Bee Sucker Success!!!

After arriving bright and early this morning this was the scene. I removed the trap I had up there and amazingly enough there were many bees actually in the trap on the brood comb I had rubber banded into empty frames.

I then hauled up the BeeSucker-9000sx and went to work.

Ya know those damned bees had already started building new comb again up in there. Those girls just didn't want to give up that hollow old tree.

When I finally had all the bees I could get sucked up I removed the main hose from the side that had the PVC and screen portion to allow air to flow into the bucket. The reading on the bucket said I had about two and a half gallons of bees and I could see them crawling around on the sides.

I then transported the bucket of bees and the trap to a hive I already had waiting over at the North apiary.

Now many have asked how am I going to get the bees out of the bucket?

The answer is I am not going to get them out the bees are going to get themselves out.

I unhooked the three bungy cords where they run together, which allows the bucket to slide out of the carrier. Give the bucket a tap on the bottom which forces all the bees down to the bottom because of the slick plastic sides and then.......

Inner covers have a hole in them :)

I just took off the top and replaced it with the inner cover and while holding my thumbs on the lip of the bucket and my fingers on the inner cover flipped it over and placed in on top of the waiting hive.

I placed the top brick on the bucket and the bees should now go down the hole and into the hive. I had already removed the brood frames from the trap and put them in there as well so all the girls should feel right at home and it should smell like home as well.

In a few hours I will go back there and remove the bucket and then put the regular top back in place.

At this point I have no idea if I got the queen or if she is dead or what. I will check this hive over the next several days and if they appear to not be building up I will add a frame of eggs from one of the other hives so they can make a new queen.

There is definitely drone brood being raised so they should be flying soon and able to mate a new queen. I have no idea if this hive will actually make it they have been through so much but at least I know the BeeSucker works now.

More to come later. I got a lot of work to do today...

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!