Welcome back! This was one of those removals where the plan in your head is a lot simpler than the reality in the tree. We headed out to a property in Johannesburg to rescue a colony nested in a tree trunk. Based on the photos, we hoped for a clean “log cut”—where we just take the section of the tree home—but the bees had other ideas.

The Plan vs. The Reality

The owner told us the hive was about 4.5 metres up. When we arrived, we found a massive amount of activity.

• The Hive Structure: It turned out the bees weren’t deep in the heart of the trunk; they were in a hollow cavity tucked right behind the bark.
• The Gear: We had to extend the bee vac hose to reach them, eventually bringing the unit down to the ground for better suction.
• The Extraction: We spent over an hour just vacuuming. To get to the comb, we had to use a chainsaw to carefully peel back sections of the bark and wood.

“Tons of Bees, Tiny Comb”

The balance of this hive was fascinating. Usually, a year-old hive has massive slabs of wax. This one?

• High Population: There were an absolute ton of bees—way more than the comb size suggested.
• Fragile Comb: The wax was incredibly brittle and fell apart as we tried to remove it. It made rubber-banding the brood into frames a real challenge.
• The Honey Bonus: Despite the fragile comb, we still managed to harvest a good amount of wild honey and saved all the healthy brood for the relocation.

Late-Night Relocation

By the time we finished it was 10:15 PM. We hauled the colony and the rescued resources back to the Kyalami Apiary.

• The Cluster: When we opened the vac box at the apiary, the bees were huddled tightly in one corner—a great sign that they are protecting the queen.
• The Transition: We’ve set them up in a new hive box and will let them settle in after the stress of the “chainsaw surgery.”

Lessons from the Trunk

This removal reminded us that every tree is different. You have to be ready to pivot from a simple “cut-out” to a full structural extraction in a matter of minutes. But with 12+ hives now in the apiary, we’re getting faster and more efficient with every rescue.

Are you enjoying the “action” removals?

If you want to see the chainsaw work or the way we handle fragile comb, make sure to subscribe and hit the like button! Your support keeps the Bee Sanctuary growing toward our 300-hive goal.

Beekeeper’s Question: Have you ever encountered a hive with “too many” bees for the amount of comb present? Do you think they were getting ready to swarm, or just a very efficient colony? Let’s discuss in the comments!

What’s next? Should we do a gear review of the chainsaw and vac setup, or are you ready for an apiary-wide health inspection?