Removal Updates: Reaping. This evenings job was initially thought to be a consult for a precariously placed hive. Nest situated like a well placed battlement; side of a dormer with a window too small to allow access, on a roof too steep to climb or crawl. Request had come down to save the nest to be used for classroom study. Setup owners ladder to get a view from the side, quickly realized it was the best we would do. Rigged the tubing with an extension pole for necessary reach. Tapped the nest with little fanfaire; failing colony? With the nest out of reach, we were short a tool to cut the hive away without destroying it. Fashioned a makeshift scythe from a pair of poles, ratchet strap and a sawzall blade. The first slash drew heat; hornets poured out before we had time to setup the siphon. Tried again, tho still too slow. What we lacked in expediency we made up for in stubbornness; each slash allowed for us to snag another dozen wasps. The war of attrition payed dividends. Managed to take the face off the nest with half the brood chamber still intact. Trophy in hand, we were freed to work the nest down with suction. Our pole routine yielded no stings and a fine looking nest for the kids at Abington Friends School. Next up: honey bee removal from a 400 year old oak.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 00:16:21 +0000