They say beekeeping is 10% biology and 90% manual labour—and our latest removal under a wooden deck in Johannesburg proved it! We were called out to a home where bees were disappearing into a gap next to some outdoor stairs. It looked simple enough until we realized exactly what was standing between us and the colony.

The Challenge: Triple-Layered Decking

Getting to the bees was a mission. We had to peel back three layers of wood just to expose the void where they were nesting.

• The Struggle: Most of our time wasn’t spent with the bees; it was spent fighting stripped screws and tight planks.
• The Timeline: It took us over two hours of carpentry just to get through the deck, while the actual vacuuming of the bees only took about 45 minutes!

Our priority is always to leave the property in the best shape possible, so we took extra care not to damage the planks as we worked our way down to the “engine room” of the hive.

A Small but Successful Swarm

Once we finally breached the third layer, we found a relatively small swarm. Despite their size, we were meticulous. Using the bee vac, we managed to collect almost every single bee—it felt like a 100% recovery rate, which is always a win for the colony’s survival.

The Kyalami Transfer

We immediately transported the bees to our Kyalami Apiary. Even for a small swarm, we followed our established protocol:

1. Gently transferring them into a new brood box.
2. Ensuring they have enough space to grow without feeling overwhelmed.
3. Monitoring the “clump” of stragglers to make sure everyone finds their way inside the new hive.

It wasn’t the biggest hive we’ve rescued, but it was certainly one of the most physically demanding! We’re officially adding “deck specialist” to our beekeeping resumes.

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Quick Poll: Would you rather do a removal from a high tree or from under a heavy deck? Let me know in the comments below!

Next Up: I’ll be sharing a video on how to maintain your bee vac after a tough job like this one. Don’t miss it!