Help please persuading bees to relocate nest from garden

[cliveshep]

We bought a mango tree nearly 4 years ago that persistently refuses to flower or fruit. We bought 2 - one has fruited.

 

Two problems with the reluctant fruiter - one is I foolishly planted it in a small garden close to a drain and also our septic tank - as they grow big, and this one is already getting sturdy. My wife feels the septic tank being plastic is at future risk from root spread and she is probably right - I'm a builder not a gardener. so we have decided to chop it down and plant  a papaya instead on the basis that they root on the surface and do not go deep. We already got 4 other papaya trees - fast growing, fruit readily, and give loads of cool shade like an umbrella!

 

The 2nd problem is that bees have built a nest in the mango - how can we persuade them to move home elsewhere so we can cut down the tree? Little nectar-drinking birds have already nested alongside the bees and we plan to wait until the young hatch and fly and then cut it down before the parents start another brood.

 

Bees could be killed of course but we know they are very necessary for pollination so that is not an option. My wife thinks smoke, maybe mosquito coils, might do the trick?

[Vacuum]

39 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

bees have built a nest in the mango - how can we persuade them to move home elsewhere

A plastic bag and a stick should do it.

[NCC1701A]

how long have they been there? the bees around here move after about 2-3 weeks.

[cliveshep]

At least a couple of months in residence now, but as far as I am concerned no Right of Abode exists but cutting down the mango tree could result in a fight and I'm bound to come off worst!

[CharlieH]

If you intend to drop the tree anyway, why not just set fire to it(the base trunk), the smoke etc will move any inhabitants and the remaining item will be easier to remove. (Assuming it's not located too close to anything else that might suffer)

[drtreelove]

Have you determined if it's honey bees or are they wasps/hornets? If bees, a local beekeeper may be able to move the hive, queen and all, depending on how the hive is built in the tree. Ask around, or go to village head man who usually knows local resources, but if you are in the City it may be harder to find than in an ag village area. 

 

If wasps, be careful, a tiger wasp swarm can be deadly.  There have been many discussions here and in the farming forum on how local folks deal with a situation like this. If your wife is Thai, have her start asking around. She will surely find someone to take on the task and keep you out of harms way. 

 

With the bees gone, can you transplant the tree instead of killing it?  Although at 4 years it may be too big to move successfully. 

 

Lack of flowering and fruiting may be due to excess Nitrogen and rapid vegetative growth, is there a leach field associated with the septic tank where the roots may be getting into the effluent?  Otherwise, nutrient deficiency, poor soil and water management can be responsible for lack of flowering/fruiting. 

[drtreelove]

3 hours ago, CharlieH said:

If you intend to drop the tree anyway, why not just set fire to it(the base trunk), the smoke etc will move any inhabitants and the remaining item will be easier to remove. (Assuming it's not located too close to anything else that might suffer)

Bad idea!