Bees removed from trees at RV dealer

BEE REMOVAL
Tree at RV Dealer

Once upon a time, some bees had built their nest in a tree at a RV business. They were about 10-ft up, towards the center of the tree, and on the intersection of several branches the largest of which was about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. This required a good ladder and a lightweight (silent battery powered) chainsaw.

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The beekeeper purdently waited until after business hours and after employees were gone before disturbing the nest. The parking lot was secured and cleared of all bystanders. The bees were smoked since all bees (even the GENTLE ones) are protective of their nest and honey storage. They quickly pulled back exposing the partially filled feral combs and concentrated on licking up the stored honey. Then the 3 branches above the nest were removed with the chainsaw (battery powered, so as not to excite the bees). The main branch was partially cut about 8 inches below the nest. The beekeeper easily snapped off the section and carried it down the ladder. Because of the extreme care and precautions taken, the bees remained calm and made no attempts to sting the beekeeper.

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The removed nest was bagged (in breathable, bee-tight container) and carried home for placement in a nuc hive with a new queen where they lived happily ever after.

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If you live in Lee County (Alva, Olga, Buckingham, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, or Fort Myers) and have need of a "bee removal expert", then e-mail Old Man Riggs... he may BEE able to get you in touch with a beekeeper or bee remover who can handle this type of project without killing the bees. If bees must be killed, then a pest control person should be contacted instead of a beekeeper. Old Man Riggs recommends experienced beekeeper bee removers such as B. Keith Councell or Carroll Rhodes (a.k.a. The Bee Man). CLICK HERE for e-mail instructions. If you contact either of these beekeepers, please mention that you saw this website and that Old Man Riggs says, "Hello".

Note: Old Man Riggs no longer removes bees (retired from this 5-11-07) for LIABILITY REASONS.

Here are some links to others who may be able to help with bee removal

[ Carrol Rhodes ] | [ B. Keith Councell - Bee Alert ] | [ Florida Bee Removal - Apian Sting Operation, Inc. ]