Hi all,
Thought i might share my latest adventure with ya'll.
Twas a really nice sunny Sunday morning and i decided to take a walk down to my hives with notebook to catch up on
previous observations. No sooner i got down there than on a low lying branch i spot a sizable swarm just hanging there.
I figure its from one of mine and no big deal just catch it and box it up and enjoy a new hive, well i did this but later in the
afternoon i went back down just to check that they were happily coming and going from their new box.
And to my dismay the box was empty and up in the same tree there they were hanging about 4 to 5 meters up much harder to get
down.
So out came the step ladder and extendable pole with bucket on end..... darn just 3 feet too short! so i extend it and off i go, bit of a shake and i get half in the bucket, lid on and wait for the remainder to settle.
I decide to get my chainsaw on a pole out im going to cut the branch they are on, after fueling up down i go chainsaw in hand to get it done.
When i get there they have moved higher up out of reach of the saw! are these girls phycic ? so plan B a few lumps of wood later im trying to hit the swarm and get them moving again, im a bad shot takes ages to make contact so they fall and fly again then they settle back where they were. I decide im going to hose them out so i drag down a hose and i learnt that the more water you hit them with the tighter a ball they make! truly amazing stuff i never knew this. so back to the stick plan, this time they have moved and i have them in my catching bucket, more are landing and going in so i think i might have them this time. I have picked a different box and different spot and added one frame of honey to help coax them to stay, fingers crossed! What a saga!! cheers re Neil