BEWARE OF THE TRASH BAG BEEKEEPER
Beware of hiring a “Trash Bag Beekeeper”!
I’m here to tell you the terrible truth about the “Trash Bag Beekeepers”. The stories come from customers who have experienced them first hand. Over the past several years I've heard numerous tales of homeowners hiring a so-called “beekeeper” to perform a live bee relocation only to their dismay learn that the "beekeeper" was not in fact a beekeeper and at a great cost to the bees.
A trash bag beekeeper is often an exterminator in disguise, or someone who poses as a beekeeper doing live honeybee relocations just for the money. They do not preserve the bees wax comb or the babies. In fact, they generally don’t really care about the bees at all. They will toss all the bees comb, that includes the bees brood (babies) and their food (pollen and nectar) into a large trash bag. They put the bees into a box and oftentimes dump the bees alongside a road or field somewhere never to return. Customers pay premium prices for this and don’t really get what they should. This is a terrible situation and means certain death for the bees.
A live honey bee relocation beekeeper will remove the bees alive, by hand or by a special bee vac, place all their comb into frames using rubber bands or twine and put the bees and the banded comb (that includes the bees food and babies) into a beekeepers beehive box which is generally made of wood. The beekeeper will then transport the bees to an apiary where the bees will be rehabilitated and checked on monthly. It is also helpful to hire someone close to you, as transporting bees is a delicate process. Bees' bodies produce a lot of heat, so traveling great distances means the bees could easily overheat and die unless extremely well ventilated transportation gear is used.
It’s a good idea to have references for whom you hire and to ask questions like:
How long have you been a beekeeper?
Do you save the honeybees comb with the babies and their food?
Do you tend beehives?
Do you sell honey?
Do you offer beekeeping classes or apiary tours?
Where will the bees live?
Do you check on the bees monthly?
A true beekeeper will do several of the above.
