how to get the bees out

[billy]

Hi all;
 Can anyone help me out here, I have been watching a good size bees nest, and would like to take it before winter,, What is the best way to handle this ( how do I get the bees out)     thank

[KevinH]

If its in a spot where nobody else will take it, get it after the frost hits.  Once we get a frost the bees will be gone or not very active at all.  Gte it at night or in the morning just to make sure, also once you get it put it in a garage bag with some spray, dont soak the nest or it will ruin it.  If you want to get them now, wait till a cooler night, take a garabge bag and put around the hive and tie it off like I said before, and spray some spray in it.  I would just wait till we get a frost though to be on the safe side.  But once we do geta frost dont wait too long cuz if it rains on the hive it will be ruined also.  Good luck, Kevin

[John C]

Bees dont leave. Bees normally build inside a cavity, this helps protect the honey. The honey would someday drip out if it is in fact  bees.

If you are looking at a semi-round hornets nest, you better wait until the weather is cold.
Hornets stay in the nest and will come alive when warmed up, plus they can sting repeatedly!!!! and they become active at 30F. The nest will be the one hanging in a tree that is made of paper produced by the hornet.

The paper nest is very fragile, so handle with care, hang in a cold place, slide a plastic bag over the nest and  tie the top. Using a cloth heavily saturate the cloth with wasp and hornet spray and place in the bottom of the bag, by cutting a hole in the corner you can slide the cloth in, then tape up the slit. leave for a few days and repeat, now hang the nest in a very warm place so they will get active if any live ones remain.

Also a point to ponder is did the larve die??? Or will they hatch in the spring?

[wanger wabbit]

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http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/bhornets.html

Preserving and Displaying a Hornet's Nest
The Baldfaced Hornet is a social wasp found in the familiar large, gray, paper nests attached to a tree branch, shrub, utility pole or house. The paper-like nests are made of chewed wood fiber mixed with saliva. Hornet nests are frequently displayed in nature centers, schools, and natural history museums. They can also be displayed in the home as a conversation piece! Below are answers to the most common questions about displaying a hornets nest.

How is the nest collected? The easiest method of collecting a nest is to wait until after the hornets have abandoned the nest in the fall (after the first hard freeze or by late October). Hornet nests are annual; they last one summer and all occupants freeze or die of old age in the fall. Collect the nest as soon as possible because exposed, unprotected nests are subject to destruction by wildlife and weather. Collecting a nest in summer requires a degree of boldness. During the coolest part of the night and with the least disturbance possible, rapidly slip a large plastic bag over the nest. Close the bag around the limb above the nest. Tie the bag shut and cut the limb from the tree. Kill the hornets by placing the entire bag in a freezer overnight.

Will I get stung from hornets that emerge from a collected nest? There will be few, if any hornets in a nest collected in late fall. If you feel the need to be extra-cautious, leave the nest in a garage or porch where it will be protected from the weather until mid-winter. Then bring the nest indoors.

Will the nest smell bad? The carcasses of hornets and larvae that remain in a collected nest may produce a mild odor before they completely dry up. If this is unacceptable, leave the nest in a protected outdoor location as mentioned above.

Does the nest need to be treated with varnish to preserve it? No. It is not necessary to treat the collected nest in any way. The nest will last almost indefinitely if it is suspended in a dry location where it will not be damaged by handling or vibration.

Will new hornets emerge from eggs that hatch after the nest is hung indoors? No. Hornet eggs laid inside the nest by the queen hatch into grublike larvae that must be fed and cared for by the workers. If any eggs hatched indoors the tiny larvae would perish

[Wildside]

I just finished collecting one.  I used a wasp and hornet spray that foams and expands at night and sprayed into the opening very carefully.  I then left it and kept an eye on it for a week or so.  The hornets were all dead and I brought it insidewith no problems.

[chas]

well you could always try the winnie the Pooh way sing to them and hope they fall asleep  but you better be carefull this way could back fire and ouch  like e or you could get stung real bad outher wise i wait to the first frost cut the nest down and place it in a rubber made bucket and put the lid on and hope they smother good luck anyways

[Sea Wolf]

Definately do the bag and bug spray. I found a great hornets nest in January and brought it into school when I was a kid. Monday, after the weekend, the classroom was filled with really pissed off hornets.