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Author Topic: Swarm collection Equipment?  (Read 14614 times)

Offline AllenF

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2011, 12:03:11 pm »
Nobody has mentioned to remember the .22 pistol to bring in the swarm.    :-D

Offline Acebird

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #21 on: January 15, 2011, 07:35:12 pm »
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It really doesn't matter much.  They will be searching the area for a good place to live and the smells will attract them quite quickly.  The two smells they are already keyed in on are the queen (QMP) and the cluster (nasonov aka the smell of lemongrasss essential oil).  I usually set it pretty close to make sure them find it, but I'll bet I could put it 1/4 mile away and they would still find it.

What doesn't make sense to me is why would the swarm be attracted to the QPM when they already have a queen.  Wouldn't the queen in the swarm see it as competition?
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Offline Tommyt

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2011, 10:33:25 pm »

What doesn't make sense to me is why would the swarm be attracted to the QPM when they already have a queen.  Wouldn't the queen in the swarm see it as competition?

attract
Isn't that what you trying to do :?
 
doesn't matter whats there as long as they
show up, and like what they find or don't find 
just as long as they like the new Housing
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2011, 11:01:33 pm »
>What doesn't make sense to me is why would the swarm be attracted to the QPM when they already have a queen.  Wouldn't the queen in the swarm see it as competition?

Apparently the bees don't care if it makes sense to you...
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #24 on: January 16, 2011, 09:18:30 am »
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Apparently the bees don't care if it makes sense to you...

I think we are all in agreement there but I would like to understand their thinking or habits better.  It is just the way I am.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #25 on: January 16, 2011, 09:51:46 am »
The bees can't tell one queen from another (contrary to the books).  If you don't believe this, read Brother Adams books.  They can tell the quality of a queen, e.g. they can tell a queen who is actively laying from one that has been in a cage a few days to a few weeks and if they believe they still have that actively laying queen they will reject a queen who is less.  But basically they are always attracted to QMP.  If I leave a bait hive in my beeyard I often find a small cluster of bees on the QMP.  They are apparently just field bees who were attracted to it.  Bees in a swarm can zero in on QMP and are very focused on it.   If you put a queen in a cage near a swarm it will gather a swarm around it from the other swarm fairly quickly.  If you take the queen out of a swarm, cage her, and put her in a tree several hundred yards away, they will find her fairly quickly and move there.  The two things they are focused on are QMP and Nasanov.  That's what keeps them toegher and with the queen.  That's what you have in the box...
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Offline asprince

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #26 on: January 16, 2011, 09:25:53 pm »
Unless they are low hanging, I hive most swarms with my Robo bee vac. I can get nearly every bee and not have to come back after dark and get the hive. It is very fast and effective. I have tube extensions for the high ones.

Steve


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Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #27 on: April 14, 2011, 12:08:49 pm »
Well folks, I collected my first swarm.  Sorry no video.  I couldn't keep that in the truck, and I said I would have to remember it...

OW!  As you may have guessed I got some of the equipment together, put it where I would belong, and then spent all winter/spring making sure I "got it back in the truck."  I was at the point I didn't expect a call, but yesterday I did.  The man on the phone said they were in a bush about "hip high."  I guess I couldn't have asked for anything easier.

Pulled out a deep with top and bottom board, looked at the swarm, it was that.  It was about hip high in his landscaping 3 feet from the curb.  There was a chick rollerblading up and down, seemingly unconcerned as to the activity going on here, they bees had started building comb on that branch.

I sprayed them with sugar water, and tried to shake them, I didn't want to cut up his bush, they didn't fall very well.  I guess there was about a quart of those bees.  I put on my Cloth gloves, if you see where I'm getting at, and tried to scoop them off and drop them in the box JP style.  I got stung 6 times, nice gentle bees but they dint lak thet.

I had the hive underneath and shook the heck out of his bush, leaves and twigs were scattered all over.  But I suppose it coerced the queen into the box, they came out and started fanning so I replaced the frames and lid.  It took about an hour, but they vacated the branch while I licked my wounds and grumbled.  The Gentleman was fairly interested in the process, talked about what was going on, was surprised that I didn't smoke them.

Bees are now at the farm with sugar and water and a nice old hive body to remodel and make into home.  I am leaving them alone to get settled.
"Thinking is like sin, them that doesn't is scairt of it, and them that does gets to liking it so much they can't quit!"  -Josh Billings.

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #28 on: April 14, 2011, 11:12:23 pm »
Congratulations on the swarm catch CapnChkn!

Maybe the trick to scooping up bees is to go gloveless like JP and Schawee  :-D

Offline buzzbee

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #29 on: April 14, 2011, 11:34:40 pm »
Way to go capnChkn! Aint it just as  exciting as it gets!!

Offline forrestcav

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #30 on: April 15, 2011, 12:29:25 am »
congrats CapnChkn. Hopefully those boro bees don't have the attitude as some of the people that live there. I'm about 30 miles south of you and hate driviing in that town. I'm kinda hoping tofollow your lead and capture some swarms myself.
Just a beek trying to get ready for winter.

Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #31 on: April 15, 2011, 12:59:34 am »
Thank you all.  I know it's not that big a deal, but it does feel good to have them loverly bees back where they belong.
"Thinking is like sin, them that doesn't is scairt of it, and them that does gets to liking it so much they can't quit!"  -Josh Billings.

Offline GWDawg1

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2011, 09:07:35 am »
I'm not man enough yet to go gloveless like JP and Schawee.  Maybe someday.

Offline jgaito

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #33 on: April 25, 2011, 10:59:42 am »
well you guys have certainly done this more than i have.   i had a swarm yesterday and lost it.   i heard them and walked over to the hive to see them gathering on a branch in a pine tree about thirty feet up.   so here i am with a bucket trap and vac waiting to make their maiden voyage and it ain't gonna happen.   i called my nuc supplier to see if he wanted to take a crack at them.  in the meantime i went to the office to pick up my two deeps and frames just incase i needed them.  with the guy on his way my good old GM side terminal cable decides i need some time off.  anyway. i get back and he and my wife are manipulating a rope over the branch to hoist up a bucket with some brood frame in it but they couldn't get a good branch.   i went into the house to get my dummy launcher but by the time we got another rope up they decided to haul butt.   if i knew about this bucket / frame method i may have been able to get them.   anyone use this method ?   anything better to use as a lure ?    all in all, i enjoyed watching my first swarm.  amazing creatures.

Offline G3farms

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #34 on: April 25, 2011, 10:00:44 pm »
you can use a frame of just foundation (drawn comb does work better) and place it next to the swarm and in a few minutes they will march over onto it. If you have the time you can get a whole swam this way if thy are in a hard to reach place such as a bend of a tree.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline Eve V

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #35 on: April 30, 2011, 01:31:32 pm »
A friend of mine collected a swarm by throwing a weighted rope over the branch in which the swarm hung.
Then we jerked the rope and dislodged the swarm onto a tarp, they walked into a swarm box which had pheronome inside- worked well, except we forgot to calculate we were jerking at an angle, so the swarm dropped not exactly where we planned.

Offline Jim134

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Re: Swarm collection Equipment?
« Reply #36 on: April 30, 2011, 04:11:41 pm »
you can use a frame of just foundation (drawn comb does work better) and place it next to the swarm and in a few minutes they will march over onto it. If you have the time you can get a whole swam this way if thy are in a hard to reach place such as a bend of a tree.

If you use a frame (comb) of unsealed brood it will work better just my $0.02


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