One of my readers found a beetree. He had interest in cutting it down to get the bees. This is the nth time I’ve encountered this. It is tempting, and I’ve cut one out myself. But now that I know better, let me pass on some wisdom. This applies if the tree does not have to come down, or the bees don’t have to move.
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“On the beetree, I wouldn’t cut it out. The colony has only a 50/50 chance to live if you cut it out. Plus Small Hive Beetle infests fast and lowers that 50/50 even further.
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Also, It serves 2 purposes for you;
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1. It is breeding survivor stock bees, which are important as the mites are killing off weak strains of bees.
2. It serves as a mother colony throwing off swarms every year.
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I’d build 4 swarms traps and put them on all 4 sides of the bee tree at a distance of 200 yards or so. You WILL catch swarms due to these traps, and some will be from the bee tree.”
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