Dark bees?

[Bridget]

Our association spent some time recently trying to remove a swarm well established in a crack in an enormous piece of timber that was part of the roof of a big log house. Like 3 storeys high and a cherry picker was required. A nuc box with lure was hung close by but they were too well established so not budging. This could be a very long post but in brief- we managed to get a sample of bees (now deceased)and found they are black, to my eyes anyway. I have them in the freezer and wondered if anyone could take a look. I could send them next day delivery!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mellifera Crofter]

Did you take any photos, Bridget? If so, let's see them. I'm not the right person to offer an opinion on the looks of the bees - but you could have a go yourself by using the guide on the SNHBS website, 'Scoring hairs and tomenta on worker honey bees' - here (http://www.snhbs.scot/scoring-hairs-and-tomenta-on-worker-honey-bees/).

Is the colony still in the roof, or did you manage to move them by now?
Kitta

[Bridget]

Did you take any photos, Bridget? If so, let's see them. I'm not the right person to offer an opinion on the looks of the bees - but you could have a go yourself by using the guide on the SNHBS website, 'Scoring hairs and tomenta on worker honey bees' - here (http://www.snhbs.scot/scoring-hairs-and-tomenta-on-worker-honey-bees/).

Is the colony still in the roof, or did you manage to move them by now?
Kitta

No Kitta we didn’t manage to move them. Vacuumed some out but not successfully. Home owner is about to work on the roof so not very happy. Think he might resort to desperate measures but frankly they are so far in neither blocking or chemicals are likely to work very well.
Attached photo29882988


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mellifera Crofter]

Blimey, Bridget - they are pitch black! Perhaps that's because they are still frozen - or was their log exposed to the chimney? Unfortunately, I can't tell anything from those photos.

Is the log of wood structurally important to the house, or can one saw into it until the nest is reached? Without the queen, it will only satisfy curiosity as to whether they're Amm or not (and that's important too).

[Bridget]

Neither of these bees were frozen - just dead!
The log they are going into holds up the whole roof and is probably a couple of feet wide, maybe more as I was on the ground. Photos show the crack in the wood and the height of the roof and our attempts to persuade them to leave. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190903/d6c471fe59b99cb6d9cbe30c12831527.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190903/c6fa456aceb0383f190fdc2b3b30cd74.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190903/18502ecd0965b5c845837b80b02aa0e9.jpg


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[steve]

Very nice bees, get a sample and send them off for analysis?

[Bridget]

Very nice bees, get a sample and send them off for analysis?

I have a sample in the freezer but don’t know where to send them to!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mellifera Crofter]

Bridget, the bees in the log of wood definitely gives a better idea of what they look like than the pitch black dead one.

Somebody at SNHBS might be able to help -but, as I said before - without the queen, it will only satisfy curiosity.

With that contraption you have in place, you could perhaps try the funnelling solution where bees can leave the log with a funnel into the hive - but they can’t go back into the log nest. Until eventually, one hopes, the queen will follow the bees into the hive. Ive never done that, and I don’t know if the timing is right to try it.

Kitta

[greengumbo]

I have a sample in the freezer but don’t know where to send them to!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Hi Bridget if you send them to myself I can store them and forward to the right people !

I'll send you a DM