Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: JP on March 27, 2011, 01:12:30 am

Title: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: JP on March 27, 2011, 01:12:30 am

Caught two swarms today. One I couldn't video because it was for Chevron and they have their rules but they did allow a few pictures, go figure!

The video footage you will see is pretty darn cool folks. You will see the queen go into a nuc all on her own. Pretty impressive to say the least. I could barely believe it happening myself, & definitely something of a first for me.

Hope you enjoy the footage!


...JP

Awesome Swarm Catch!-3-26-11 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUx7RGZ9ngY#ws)

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: lenape13 on March 27, 2011, 03:07:24 am

Okay, that one was just too easy.  Did you also happen to play the lottery yesterday?  Of course, that just makes up for all the not-so-easy ones.

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: TwoHoneys on March 27, 2011, 08:20:08 am

JP, your insight about when to intervene and when to let things be impresses me. I'm sure I would have complicated that swarm capture and made a mess of it. I probably would have tried to brush the bees into the box...unnecessarily filling the air with bees. Then, had I seen the queen, I would have tried to capture her. You calmly took delight in watching her walk around on the tree...and when I saw her take flight, I freaked out a little bit...oh no! she's gone! You didn't get all nutty...just kept your eye on her and enjoyed it. Calmness begets calmness.

We'll see...but I think that watching all your videos will help me have calmer energy and be more level headed in the heat of a swarm or a cut out. Or when I simply inspect the bees in my own yard.

Liz

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: Hiveyleague on March 27, 2011, 08:26:18 am

Some folks get all the luck. :-D
awesome video JP

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: bud1 on March 27, 2011, 08:35:09 am

Now coon###, that is sho a goodun, never seen that befor

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: D Semple on March 27, 2011, 09:33:44 am

Very neat, man you sure know your bees.  X:X

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: jhs494 on March 27, 2011, 09:41:29 am

Very nice Jp.  You got it down to letting the bees do the work for you, Great! 

Awesome video. Thanks for taking the time and sharing these with all of us!

Joe

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: skflyfish on March 27, 2011, 09:55:27 am

That was soooooooooo kewl.

Much appreciated.

Jay

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: G3farms on March 27, 2011, 10:00:30 am

Never seen that happen either, queen go in first. Have seen the queen march in with the crowd a couple of times.

That is some great video for sure, shows that the queen is not buried inside of the swarm. Learnt me sumthin new again.

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: JP on March 27, 2011, 10:13:38 am

I thought it was really cool as well folks.

What wasn't so cool was having to wear a fire proof jump suit, hard hat & protective glasses to catch the first swarm at the chevron plant. Had to get all these passes, a badge & some thing that looked like a pager to get through the gate! I even had to sign two releases, all to catch a swarm!

Got to show y'all this: (http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/2250/img0492p.jpg) (http://img860.imageshack.us/i/img0492p.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)


...JP  :-D

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: AllenF on March 27, 2011, 03:15:31 pm

I really like it where the bees were marching down the tree right where the queen had walked down.    Did you go through the box to cage the queen after they all walking in?

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: Dave360 on March 27, 2011, 09:03:41 pm

Coolest thing I seen

 Thanks for filming your adventures

anything in box lure ? or just box bees had been in before

 Dave

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: vmmartin on March 27, 2011, 09:20:09 pm

Very cool one.  The "pager" must have been an H2S monitor.  I used to make that stuff in a previous life. 

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: showme714 on March 28, 2011, 01:41:13 am

How often does this happen? This is the easiest catch of all the videos of yours I've seen. I'm going to have say one of the best as well. Keep up the good work!

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: annette on March 28, 2011, 02:43:25 am

I am amazed also that you just knew to leave her alone this time. Usually you always want to cage her, but I guess that could have been a back up plan if she didn't cooperate.

Thanks JP for sharing this wonderful video.

Annette

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: montauk170 on March 28, 2011, 03:39:31 pm

That's really cool JP. I can't believe you captured all this on video. The queen walking around, going airborne and then walks right in! Home sweet home!  :-D

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: hardwood on March 28, 2011, 06:08:06 pm

Awesome for sure!

Scott

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: TomP on March 28, 2011, 10:59:09 pm

Very cool video, Thanks JP. 

I do have some questions.  You were talking about the smell of the swarm was like the smell of the nuc.  Did you use something in the nuc to get the bees to start going in?  If so, what was it?   By the time the video started the bees were already marching down the tree and into the box.  How did you get them stared on that march?  Why did you decide to try the "march them in" approach for this particular swarm?

Thanks again,

Tom

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: VolunteerK9 on March 29, 2011, 11:35:52 am

Way too easy...

The next one will be behind a brick wall and in between two floor joists beside an active yellow jacket nest

Very cool none the less

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: TwT on March 29, 2011, 11:52:56 am

Nice Job Man, the best part about it was you got it on video!

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: JP on March 29, 2011, 10:36:19 pm

Ted, you're right there buddy, this one is a little hard to believe but the video proves it happened!

Tom, piece of old comb & lemon grass oil in the nuc for good measure.


...JP

Title: Re: Awesome Swarm catch!-3-26-11
Post by: TomP on March 30, 2011, 01:31:21 am

Thanks again JP