quick advice needed! Bees in compost bin

[sainfoin]

Just been given the chance of collecting a swarm in a compost bin but they are in the top, climbing in under loosely fitting lid (owners description). This is an annual compost bin, carefully nurtured, can't be lifted or moved. We have arranged 5.30 but I need to collect my kit beforehand. The local Co-op are keeping me a cardboard box which may or may not be suitable, so excited forgot to ask shape of lid as mine are rectangular!
I have a spare brood box; spare super and a lid: a poly nuc but the bees always want to get in through the mesh at the bottom, do you cover that over while trying to collect? If so how?
Please experts tell me best way to go about this - at the moment vaguely plan perching poly at downward angle on top with a sheet over the whole lot (so hopefully they head for poly entrance) and going back again about 9pm + to see if successful. Is this too optimistic/simplistic?

 

[parkranger]

Are you sure that they are honey bees. Compost bins are often the domain of Bumbles.

 

[sainfoin]

No, relying on her knowledge, somehow I always expect people who live in the countryside to recognise honeybees but I suppose that is wishful thinking. Personally I would be delighted if they were in my compost bin (though the resident sloworms sp? in one might regard them as fast food) lets hope she is too if you are right

 

[sainfoin]

just realised I meant Bumbles living in bin...

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Based purely on JP the merikan bee man you tube entertainment. I would blank off the mesh floor with cardboard to make a dark box and have a number of empty frames to fit wild combs into before placing into your brood box. The actual transfer of bees is something you must decide when you open up and see what you have in front of you but a queen clip might be extremely useful to have to hand.
For an established colony the bees will try to stay with their queen so getting her into your clip in the new box is important.
I could have it all wrong of course !!!!

Edit - just seen your report they are bumbles in which case my comment does not apply

 

[For want of a better word]

Your poll nuc should be big enough to collect in.
Put some frames with foundation in it.

Last compost bin job I did, I removed the compost bin lid, and with a spray of dilute sugar water, misted the bees... then literally scooped the bees into the nucusing a frame at a time.
I was lucky and managed to find and catch the queen ... put into one of the intro cages that workers can get in and out of... not a transport cage
Queen placed into nuc and as many of the bees I could catch put in with her.
Polly nuc lid fixed and entrance left completely open........ this was at midday.
Nuc collected after dark when any remaining bees should have gone into the nuc, the vast majority will, but there always seems to bee one or two stragglers... or maybee just bees from another colony interested in the bee odour that lingers!

If you are anywhere near Callington and need help PM me!

 

[Ivor Kemp]

We have been getting loads of call outs for honey bees in compost bins so they probably are.

Key question is how long have they been in there?

In the ones we have been called to the bees had already started drawing comb from the top of the lid which made things a little tricky as it was not easy to persuade the bees to take up a new temporary residence in a skep or other as you would usually do with a swarm. In other words every time the swarm had flown there choosing it as their new home.

Think you are going to have problems if you really cannot move the bin.

We took the lid on two occasions and back at the apiary carefully cut the comb and stood it between brood frames in a brood chamber. We left the lid over the BC as a temporary roof and gradually the bees accepted the new housing.

On another there were so many bees actually in the bin we gently lifted it allowing the compost to fall out from the bottom and then left it until the evening to allow flying bees to go in. After dark we wrapped the whole thing in a blanket and took it off it now being possible to lift. We then positioned the whole bin over a hive and repeated the above but this took much longer for the bees to settle.

I know some people who have painstakingly wired the comb from the bin into brood frames which certainly helps.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[pargyle]

just realised I meant Bumbles living in bin...

Take your camera for this years swarm photos ... should be very interesting !

 

[For want of a better word]

Bumbles,,,,, Ha ha !!

I had a master-class on ground nesting bumble collection yesterday at Paignton Zoo

You need a bumble bee collecting box which is very similar in every respect to a mating nuc.
Dig down and remove complete bumble nest which can have 30+ bumbles in it and transfer the nest to the box, try to ensure you have the whole nest including the queen.
Box needs to be buried to the roof and covered over, with entrance in same orientation to the original nest.
Suggestion was to leave alone for 7 days to let them re-establish... before removing them 3 MILES AWAY !

Tree bumbles can be collected using similar kit.... box is fixed to tree!!

 

[For want of a better word]

This was last week in Liskeard ... CLM honeebees!
Not a polly nuc but a stock National with a modified floor... but same principle applies!

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[Ivor Kemp]

Getting very confused by this thread!

Is the OP saying they are bumble bees or not.

If they are bumble bees why on earth is he/she going to collect them. If owner of the bin really is a 'countryside' person they should be told to leave them where they are until September/October when they will be gone anyway.

 

[Ivor Kemp]

Getting very confused by this thread!

Is the OP saying they are bumble bees or not.?

If they are why on earth is he/she going to 'collect' them. If owner of the bin really is a 'countryside' person they should be told to leave them where they are until September/October when they will be gone anyway!!

 

[clv101]

Getting very confused by this thread!

Is the OP saying they are bumble bees or not.

If they are bumble bees why on earth is he/she going to collect them. If owner of the bin really is a 'countryside' person they should be told to leave them where they are until September/October when they will be gone anyway.

She's not going there 'til 17:30 tonight, no one knows what they are yet!

 

[Ivor Kemp]

I understand that, it's just someone seemed to indicate that she had now said they were bumbles.

Anyway if the are BBs just leave them there.

 

[For want of a better word]

I understand that, it's just someone seemed to indicate that she had now said they were bumbles.

Anyway if the are BBs just leave them there.

Some it seems have an irrational fear of any creepiecrawlies... especially bees!...
any when the lucky custodian of said creepiecrawlies wants them gone, perhaps it is best to relocate them.....
Having said that I would flatter their good fortune and leave them where they are!

​

 

[sainfoin]

Not Bumbles - good tempered bees

Couldn't persuade the server to let me reply before I left armed with all your good advice! She did recognise honeybees correctly. Will attempt to add pics tomorrow, we've been home ten mins and only have 1 tin of beans!
OH moved 2nd compost bin to provide space and I put poly nuc (minus lid) on top of the round compost bin with the compost lid complete with starter comb and bees on top. Covered it all with dark coloured small mesh horse cooler rug and after a while gently misted them with weak sugared water. Only an inch to spare beneath the willow branches.
They must have read the correct text book as they gradually walked up the sides of the nuc and mostly under the bin lid. Misted the bearding bees. Eventually OH returned from animal routine and we lifted box wrapped in rug onto a sheet on the lawn and shook and wiped wax and bees into the nuc. Lid on top and back on bin. It took about an hour to get them all in - the few that clung to the inside of the bin had the lid squashed down on the top after de-pheromone spraying. Hated to do it but we could barely see when we got home to the field. Nuc in position and my supper just delivered!
Fingers crossed they don't depart at the first opportunity. Thanks again for all advice and offers of help, much appreciated.

 

[sainfoin]

Not Bumbles - good tempered bees

Couldn't persuade the server to let me reply before I left armed with all your good advice! She did recognise honeybees correctly. Will attempt to add pics tomorrow, we've been home ten mins and only have 1 tin of beans!
OH moved 2nd compost bin to provide space and I put poly nuc (minus lid) on top of the round compost bin with the compost lid complete with starter comb and bees on top. Covered it all with dark coloured small mesh horse cooler rug and after a while gently misted them with weak sugared water. Only an inch to spare beneath the willow branches.
They must have read the correct text book as they gradually walked up the sides of the nuc and mostly under the bin lid. Misted the bearding bees. Eventually OH returned from animal routine and we lifted box wrapped in rug onto a sheet on the lawn and shook and wiped wax and bees into the nuc. Lid on top and back on bin. It took about an hour to get them all in - the few that clung to the inside of the bin had the lid squashed down on the top after de-pheromone spraying. Hated to do it but we could barely see when we got home to the field. Nuc in position and my supper just delivered!
Fingers crossed they don't depart at the first opportunity. Thanks again for all advice and offers of help, much appreciated.

 

[For want of a better word]

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[For want of a better word]

Pics before were compost swarm..... from bin to collecting box to nuc..

last week... not huge but satisfying to help a member of the public out for free ( and kept her in with terrified neighbour to boot!)

 

[thurrock bees]

ive got to remove some honey bees from a compost bin today, they are hanging on the lid, ive done them once before, I remove the lid and place a brood box there and then knock the bees into the brood box, I then leave a for day or two for them to settle and then remove one evening.