Splitting a bee hive out of a tree?

[Bird]

You might also be able to smoke them out. But most of the wild hive harvesting stories I've read all involve cutting down the tree.

Yep, that's the way we got our first hive when I was a kid. And I have no intention of ever doing that again. That was an unforgettable experience. I did not want to participate in that, but my Dad didn't give me that option. So I put on a long sleeved shirt, put rubber bands around the cuffs, put on my straw hat, found an old lace curtain Mother had discarded, draped it over my hat, turned up the collar of my shirt, and tied a string around my neck to hold the curtain against the shirt collar. Now we didn't have any of these modern tools, only an axe to cut the tree down and to split it. And almost as soon as that tree fell, I discovered there were 3 bees under that lace curtain with me. So I shed that and learned to work bees as Dad did, with no protection at all.

 

[powerpace]

I have read that if one has a multi-tiered hive.
With bees throughout the hive.
Then one separates parts of the hive, so half a hive discovers it is queenless, then it will generally force a new queen to hatch, as if its queen had somehow died, and one hive becomes two.

I haven't done it, but in theory it sounds quite logical.

So, I was hoping to make a hive, and hang it on the tree near the nest, hoping some of Mom's bees would take up residence in my hive.

However, the bees don't enter the hive through a small hole, but rather through a large gash where a very large limb (half the tree) had split off years ago. The bees only moved in a couple of years ago, but the limb had been missing since before 1980.

Yeah, I might start hunting for a swarm, and telling all my friends and neighbors to find one for me. Some people advertise on Craigslist saying they're looking for swarms.

You have a very good resource near you. Drop in and talk these guys. They are on Airport rd. in Eugene.
Factory Store

 

[forgeblast]

You may want to look at a warre hive, its similar to a top bar but uses boxes. Its the system I ran. Plans can be found at Beekeeping with the Warré hive -- Plans for constructing a Warré hive
look for the Cleo Hogan trap for trapping swarms. aka Walter Kelly Swarm Harvester
Swarms, Trap-outs, and Cut-outs
Warre Hive Forum