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Author Topic: 2 More Swarms  (Read 9253 times)

Offline JP

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2 More Swarms
« on: March 17, 2009, 03:45:05 pm »
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Offline Keith13

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2009, 03:48:15 pm »
Those look like some healthy swarms!!  You started wearing nitrile gloves or did you always wear them?

Keith

Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2009, 04:09:22 pm »
Those look like some healthy swarms!!  You started wearing nitrile gloves or did you always wear them?

Keith

Stripping gloves from HD. I was stung last Saturday and Sunday pretty good, about 50 stings in all and wasn't taking any chances. After the shake I took them off.


...JP
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Offline Understudy

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2009, 04:10:15 pm »
Nice. You make it look to easy. Try it without the astronaut suit. :)

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline iddee

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2009, 09:24:19 pm »
You don't cheat fair, JP. I had to wait until today to get even my first one for the year.
 I had to go into a large group of people tonight with a fat lower lip. Guess I should have worn something.


Those were nice swarms. You can send a few up this way if you want.
"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"

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Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2009, 11:32:50 pm »
Nice. You make it look to easy. Try it without the astronaut suit. :)

Sincerely,
Brendhan



Make fun of the suit, fine by me. I'm wearing it until after the shake. I've done many without but I just don't like getting stung in the face, or worse the nasal septum, or even much worse, the eye. I know, where's the fun right?

Keith, forgot to mention, I wore the gloves on this one in the middle of the tree, so  I could pull handfulls off and the shake had to be aggressive because of where they were clustered.

Iddee, best one so for this yr is a 6lber, but you know they're all fun.




...JP
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Offline annette

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2009, 12:16:35 am »
OK so here I go again asking the questions JP. I noticed you first sprayed them with the sugar syrup (in the bottle), you also cut away with the pruning shears any small branches in the way.  Now you mentioned this time that you used the gloves because you had to pull the cluster off the branches. So is this the way to do this when they are wrapped around like that???  You use your hands to pull them off and throw them into the box??? I thought a beebrush could be used for this, but now I see you have to use your hands sometimes.

Also I noticed you smoked them while they were in the process of slowly walking into the box. What is the purpose of the smoke again, I forgot??

Annette

Offline Understudy

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2009, 12:22:56 am »
You can make clumps of bees move a certain direction when you smoke them. Usually away from the smoke. And then you can have them move toward the entrance of you box. Bees in box happy times.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2009, 12:42:31 am »
Annette, Brendhan answered the smoke question, its a tool you can use to direct bees where you want them.

The sugar water makes them happy if they are hungry and wets their wings so they don't fly as much.

You can use a bee brush if you like, I like using my hands. Once the bees start orienting, or even better yet if the queen falls in the box, they usually hold tight.


...JP
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Offline annette

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2009, 12:46:39 am »
Good information once again.

You know I am very nervous about this whole swarm catching thing. I keep waiting for my phone to ring and I am anxious what it will be like. That's why I keep asking the questions over and over again.

Thanks for your help

Annette

Offline Irwin

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2009, 09:01:57 am »
Good information once again.

You know I am very nervous about this whole swarm catching thing. I keep waiting for my phone to ring and I am anxious what it will be like. That's why I keep asking the questions over and over again.

Thanks for your help

Annette
Annette keep on asking so I don't have to :-D
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Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2009, 11:59:16 am »
Annette, you know I am at your beck and call, that is, if,  I can get you away from the beemaster!  :-D


...JP
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Offline annette

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #12 on: March 18, 2009, 01:38:40 pm »
You can make clumps of bees move a certain direction when you smoke them. Usually away from the smoke. And then you can have them move toward the entrance of you box. Bees in box happy times.

Sincerely,
Brendhan



Thanks Brendhan for the info. I wasn't even going to bring my smoker with me, but now it looks like I definitely should

Offline annette

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2009, 01:39:55 pm »
Irwin, OK I will keep on asking. What the heck, I am still new at all this and need to learn, learn, learn.

Do you plan on catchinig swarms this year as well???

Offline annette

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #14 on: March 18, 2009, 01:40:53 pm »
Annette, you know I am at your beck and call, that is, if,  I can get you away from the beemaster!  :-D


...JP

It's ok JP, John is willing to share me!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #15 on: March 18, 2009, 03:31:46 pm »
Annette, the smoker is a must when dealing with swarms. How will you get the remaining bees in the box?

Answer, 2 choices. 1) wait til dark, possibly not an option if you live more than 10 miles from the swarm.

2) This is how I do it Annette. Shake the bees in the box, and let them orient to the box. Pick up the box just off the ground and hit it gently but swiftly against either the ground or your leg. The bees, most of them will drop into the bottom of the box.

Get the lid on, quickly.

Allow bees to orient to the box some more. Most will enter through the one opening you have allowed either by cutting a flap or bottom entrance, use a reducer, of a hive body or nuc.

When most are in the set up, smoke the ones on the outside lightly, directing them into the entrance.

Not all of them will go in, but seal the box anyway. Goes without saying, but worth mentioning make sure your box has ventilation.

If you have to leave and all but a dozen or 20 or so bees are left behind, you could tell the people or you could do it, set up a small box under the tree or whatever with a small piece of comb or a little lemon grass.

The stragglers left behind will either go in the box, cluster on the tree or fly away and even possibly join up with another hive.

If you want to get every last bee, then leave the box there and go back at dark.

Catching swarms is about timing, you must go as soon as you get the call, or the swarm may leave.

Most swarms will stay in cluster anywhere from 1-3 days with 1 day being the norm, although I've caught many that were there 2 or more days.

Have fun, good luck and if you have any more questions please feel free to ask.


...JP
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Offline poka-bee

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #16 on: March 18, 2009, 10:22:00 pm »
JP once again, beautiful pictures!  Am I imagining it or is there a little "less" JP than the pics from last year??  The suit looks a bit roomier!  Irwin & Annette, I will lurk & learn from your questions. I am thinking of getting on the list here in town & the people @ Church already know to call me.  J 
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Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #17 on: March 18, 2009, 11:12:24 pm »
Jody, the lady that had the smaller of these two swarms in her back yard now has one in the front yard. She called me late this evening so I couldn't go over but will in the morning.

The house next door to her is vacant and is throwing off swarms left and right. I will bring a swarm trap tomorrow and see if I can catch more.

I called the parish and told them I would be willing to take the bees from the house. No answer yet. Til then, perhaps more swarms!

I have lost some pounds yes. I feel better too.


...JP
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Offline Scott Derrick

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #18 on: March 18, 2009, 11:26:24 pm »
JP,

You are my hero!!!
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Offline JP

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Re: 2 More Swarms
« Reply #19 on: March 18, 2009, 11:34:13 pm »
JP,

You are my hero!!!

I knew that some day, it could possibly happen. One and counting, thanks Scott!


...JP :-D
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

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anything