got a call from a berry farmer friend of mine last night. had a swarm on a piece of equipment. did i want it? yes, but not at 2030. said i'd come after it first thing in the AM. my 1st mistake. got up the AM and it's raining. hard. not to worry. she said it was hanging down on the berry picker, so i'll just go knock it into a box and be done. my 2nd mistake.
people who don't keep bees don't get to close to swarm. while a large part of the swarm was hanging, and even larger part was up in the hydraulics. it was a soggy cold mass that could not pushed out or smoked. sooooo, i got what i could into the box, left the box, and will go back when it dries to try to retrieve the rest. my hope is that i got the queen and the whole wet mass will move into the box when the sun comes out....if the sun comes out.....
meanwhile, all my very wet clothing is drying in front of the pellet stove.
oh, and remember that "they aren't dead until they are warm and dead" thing? a couple of them were happy to warm up, up my pant leg on the drive home. i think i'll remember my boots when i go back.