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Offline D Semple

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Soaking wet swarm
« on: May 30, 2013, 12:44:09 pm »
Raining steady here today (yea).

I've got a large soaking wet swarm to get off of a light pole.

Should I wait till the rain quits? Should I give them some time to dry out after the rain quits before collecting them?

I'll be letting them march into a hive.


Thanks.    ..Don


Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2013, 12:57:56 pm »
Since you are going to let them walk in, I would definitely do it right now. I bet they will move in real quick. One caution, they will not be happy bees especially in the rain. At my daughters christening party, 30 years ago, one of my dads hives swarmed and landed in a small tree right front of the of their front door just as the party started. He just shook his head pulled out a hose and sprinkled water over them to get them to ball up real quick and then he shook them into a trash can. My father in law was there and asked about getting the bees. My dad told him over and over again that they would be a hot hive but he took them any way as his first hive. 5 years later, while visiting, my dad was able to tell which hive it was, out of 20 hives, because they were still hot. One note, they were always his biggest producers.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2013, 02:39:38 pm »
i don't think getting wet makes them an eternally hot hive, but they will be cranky.  + when they are wet they tend not to move well at all.  if you can scoop the clump and put them in the hive it will probably be ok, but be prepared for them to be unhappy.

long ago i posted a picture of my gloves looking like a pin cushion.  that was from a wet swarm :-D
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2013, 03:23:54 pm »
Thanks Jim and Kathy,

Lifes to short to deal with cranky girls, think I'll give them an hour or so after the rain quits to try them.

Come to think about it they are at they are at a Baptist Church maybe they expected to get wet all along.  8-)



Don

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2013, 03:58:21 pm »
most Baptists dunk, they don't sprinkle.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline iddee

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2013, 05:44:35 pm »
sawdstmakr, 30 years ago, your dad only had to see that they were the little black german bees. He knew they would always be mean. The rain had nothing to do with it.
"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 D Coates

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2013, 07:03:56 pm »
The sun is out, go get them Don!
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2013, 10:50:40 am »
Their caught.

Sadly about a third died from getting stuck out in the rain so long. Swarm had been there 3 days they said (darn Baptist were to cheap to call anybody).  :(



Don

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2013, 11:32:41 am »
i find a lot of people, epecailly in town, don't call right away.  they google about it and find that "it's natures way of increasing the bee population"  and think it's cool to leave them.  they never think that the swarm has to go somewhere....like the attic...
then it doesn't go away and they get worried and call.  by then, i have a cranky and hungry swarm.

D, do you charge for swarm pickup?
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2013, 12:20:10 pm »


D, do you charge for swarm pickup?

Yes generally $50 - $75, with a lot of exceptions (early season primary swarms, Vets, single moms, widows, minorities). Commercial jobs $125 to $250 depending on how big an emergency and difficulty.

Basically I charge fellow Republicans.  :-\

Don

Offline duryeafarms

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2013, 01:48:24 pm »
A newbie question, but that's what I am, sooooo....

Except in cases of inclement weather, what's keeping a swarm in one place so long?  Scouts haven't found a suitable place for them to set up shop?  I saw a video of JP's yesterday capturing a swarm sitting on a truck.  In a matter of a few hours, they had already deposited wax on the fenders.  I found it odd they would start building on something that wasn't going to be home.

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2013, 02:28:45 pm »
that might be why they don't call you.  i don't know anyone who charges for swarm pickup.  but hey....if people will pay....
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #12 on: May 31, 2013, 03:53:52 pm »
that might be why they don't call you.  i don't know anyone who charges for swarm pickup.  but hey....if people will pay....

Kathy, there are quite a few that don't charge for swarm pickup in the Kansas City area also, but they quickly run out of equipment. Most try to cover gas money, I try to cover for my time also. Late season swarms I charge extra for to cover feeding cost.

But, like I said I make plenty of exceptions and do a lot of free swarm catches. This year in particular as swarm calls are way down after our drought and hard winter. I've only caught about 15 swarms to date, last year by now I had over 30.

We also have a very good network of beekeepers who trade swarm calls around town for convenience (Coates even manages to catch a few when his schedule lines up with Moon, Mars, Venus and Kid's baseball)  :cheer:

This is the rain soaked swarm today. They are happy, happy, happy


 

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2013, 04:01:27 pm »
i never turn down a donation to the gas tank   :-D  i run out of stuff many years, but at that point i'm pretty much done with it anyway.  this year i have limited my area to around here.  that's enough when there's so much going on.

whatever works!
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #14 on: May 31, 2013, 04:02:04 pm »
A newbie question, but that's what I am, sooooo....

Except in cases of inclement weather, what's keeping a swarm in one place so long?  Scouts haven't found a suitable place for them to set up shop?  I saw a video of JP's yesterday capturing a swarm sitting on a truck.  In a matter of a few hours, they had already deposited wax on the fenders.  I found it odd they would start building on something that wasn't going to be home.

Indecision gets them sometimes. Virgin swarms more so than primary swarms.

About the wax, I don't think that they are building anything I just think the wax secreatters (sp) can't stop the flow and leak.


Offline Kathyp

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2013, 05:26:43 pm »
they will start laying wax sometimes.  i had one that had waxed a whole branch and i had a heck of a time getting them to settle in the box. 
swarms are comb building machines and when they have left the hive, they are full of comb building fuel.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline iddee

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #16 on: June 03, 2013, 09:49:59 pm »
D Semple, this one is for you.

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/grd/3819346370.html

You collect from the customer, then call this guy. LOL
"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 BeeMaster2

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2013, 06:42:18 am »
sawdstmakr, 30 years ago, your dad only had to see that they were the little black german bees. He knew they would always be mean. The rain had nothing to do with it.

My dads hives were all itialian's. He never used any protection with his bees. You don't do that with black German bees.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline D Semple

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2013, 09:56:35 am »
D Semple, this one is for you.

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/grd/3819346370.html

You collect from the customer, then call this guy. LOL

I can see folks in areas that don't get a lot of swarms wanting them that badly, they are a blast to catch.  :cheer:

I sell some later swarms, but am all about catching and keeping early primary swarms here which are worth 60 - 80 lbs. of honey, which is way better than you can do with 1st year packages locally.

Here in the KC area if your resourceful you can catch all the swarms you could ever want. And, I suspect 90% of swarms are not caught because they are never seen or reported.

If we ever run into each other Iddee I own you a bottle of good whisky for all the trap out information.

Don


 


Offline iddee

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Re: Soaking wet swarm
« Reply #19 on: June 04, 2013, 10:05:10 am »
Glad it was useful.

Just thought you would like to see the difference in areas. As they say, "all beekeeping is local".
"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*