How can I remove bees from old tires?

Q. A colony of bees have formed a hive in a stack of old tires on my property. How can I move them to a more appropriate place, and when is the best time to do this?

A. Overall it is REALLY difficult to move a whole hive that is inside of something like a stack of tires, in the siding of a house, under a deck, in a tree, etc. If the colony is in a tree or a house, please call a bee removal expert to help you. It is illegal to spray bees; if you do and do not remove the comb, a new swarm will return there almost every year!

Here are your options:

1.      If the hive is in the siding of a house, call a bee remover who will vacuum the bees out and save the colony. You can then put the bees into an empty BackyardHive and you can start beekeeping with this colony. Or, call your local beekeeping association and give the hive to a beekeeper. Check our link of bee removal experts and national beekeeping associations.

2.      Get a new, empty hive, and get some pure beeswax to melt and brush onto the rib of the top bars. Use some propolis on the hive and spray some queen pheromone around it. Put the new hive it by the tires and wait until spring. They may swarm into it...no guarantees.  (See more info on luring a swarm here .)

3.      If you want to try to remove the colony from a stack of tires and put them in a top bar hive, you can try. You will have to be able to access all of the combs and colony, especially where they are connected to the structure. Get a bee suit, head veil, and sting proof gloves. Make sure the bees cannot get into your pants, shoes, shirt, etc. Get a BackyardHive ready for the bees, click here to read an article on how to get started with a new hive. Gather some tools such as a putty knife, kitchen knife, etc., or you can get a hive tool sold on our shop page (click here to check it out). You will want to follow some of the same steps as you would if you were harvesting honey from an actual top bar hive. Click here to read an article on harvesting honey. Familiarize yourself with the differences in appearance between brood combs, honey combs, worker bees, the queen bee, and drones. Come up with your plan of action. Rehearse the steps in your mind, and prepare for the worst scenarios.

So, first find a new location for your new hive. Keep in mind that you can only relocate a colony “3 ft. or 3 miles.” Bees have an internal honing device which works like a GPS. If they are moved far enough away from their original location, they reset this information with an “orientation flight.” If they are moved anywhere in between these distances, the bees will be confused and the gatherers will return to the original “tire” location and try to build a new home. To find a solution for this, you can place the new hive 3 feet from the original "tire" location and scoot the hive 3 feet across your property every other week. Or you can put the colony in the hive 3 ft from the original location, wait a few days for them to settle in, then at night, tape the entrances with screens and move the hive 3 miles away. Then bring it back to any spot on your property after 2 weeks has passed. 

Now for the maneuvers… Make sure you are doing this in the spring so the bees will have plenty of available flowers to collect food for their new home. Have the hive as close as you can to the tires. You will be placing the bees and the brood combs into the new hive, and harvesting the honey combs into a pot with a secure lid. You will want to brush the bees off of the honey combs and into the hive with a handful of grass. Now to do this get your tools ready. Hold the comb with 1 hand so when you cut it from the base, it will sink horizontally in your palm. When grabbing onto the comb you can put a little pressure on the bees then let go and bounce your fingers and palm again and the bees will move out of your way, so you can get a good hold on the comb without squishing or getting stung through your gloves. Now slice the comb at the base where it is attached to the tires. Determine if it is a brood comb or a honey comb. If it is a honey comb calmly brush the bees from one side of the comb into the hive, flip the comb over to your other hand, and brush the bees from the other side; quickly place the mostly bee-free comb in a large pot with a secure lid. Breathe and relax. Always scan the combs, looking for the queen, she has a much bigger body and appears to have little short wings with a dark circle on her back. Familiarize yourself with how queens look before you begin. When you come to a dark brood comb, prepare your slice the same way. Move quickly, as the queen will most likely be on one of these combs. Put the comb with all of the bees into the hive leaning on the side of the hive as not to squish anybody. Scan your gloves and the surrounding area for the queen. Once you are done removing all the combs from the tire, try to brush the remainder of the bees into the hive, or into a box to shake into the hive. Place all the top bars on the hive, and observe. If the queen is in the hive, the bees will be fanning at the entrance and flying into the hive. If she is still in the tires, the bees will be flying back out of the hive to their queen. If this happens, try to brush the bees and the queen into a box or the hive. If you can’t get her in the hive, please call a bee removal professional to assist you.

Please attempt this at your own risk. It is a complicated maneuver that can only be done if you can get to all of the combs. You risk being stung many times, even through your protective clothes. If the situation is too daunting, don’t hesitate to contact a local bee keeper or bee removal expert.