Here are the photos of the comb I promised. This comb was taken out of a home in South Portland. The hive died sometime over the winter or fall. There was not a strong smell, but there were some other signs.
Uneven or ‘Pepper-pot’ brood pattern
This is looking down from top to bottom. There is dark scale onto the bottom.
Update: Jump right to the photos of the comb here. Thanks to the MSBA for linking to this article.
This was a cut out in a wonderful old house in South Portland, ME. We believed the bees we getting into a cavity on the roof line. It was also possible the bees were in a crawl space off a bedroom. Sometimes it is hard to be 100% sure until you start cutting.
Ladder jacks were setup under the hive entrance.
I look small on the ground
A hole was cut in a crawl space to see if bee were coming into the house. Blown insulation prevented us from reaching the wall without the hole.
No bees here. However a large amount of buzzing could be heard on the other side of the wall.
The bees are getting in right above the lead flashing.
After removing the trim boards and a 2×6 we finally reach comb. There are no bees but a large amount of waste under the comb. A good example of why you should remove dead hives.
Richard sets to work removing the shingles.
The shingles and a board are removed to expose the main hive area. There is a lot of newish looking comb but not a lot of bees.
After removing more boards, some comb with honey is found.
Some black old comb. This hive has been around for a while. Still no bees.
During the comb removal we discover some bad news. We believe this hive died off American Foulbrood and the activity around the hive was other bees robbing it out. Photos of the comb here. We go ahead and remove all the remaining comb and debris from the space.
The space is sealed off with screening and sealed up tight.
Good as new. Sadly the hive was sick and was dead when we got there. However if this hive had of been left in place a swarm would have soon moved in and started to spread AFB. Any near by hives will need to be monitored for signs of sickness.
The first swarm call came into the SABA Albany NY Swarm Hotline 518-38-SWARM 518-387-9276. It was a easy catch in Waterford, NY. Jim a local beekeeper came out to help.
A great looking swarm about 4 feet off the ground.
The branch was cut from behind so I could move it to the super.
Cutting the branch
Shaking off the bees
Replacing the frames
The new home
