Bee Removals and Swarms – 2022

Hundreds of bee removals from trees/houses/roofs/sheds/water meters/etc have been done over the years. Hive access is sometimes difficult and sometimes easy. Every removal situation is different and always an adventure.  If you have bees that need removing give us a chance to relocate them to a good home in an area hobby beekeeper’s apiary.  Click here to contact NaplesBees for a quick response to your request.  Below is a chronological listing of various past bee removals done over the years.

See 2024 year bee removals here
See 2023 year bee removals here
See 2022 year bee removals here
See 2021 year bee removals here

See 2020 year bee removals here

See 2019 year bee removals here
See 2018 year bee removals here
See 2017 year bee removals here
See 2015-2016 year bee removals here

Removal 177:

2/2/2022 – Removal from a water meter on Frank Whiteman Blvd. Comb was removed and mounted on frames and bees were beevaced.

Click on picture for larger view

Click on picture for larger view

 

Removal 178:

2/11/2022 – Removal from a water meter on Pinehurst Circle. Comb was removed and mounted on frames and bees were beevaced.

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This picture shows the removed hive a week later in the apiary. Notice how the bees have removed rubber bands that were used in the removal process in order to hold the water meter comb in frames. As the bees “weld” their original comb to the wooden frames in the hive box, they will cut the rubber bands and haul them out the front entrance to drop on the ground. Click on picture for a larger view.

Removal 179:

3/16/2022 – Small removal from a wall in a horse stall located on Rose Apple Lane. Comb was removed and mounted on frames and bees were beevaced.

Small hive was removed from behind wall. Click on picture for larger view.

 

Removal 180:

3/21/2022 – A good size swarm was beevaced off the front of an empty box in a Marco Island apiary. The queen was spotted and caged. The swarm was transported to our Naples apiary and set up in a brood box. The queen was released after 48 hours and it was seen that the bees had already built a large piece of comb.

Click on picture for a larger view of this swarm.

Click on picture for a larger view. This large piece of comb was built by the bees in just 48 hours after beevaced.

Removal 181:

3/30/2022 – A small hive was removed from a water meter on Delmar Terrace in Naples. The queen was caged.

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Removals 182-184:

4/7-9/2022 – A few small and not so small swarms were captured around the apiary.

Large swarm landed on outside of nuc box. Click on picture for a larger view.

Small swarm landed on the back of a hive box. Click on picture for a larger view.

Large swarm in nuc with wheel closed to ventilation only. Click on picture for a larger view.

Removal 185:

4/15/2022 – Small hive was removed from a Kent Drive address in Naples. The queen was spotted and caged.

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Removal 186:

4/18/2022 – Small hive was removed from a Marco Island water meter.

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Click on picture for a larger view.

Removal 187:

4/22/2022 – Small hive was removed from a Green Valley Circle, Naples, water meter.

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Removal 188:

4/25/2022 – Small hive was removed from a Thomas Jefferson Court, Naples, water meter.

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Removal 189:

4/27/2022 – Small hive was removed from a Glen Arbor Way, Naples, water meter.

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Removal 190:

4/30/2022 – Hive was in an old traffic cone at a house on Fairway Circle in Naples. The traffic cone with bees was netted and then transferred to the apiary for later removal in to a hive box.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Traffic cone bees moved in to an apiary brood box.

Removal 191:

4/30/2022 – Small swarm removed from a tree at a house on Silktail Drive in Naples.

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Removal 192:

5/4/2022 – A medium size hive in a water meter on Crown Drive in Naples was removed.

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Removal 193:

5/10/2022 – A medium size hive was removed from a roof overhang on a house at Hidden Harbour Drive in Naples. The queen was caught.

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Removal 194:

5/24/2022 – A small hive was removed from a Thomas Jefferson Court, Naples, water meter.  The queen was captured.  This is another colony that established itself in the same water meter as the removal #188 above.

   

Removal 195:

5/25/2022 – A picture of a garage wall swarm box upside down lid near the NaplesBees apiary. The picture is of the built comb after just 3 weeks from when they first moved in. Five large comb pieces were removed from the top board and rubber banded in to frames.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 196:

5/29/2022 – A first at the NaplesBees apiary…… Several tall format swarm traps that were constructed and hung around the apiary back in 2020 have been totally ignored until just a few days ago.  The boxes consist of 5 brood size frames that have a large space beneath the hanging frames.  The idea is that the nuc box should be more attractive to scout bees because of the internal space.  Details on these boxes are on the Gear page.  Update 6/7/2022: A look inside showed that comb is being built on several frames.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 197:

6/1/2022 – A medium size swarm was removed from the side wall of a commercial building on Mercantile Avenue.  As the swarm was being vacuumed up, the queen was spotted, but before it could be clipped, she took flight and apparently did not return.  After finishing vacuuming up the bees, a small ball of bees was observed in a nearby tree branch, which I believed to be the swarm’s queen.  That small ball of bees was vacuumed up in to the original swarm’s container.  Update 6/7/2022: It was confirmed that the hive box does have a nice looking queen and they are building comb!!

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 198:

6/1/2022 – A small swarm settled on the opening of one of the garage high wall mounted swarm traps.  Update as of 6/9/2022: It looks like the bees have taken up residence in the hive box and will be making it their new home.

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Removal 199:

6/2/2022 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter on Exchange/Airport Road. Unfortunately, the owner had removed the water meter top and dropped it on the ground, crushing the comb and trapping/killing a lot of bees. Some comb was salvaged and mounted in frames and the bees were vacuumed up. The survival of the hive may be in doubt because of all the damage to the hive’s comb.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 200:

6/9/2022 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter on Hawker Lane.

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Removal 201:

6/16/2022 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter on 110th Ave North in North Naples.

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Removal 202&203:

6/21/2022 – Two bird house boxes that bees had taken over were removed from trees at a Coach House Lane location in Naples.  On site removal was simple with just detaching the bird houses from the trees and placing them in a stacked empty brood/super box with a screened lid placed on the top.  Later, at the apiary, the bird house box can be taken apart, comb cut out, and all bees/comb placed in the normal frame filled brood box.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Removal 204:

7/12/2022 – A small hive was removed from a water meter on 108th Ave North in North Naples.  Unfortunately it was overrun with wax moth larva and was not able to be saved.

   

Removal 205:

7/12/2022 – A large clay pot was removed from the backyard of a house on Pompei Lane in Naples. The entire pot, with bees, was placed in a double box and transported to an apiary for putting the comb and bees in a brood box.

Clay pot in a backyard hedge. Click on picture for a larger view.

Because the clay pot had a broken out bottom, it made it easy to access the comb and cut out for mounting in the hive box frames. Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removing the comb from the pot and placing in frames. Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 206:

7/14/2022 – A bird house full of bees was removed from a tree at a Marlin Lane house in Naples.

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Removal 207:

7/19/2022 – A large hive was removed from a water meter at a house located on 8th Street North in Naples.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 
 

Removal 208:

7/29/2022 – A large hive was removed from a water meter at a house located on 99th Avenue North in Naples.

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Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 209:

8/2/2022 – A medium size swarm was removed from a pepper tree branch and placed in a brood box that was positioned near the branch. It will eventually be moved to a BB&G fellow beekeeper’s apiary once it is confirmed that the bees are building a hive.

   

 
 

Removal 210:

8/5/2022 – A small hive was removed from a palm tree branch located on Coronado Way, Naples and placed in a brood box. There were several pieces of comb that were rubber band mounted on a frame. The hive was then placed in a local BB&G beekeeper’s apiary.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 
 

Removal 211:

8/16/2022 – A medium size hive was removed from a water meter box on Windsor Way in Naples.  The hive was taken to a BB&G apiary.

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Removal 212:

8/17/2022 – A large swarm settled on an apiary jester nuc box. The box was carefully moved to a nearby empty brood box and all the bees were dumped into the brood box. It was obvious that such a large swarm would not be able to fit in to a 5 frame jester nuc, so the decision was made to get the bees quickly acclimated to a larger brood box and get them to stay. A week later the bees seem to be staying and setting up a permanent hive.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 213:

8/23/2022 – A very large hive was removed from a large water meter box on Mooring Line Drive in Naples.  The box was completely built out and contained lots of brood and over 20 pounds of honey.  The hive was taken to a BB&G apiary.

   

Removal 214:

8/26/2022 – A small swarm that landed on the ground near the apiary was coaxed to go in to a nuc box. It took about 45 minutes for the bees to all move because the queen kept going in to the nuc and then coming out for about 4 times before staying inside. A one frame sugar water feeder was placed inside. Eventually the nuc will go to a BB&G apiary.

Click on picture for a larger view.

 

Removal 215:

11/10/2022 – A small swarm that landed on a tree trunk near the apiary was removed to a nuc.  The queen was spotted and caged.  If they decide to stay and develop in to a good hive, it will find a good home in a BB&G apiary.

Click on picture for a larger view.

Click on picture for a larger view.