Removing a bee hive from the mast

[sonofasonofasailer456]

How available is wd40, I used it a lot as a contractor just as good if not better than wasp killer.

[SailSonoma]

I just had a hive removed from land here on St Croix by a local bee keeper here on the island. This is what I learned in the process:

1. Here in the USVI all bees are Africanized. This was popularized by SNL in the late 70's, no one can forget John Belushi... I would think that your bees are Africanized as well. It essentially means that they get mad and don't stop stinging when they swarm

2. The Beekeeper removes the hive by first moving it into a box. To do this, they must retrieve the queen and some of the honey. They then place this in the box and remove any excess honey from the area. Then, after the bees have moved into the box, they move the box in the evening after the bees have returned.

Bees are important for the world's food chain. You should consult a local Beekeeper (they are definitely there) to see if there is any way to relocate the hive. Then if you decide you must kill them, I suspect that your local Beekeeper will know the best way to euthanize them.

I suspect that the solution will be to go aloft in a proper bee suit and then kill them with the correct poison.

[JasonS]

We had a honey bee nest in our mast several years ago in SE Florida. We think the hive was about 15 feet from the top. No bee keepers would come out here to help. An exterminator specializing in bees came out. He first squirted a chemical vapor up the mast through the halyard holes. Killed some. Repeated again with limited success. He said he had some plastic sheets that would kill the nest but he needed to get them inside the mast. We cut them into strips and zip tied them onto the spare halyard, which it turns out was attached to the honeycomb, and hoisted it into the mast. Within a couple days all the bees were dead. We have a deck stepped mast. For about 6 months, brown stains would appear after rain (dead bee carcasses) and their was an odor. It eventually stopped. We’ve not had a return visit in over three years. We did not pull the mast as some have suggested. The chemical strips are only available to exterminators, but I think if you find one who removes bees from behind house soffits and other difficult areas they probably have something similar. Good luck and sorry you are dealing with this. It is a bit of a pain.

[motretu]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

We returned to the boat in Mexico after a 5 month work hiatus to find that honey bees have established a hive at the top of the mast around the halyard sheaves. Local wisdom is to go to the top of the mast at night armed with 2 cans of Raid and a positive attitude. Only problem is that, as the hive is built around the sheaves, any movement on the halyards sets the bees into a frenzy. I have tried smoking them out with mosquito coils and citronella, both of which impressed them not in the least. I did this by setting up a bucket with a thru-hull in the lid which is attached to a hose that I led into a halyard port in the mast. My original plan was to use a bug bomb but these are not available here. My next plan is to;

1. Rig up a Rube Goldberg type device to haul to the top of the mast using PVC tubing and a lever that will allow me to spray the hive form the deck. This will be fiddly and aiming will be problematic so I don't have a lot of confidence.
2. The only other thing I can think of is to "dress to kill" with Levis, boots, jacket, leather gloves covered with a Tyvek suit and topped with a wide brim hat with mosquito netting clothes pinned to the Tyvek. Then have my wife haul me up slowly until I can get at the buggers. Problem is i suspect most of the bees will be swarming by the time I reach the top, forcing my wife inside and leaving me twisting in the breeze.

Just wondering if anyone else has had to deal with this or has any other ideas that don't end with me looking like a pink version of the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man.

had this exact problem in maztlan summer 2004. long story short, many bees followed the mast air column and exited into the bilge through an unplugged hole at the bottom of the mast, then into main cabin where they left quite a mess as they died. i tried sending smoke up the mast, but that failed. was able to get some "bee beegon" product from the states. soaked some rags in it, tied rags to main halyard and hoisted during middle of day. after several days, bees were gone, but hive was left behind to attract a new hive the following summer, so i left soaked rags in place on the halyard at the start of the following summer and this kept subsequent hives out. had no issues while under way during the season.

[NorthCoastJoe]

I keep bees and do removals from walls of houses.

First choice would be to find a beekeeper to remove them.
Is the hive inside the mast or is the comb built up outside the mast?

Once you have the queen all the bees will go to her. I have used a shop vac to suck up bees in tight spaces. Might be a wild idea but a 1 1/2 inch light weight pipe or tube hoisted up the mast to the hive and a strong shop vac on deck. if its an external hive might work.

Or as others have said go sailing or motoring. When a beehive is moved it is less than 3 feet they get lost. Sailing through the day and not returning to the same location at night will lose most of the worker bees. You will have less bees but still a large amount to handle.

Anyway you look at it the queen needs to be removed to solve your problem.

If you are going to go after them I would take 50mg of benadryl before starting the job, just in case you get stung a lot. I would do that before doing some difficult removals.

Good luck

[Frugal]

I have had past success applying petrol (gasoline). The bees hate it and decamp.
If that doesn't move them then you might resort to force by throwing in a match.

[SF Bay Dude]

I am a commercial beekeeper, as in, I do this for a living. There are so many variables here it's hard to give you advice without seeing it in person. CO2 or Sulfur will work, but those are dangerous roads to travel. Raid will kill some, but not the entire colony. The chemistry of the poison is made for wasps and/or ants, and oddly enough, doesn't go nuclear on bees.

Heat could also work. Just enough to melt the wax and render the colony useless. Soapy water can also kill a colony pretty well. If you get bees really wet, they won't be able to fly. If you've got good water pressure, you may want to give that a try.

Bees can survive a very long time without having access to fly. Think about colonies in Vermont that overwinter for 5 months and never leave the hive. They are like water. They will find any weakness in your plan and exploit it.

Lastly, I feel your pain. In an ironic twist, when I pulled my mast last year in Guaymas, I had a colony of bees in the same spot. Top of the column, just beneath the sheaves. I blasted them out with water. Depending on how long they've been there, they may have had time to build up a good amount of comb and even stored honey. Even if you rid yourself of the mother colony, you may have robber bees steal away the leftover abandoned honey. And sadly, your mast is now marked with pheromones for future swarms. Welcome to the club!

[Bobcat]

Having just had a quick look at some to the responses - some good but a lot bad.

For what it is worth:

a) Get a local (professional/advisor) beekeeper involved who will probably know what to do. Toxic chemicals are not a good idea - they can end up in the food chain (possibly yours).

b) Do you know what kind of bees they are? Honey (african) bees, so called stingless bees (they can still be very irritating) or whatever - I have even been asked to deal with honey bees that turned out to be wasps!

c) If killed in situ within the mast - you could be left with a lot mess from poison, wax etc, bee larvae, pupae, adults etc. This will all be very interesting to other insects etc which will take it away or eat on the spot. Not nice to poison them all and possibly people who may end up eating the contaminated honey.

d) African bees, as are all honey bees defensive by nature if you threaten their nest or colony. However, they naturally abscond so can be encouraged to do so and an experienced beekeeper will know how to get them to do that.

e) If you need to resort to force and can position a vacuum cleaner up close it is a great way to collect them. Some professionals use this system to filter them out before they end up in the bag. It is a great way to collect swarms for re stocking an apiary.

f) Good luck. Try to do it peacefully ... if African bees can be peaceful if handled correctly but that's another story. I have seen them handled without protective clothing in Honduras and even in Africa those that know how can do the same.

g) Whatever you do - make sure any vulnerable spectators keep a good distance and untether/release any caged animals in particular horses and dogs. As has already been mentioned by others, any residue might encourage other swarms in the future just like a bait hive set up for that purpose!

Interesting to hear how you solve your problem - hope you can do it natures way.

[Cowpoke]

Unlikely you will find a local beekeeper to remove a hive from a mast head so you are left with no choice but to kill them. Our local beekeepers just spray the hive with soapy water using a small weed sprayer and no poison is necessary.

Spray at night if possible when they are less active and the entire brood is at the hive.

After the hive is gone be sure to clean the area thoroughly as any old comb will attract another swarm.
Very likely they are killer bees as they have taken over in all warm and temperate climates.

Good luck.

[seadago]

Unusual problem!

Having had twice to remove hives from the inside of chimney flukes, I don't thing you will get the bees to go quietly into the night with chemicals.

If you can go up the mast top (and brave a few stings): loosen all running rigging and the toping lift, go up, cover the entire mast top and hive with a heavy duty black rubbish bag (the kind used for garden rubbish), and close it securely with tape below. The temperature inside the bag will go up very quickly and kill the bees.

Alternatively, if you are on a marina, there may be a fire water hose available somewhere. That should have enough pressure to reach the top of your mast. Choose a day with a lively breeze, lock the boat tight below, and hose the top of the mast until you break the hive structure. The bees will abandon it soon after. Then you can go up and clear the debri.

Good luck!

[Bobcat]

Originally Posted by Cowpoke

Unlikely you will find a local beekeeper to remove a hive from a mast head so you are left with no choice but to kill them. Our local beekeepers just spray the hive with soapy water using a small weed sprayer and no poison is necessary.

Spray at night if possible when they are less active and the entire brood is at the hive.

After the hive is gone be sure to clean the area thoroughly as any old comb will attract another swarm.
Very likely they are killer bees as they have taken over in all warm and temperate climates.

Good luck.

You would be surprised what beekeepers will do when a 'push' comes to 'shove' - I've witnessed some interesting challenges by those that want the honey or another swarm or just won't be beaten!

I've seen a swarm inside of a light aircraft tailplane, inside cavity walls and roof spaces (where the foragers left via the shower room) etc even an african colony raided in the eaves of a house in Honduras - had to set the horses loose first and clear the area of children etc.

I turned down the offer to help up the high ladder on that occasion (I'm an 'old' salt now*) but I did help control the fun down below when villagers returned home and young bloods dared each other to cycle through the bees circling the adjacent road. My wife had to back the pickup out of the village where we were later picked up to return to base!

The local beekeeper got his honey and possibly a few stings. No one was hurt (not even their pride) and we all lived to fight another day! Never seen anyone do that at the top of a mast, though many native beekeepers brave great heights in trees and caves with little or no protection and dodgy ropes!

If there is a will, there is probably a way - good luck. Have they gone yet I wonder? * Like pilots so also 'old salts', there are old ones and bold ones but not so many old bold ones!

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by Moontide

Had the same problem in Chiapas 3 years ago. Got infested before we left that boat for the summer. Guessing they were Africanized as when I moved a halyard or slaped the rigging they would imerge and head for anything that was moving, including me some 60' below them. After a couple of stings I figured out that wasn't going to work. Did nothing more before coming back to the boat. The solution was to hire some guys (bee people) with a smoke gun that they used to inject smoke and some kind of poison into the mast using a halyard exit hole close to deck level. First time it was a small gun and it didn't do much. Brought out the big artillery the next day. Filled the mast and in the morning there were a bunch of dead bees on the deck. The remaining hive with the queen evacuated over to a lifering on another boat later that morning. Dock crew went to get soapy water (said they can't fly with that on them) but the hive moved elsewhere before they got back.


Had some wax stains on the main halyard but that was all. Didn't bother trying to remove the nest from inside the mast and have had no repeats or problems for the 3 years since then.


Cost was under $100, although I'm not sure how much of that went to the bee people.


Bill

Bill,

That sounds like an ideal solution. I realize now that I did not mention it in my original post, but we too are in Marina Chiapas. We talked to the current staff (Memo, Rolf, Robert) but none are aware of any beekeepers or exterminators who would do this. Do you recall the name of the outfit you hired or how you found them? So far all my inquiries have been fruitless.

[mikereed100]

Thanks to all for the great replies. Unfortunately, most suggestions don't apply in my situation as the only insecticide i have found anywhere in Tapachula is Raid. The soapy water thing sounds interesting. The trick is getting it to the top of the mast. The hive is inside the mast at the sheaves and any disturbance sends a cloud of very pissed off bees out the top of the mast. I have a few seconds to do whatever I am doing, but by the time they reach the top spreaders it is time to retreat to the cabin until they settle down again. As others have pointed out, these are almost certainly Africanized bees.

I have rigged up a contraption that I can haul up the mast that will carry a can of Raid that, theoretically, I can aim into the hive and trigger from below. On the first try it got stuck on a spreader and the can discharged into the air. The bees did not even bother to swarm me that time, preferring to mock me with their indifference. I will try again today.

Of course the preferred method would be to let a beekeeper, ("apicultor" in these parts) deal with it but I have not been able to locate one.

If it comes down to it we will be heading to Costa Rica next week and hopefully this move will take care of the problem. The problem is, I will not be able to raise the main, or reef it, without the risk of being stung.

[model 10]

Make a donation to the Bomberos and they might hit them with a fire hose.
So in Costa Rica they have swarming termites!

[Moontide]

Mike,



I think Enrigue, who was there at the time, arranged for them. Memo was there also so maybe mentioning Moontide and fall of 2015 will help him remember.



One of the security/dock guys mentioned the soapy water to me. Said they used it fairly often around the marina. Maybe you could run a hose up the mast and then pump the contents of a bucket of soapy water up there.



Sounds like you have the progeny of my hive, sorry.


Bill