Honeybee Removals & Cut-Outs

When bees swarm, they occasionally move into some very strange places. Sometimes they are just left to their own devices. Other times they have to be removed for health and safety reasons or for structural reasons. This is called a bee colony cut-out, as all the comb has to be cut down and removed along with the bees and the queen. Bee colony cut outs or removals are performed by beekeepers and are entirely different from swarm removals.

As a beekeeper, I often get called on to do removals. It has taken me to some pretty strange places, from a chimney on a three-storey house, numerous compost bins and a boat. Doing bee colony removals has also taken me to the top window of a 600-year-old castle (Barryscourt Castle, only accessible from the outside!) and a buzzing ESB substation! Not your average working day and certainly not for the faint hearted! No honeybee colony removal is the same, which is why they are so interesting. Here I share some of my methods for honeybee removals and give some tips for how to do a cut-out using a modified Maisemore poly nucleus hive.

What is the difference between a swarm and a cut-out?

When a swarm has moved into their new home they immediately start building comb. The comb is essential for the colony. This is where they store their honey and pollen and it is where new bees are reared. A swarm can quite easily be persuaded to move before they have started building comb. However, it becomes a lot more difficult once they have started. This is because they are unwilling to abandon the young bees in the hive. Gathering up a swarm that hasn’t started building comb can take a few minutes, whereas a cut-out can take several hours. When doing cut-outs, it is not always guaranteed that you are going to get the queen, which is crucial to the whole operation.

A lot of beekeepers will charge for doing a bee colony removal but not for collecting swarms. This is because of the time involved and the time the beekeeper need to invest in the colony once it is removed. Not all bees are healthy, and the colony has to be placed in quarantine for a time. This is so that the beekeeper can assess the health of the colony and take any steps necessary to help combat any disease. It is also done so that in case of serious disease, the bees will not infect other bees in the apiary.

Equipment needed for bee cut-out

• Poly nuc with a brood extender on top, a feeder and roof
• Empty frames to fill the two boxes
• Elastic bands, 3-4 per frame
• Ratchet strap
• Hivetool
• Smoker
• 1-2 buckets with lids
• Sheet of cardboard, or plastic sheeting
• Bee suit and spare gloves

Other tools that are handy

• Hammer
• Screwdriver or drill and drillbits
• Crowbar
• Snips and or scissors
• Stanley knife
• Saw
• Ladder
• Queen catcher
• Queen Marking pen

Modification of nuc for bee colony removal

Most poly nucs, including the Maisemore nuc that I use, have a mesh at the floor. While this is ideal for providing ventilation and allowing varroa mites to fall down, it is a bit of a curse when doing cut-outs and collecting swarms. This is because, even if the queen is in the box, there is nearly always a clump of bees gathered under the mesh floor. They can obviously smell the Queen’s pheromones, so they feel they are a part of the hive. When flying in and out, they just go into the hole under the short legs as opposed to just over them.

Hence, I always close off the bottom mesh for jobs like this when I use the Maisemore Poly nucs. I do this before I leave home, and usually cut out either a piece of polystyrene that protrudes between the legs at the front, or a piece of cardboard. This can then easily be removed when the bees are moved to make sure they don’t overheat.

Step by step bee cut out

Below is how I go about my removals. I work quite meticulously if I can, preferring a slow, steady process. But things don’t always go to plan, so it is important to be able to change tack and pace if necessary. See tips below for what to keep in mind.

1. Cutting out the comb

• I start my cut-outs by removing the outer combs. These will typically contain honey and pollen or be empty. I check all combs for the queen and place any comb not containing brood into the bucket.
• Once I get to the frames containing brood (eggs, larvae, pupa), I continue looking for the queen, but place comb separately from the honey-filled comb. Either standing in a bucket or on a piece of cardboard or plastic sheet. To prepare for the queen I place one piece of brood (preferably open brood) into an empty brood frame and secure with elastic bands. This is then placed into the nuc. If I find the queen before I have removed all the remaining combs, this is where I will place her.

2. Preparing the Nuc

• I then work my way through the brood nest. If the gloves get sticky with honey, I put on a new pair. When I have enough brood comb to fill the nuc, I take a break from the comb removal and start filling up the empty frames with brood. The frames containing brood are placed into the nuc and the brood extender goes on top. I use the extender regardless of how large the colony is, as this helps get the remaining bees into the box safely. If the colony is small, it can be removed once all the bees are in.
• If it’s practical to work with, I then place the nuc as close as possible to the original entrance and open the entrance fully. A lot of the flying bees should start going in to the nuc once the queen is in there.
• After this I resume the comb removal and continue to place brood and honey separately.

3. Gathering up the bees

• When all the comb is removed, there is usually a clump of bees left. Working gently and with both hands if possible, I scoop up the bees and place carefully on top of the frames in the nuc. I repeat until I have got as many bees into the box as I can. If the queen is in the cluster, I will most likely see her before she goes down between the frames.

• Once the queen is in, I put in the rest of the bees and place another six frames with brood or comb on top. (N.B. If you get to this stage and you have not seen the queen but removed all the bees, you just have to wait a little to see if the bees are fanning at the entrance or not. Read more below.)

4. Closing up and securing the nuc

• Next, the feeder is placed on top of the brood extender and I remove the barrier blocking the bees’ access to the inside of the feeder. I then fill up the feeder with the bits of honeycomb from the bucket. This ensures the bees have food and can access it until I have a chance to inspect them properly when they have settled in.
• Last, I place the roof on top and then position the nuc with the entrance fully open as close to the original site as possible. It is strapped up with a ratchet strap and weighed down if necessary and then left for a few hours or until the bees have settled and I can come back and get them.

5. Observe the entrance for fanning

If you did not see the queen in the box, it is a good idea to observe the behaviour of the bees to give you some clues. If the bees are leaving the nuc and flying around erratically and then landing on the original site, chances are you have not got the queen in the box. However, if the bees are standing around the entrance with bums in the air and vibrating, or fanning, you probably do. Bees fan to release the Nasonov pheromone, which essentially tell the other bees to ‘come here!’. They do this only if the queen is inside.

Tips for successful bee removal

1. Bee removals or cut-outs are best done in spring. This is the time of year when they have the least amount of honey in the hive. The lack of honey makes them less defensive and the job is less sticky resulting is less dead bees. Doing the cut out in spring also means that you get a colony that has proven that it is capable of surviving as it has overwintered. They can of course have disease and pests, but they have survived nonetheless.
2. When doing a bee cut-out or removal, bring someone with you. Chances are the bees will be in a tricky spot. You may need someone to hold the ladder, hand you the smoker or take the pieces of comb off you. Or maybe just take photo and provide moral support!
3. Don’t clip the queen. You don’t yet know the full story of the colony. Wait until you have them in their new home and you can ascertain that there is only one queen and that she is laying.
4. Try to start the job in the early afternoon on a calm, warm and sunny day. You will be very sweaty! However, on the plus side is that many of the bees will be out foraging. This means you just have to deal with the more docile young house bees and the queen. Once they are all in the box, the flying bees will easily relocate to the nuc. Conversely, the bees will become more defensive toward evening or if the weather turns bad. Therefore, make sure your timing is right or you could make it harder for yourself.
5. Make sure you have the owner’s permission to remove whatever is needed for you to get access to the bees. If you don’t have the permission, or if you are expected to put everything right afterwards, don’t do it unless you are a qualified roofer/carpenter/builder.
6. Always wear appropriate clothes, footwear and gloves.

Thanks for reading

That’s pretty much it! I’m sure if I have forgotten to add something one of my beekeeping colleagues will be sure to remind me. If it warrants inclusion, I will add it!

Thank you for reading. / Hanna

You can read more about swarms and how to catch them here: Bait hives to catch swarms

Hanna Bäckmo

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