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Author Topic: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!  (Read 2232 times)

Offline ozebee

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Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« on: April 06, 2013, 03:47:29 am »
Hi Everyone,

I thought I'd put this out into the forum and get some feedback and suggestions from many of you seasoned swarm collectors.

Being in the IT industry and a keen beekeeper, I had some experience this year with collecting a few swarms. I felt that we could utilise the latest available technology and make it a lot easier for the general public to report a swarm and get it collected by beekeepers rather than having them killed by pest control companies.

I am building a specialised web site to cater just for this. I have many ideas that I'll incorporate into the web site but I would like to hear from the community of what they would like to see in it and the functionality they would like to have. Based on your experiences please tell me what is important for you as far as information, notification etc etc.

I see this as eventually giving the community some very accurate data on where and when swarms occur, how many and any other information you feel is important to collect related to swarms and then provide feedback to the beekeeping community. There are some very good sites with lots of beekeeper contacts but that is where it stops. Hopefully this new site, with your interaction, will gather some very good empirical data which in the current "bee survival crisis" could be extremely useful for the future.

Please feel free to give me your suggestions no matter how trivial they may seem to you and I'll see if we can incorporate them in this hopefully very interactive site.

I look forward to your responses and will keep you informed of the progress.

Offline ozebee

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2013, 08:50:43 pm »
Please feel free to tell me if you don't think there is a need for such a site which would make it a lot easier for the members of the public to report a swarm which would then find and notify the nearest beekeepers.

Offline iddee

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2013, 10:51:12 pm »
I don't know about Au., but there are a number of such sites here in the U.S. Just google swarm removal or bee removal.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline ozebee

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2013, 05:55:24 am »
I have done quite a bit of research and I have found all the sites so far purely listings and a selection by state. With the available technology I am planning to make the site much more interactive and utilising latest GPS and cellular technologies.

Offline Geoff

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2013, 07:48:02 am »
    Go for it Oze. Will front up for this part of the country when you are up and running.
Local Area Network in Australia - the LAN down under.

Offline ziffabeek

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2013, 01:28:51 pm »
Oze, I think it would be really cool if the beekeeper/swarm retriever could sign up and put in their contact info and then the list of zip-codes (or other delimiter) they are interested in.

Then the consumer would go to the website and enter in their informatoin - address of swarm, contact number, size and time, general location and swarm or cut-out, what-have-you.

Then the system could send a text alert to the beekeepers for those submissions in their area with the contact info and details.  First beekeeper to respond - presto!

That way the consumer only has to go to one spot and enter the info once and hopeful receive several responses. 

You could even add a "taken care of" follow up text.

I think that would be cool.  Good luck with your plan!

love,
ziffa

Offline ozebee

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2013, 09:26:07 pm »
Thank You Ziffa!!!

  That is exactly the type of interaction I am planning to have in the site. Rather than zip codes I was thinking of allowing for a distance limitation - with GPS coordinates etc, it will be easy for the system to pick the closest available beekeeper who can provide the service. Feedback and rating of service will also be provided for.

Offline ozebee

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2013, 04:06:46 am »
What do you guys feel is the preferred method of receiving a notification of a swarm?
a. email - with details of swarm so you can contact the notifier at your leisure
b. Text message- with contact details etc so you control return contact
c. Direct phone call to your published phone no?

Offline Bees In Miami

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2013, 05:10:17 am »
Ozebee...Through the VERY limited exposure I have here on the web, I have found the best hits have happened due to including 'live' or 'live bee removal' or 'bee relocation' in my ads.  The general populous knows the bees are in trouble, and most willing to help the bees.  So you may consider pushing the "live" and "relocation" thing....just my thoughts!  Good luck, and would love to see it happen for you, and the bees! 

Offline skatesailor

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Re: Suggestions wanted - swarm collections!!!
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2013, 12:10:44 pm »
email is a no-go. Bee swarms need immediate attention because they don't hang around waiting for you. Live telephone talk is the best in order to coordinate efforts.

 

anything