Holy shit. That’s crazy. Normally if there is live bees with a colony they are still viable. It’s possible they have “foul brood” which is a disease that kills bee larvae in essence killing the colony. It can be spread, so that may be a reason to toss it (and all affected bees) into a fire. Here is a link for a bit more reading: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/animal-diseases/bees/what-to-do-if-you-detect-or-suspect-american-foulbrood
All of that said. I wouldn’t go try to capture the bees without someone experienced with you.
Okey dokey. I was wondering if I could just wrap myself in screen, but I will just stay away.
You are a brave man for considering it. I know lots of folks get comfortable around bees, but I’ll always get suited up for any real interactions with a hive.
As long as you be calm and cool about it, its no different then a dog, if you show fear, they may read your fear as malicious, and attack, But even then bees are not likely to attack, A bee knows that if it stings you, it dies, they dont sting unless they feel threatened and that they are about to die so they might aswell get you on the way out, i pick bees out of flowers in my garden and pet them often, i have never been stung. Bees really are peaceful animals unless you threaten them, aka swing at them etc, if you move slowly, and calmly pick up the hives, you wont get stung. myself, i would walk right on over to that hive and pick it up and take it home. without the screen, and then capture just a few and send away to a university for testing. Even if they have foul brood, they already have it, so taking them wont cause extra damage, those hives are their home, they are not going to run away and join another random colony and spread it. bees are territorial. so its not as tho you would be posing any risk of harm to wild bee populations. and if they are infected, they will die out, In which case, if that happens and they do all die, THEN you destroy the colony as the spores for the FB can stay viable as long as 50 long years and once those bees die if new bees find the abandoned colony and take it over it could spread to them.
Thanks for the information. I read it and I hope that it isn't that. Seems like a waste of life.
Glad to help. It’s a nasty disease.