. I am a little nervous to transfer them, mainly because I don’t want to mess it up. Can anyone advise how to go about removing them from bucket which is full of comb and putting them into a hive box.

Don’t do it yourself with no pre-existing experience, @Becky13. Cutouts are Beekeeping 201, not 101. Join a local bee club and ask somebody to help you, or call a live bee removal service and tell them the way you would like it done. Many services are willing to cutout the comb and install it for you, but they will have to charge for their time, usually a couple of hundred dollars, or less if it is a really easy job. :blush:

Okay. Thank you. Makes me feel better to know I should get help.

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Let me just explain a little. Our human-built bee hives have frames of straight comb. This is necessary for inspection of the combs for disease and pests, which is required in many countries, and certainly in all of the US.

When bees build natural comb, they do not always follow straight lines. I have seen spirals, waves, and all kinds of variations. They do what they feel is convenient for the shape they are living inside.

Your bucket is round. I would guess that all of the comb in there is going to be curving. It will need straightening and rubber banding into standard hive frames. That will be messy and destructive. If you work with a skilled beekeeper, it will be less messy and destructive. :blush: If you are concerned about not messing it up, the best thing is to recruit expert help.

You list your location as “Ca”. I don’t know if that means California or Canada. If you are any where near San Diego, CA, I can help you find somebody to rescue your bees. If you are in Canada, somebody else needs to step in. :wink:

I am in California, actually north of San Diego. On the outskirts of hemet/Temecula. That would be great. Would love to learn and have a mentor.

That is too far for me, and for my club. Sorry about that. However, here are some options for you:

http://www.temeculabeeguys.com/bee-removal-hemet-ca.html

http://www.bees-on-the-net.com/california-swarm-removal/

The other possibility is to see whether @Dusty on this forum is willing to come to you from Banning. He must be in his second year now and has done 2 or 3 cutouts as of his last report. :smile:

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Okay. Bummer. I met a guy who keeps bees near my house. I will check to see if he is in town. Thank you for all the help/explanation.

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Where are you @Dusty?? After that couch cutout, this bucket will be a piece of cake :joy:

That’s a great read @Becky13, while you’re waiting for your bucket mentor…

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So I posted a request for bee mentor in my area on Facebook and spoke to a very helpful nice man. He advised to try fitting bucket into a deep and covering it. He said bees should realize box is new home. So I did that and within minutes they started eating the food I put in feeder which they hadn’t touched in a few days. He said over time I can cut comb out of bucket and band it onto a frame.

Posted some photos. (Apparently I can only post 1).

Hopefully if someone else comes across this it will be a “pay it forward”

I had to modify bucket by cutting handles off and a little squishing to get it in.

Sorry. Haven’t posted much. I’m out in Banning. What city are you in? I would probably shake the bee’s into your hive but would need more info. My number is 951-692-2233

I am over in the sage area of hemet. I am hoping that by putting them in the box will work.