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Author Topic: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!  (Read 5807 times)

Offline tillie

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I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« on: April 01, 2008, 03:01:07 pm »
I am so excited.  Cindy Bee (Ga Beekeeper of the Year 2006) keeps a swarm catcher list.  I never got a call last year but today I did!  I was driving to work, feeling a little down because I only had appointments at 9 and 10 this morning and then nothing else until late this afternoon.  As I pulled into the parking lot, my cell rang and it was Cindy - she had a swarm for me in an office complex parking lot near my house.

I called the woman and told her I couldn't get there until 11:30, but I would be there then.  Then I went to work and hoped, hoped, hoped the bees would still be there.  They had first been spotted last night, so I'm sure they were about ready to move on.  At 11 I raced home, grabbed my pruners (she said they were in a small tree), a large cardboard box, a sheet, some tape, my bee brush, my gloves, two bandanas (to keep my helmet from slipping over my eyes!) and then found that my beesuit was wet in the washing machine.  I threw it in the dryer for a few minutes while I packed the car.   

It was raining when I arrived and the bees were the easiest to get in the world.  They were a small swarm in a hanging branch on a tree.  Because of the rain a number of bees were also clustered on the juniper bushes below.

Cindy told me to put a sheet under the cardboard box and then shake the bees in.  I tried to put the sheet on the tops of the juniper bushes, but it was difficult.  The box I set right under the bees.  I had to work around parked cars and these (&_(%&#( juniper bushes. 

I shook the swarm from the four different branches on which it was located into the box and then cut some of the juniper out from the area below and shook those bees into the box.  I waited about 45 minutes for the bees to find the box.  Several put their rear ends up and started the nasonov dance so I felt pretty sure the queen was in the box.

I drove home with bees in the car and flying all around the box at the back.  When I got home I took the box to the deck.  Cindy had said to put an empty box on top of the hive box and then pour the bees through the empty box like a funnel into the hive box.  I didn't do a good job.  I turn into a complete nervous wreck doing something like this, so bees were not only in the box but on the deck in front of the box.  I slid those onto a piece of cardboard and dumped them into the box. 

I hope I didn't injure the queen in my awkward transfer from box to hive, but it is accomplished and the bees are orienting and I'm happy.  I'll add a link when I put the pictures on my blog in a little while.

Linda T in Atlanta

Offline SystemShark

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2008, 03:07:12 pm »
Can't wait for the pix. I'm excited for my first swarm...well first everything really :p Thanks for the great story!

Offline Kathyp

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2008, 03:17:48 pm »
that's super.  congrats!!  now that you are doing this, put a kit together so that you don't have to think when you get the calls.  it helps  :-)  another page for your excellent blog!!
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline tillie

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2008, 03:38:40 pm »
Here's the post with the pictures - I didn't get good ones of installing them on my deck - I was too klutzy and awkward.

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-captured-swarm.html

Linda T hoping the swarm thrives on my deck

Offline catfishbill

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2008, 04:01:13 pm »
congrats tillie!i hope you like the fanning thing.i think that is the coolest thing ever.wife and kids got to see it the other day,needless to say they were blown away.good luck with the new swarm.bill

Offline annette

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2008, 04:49:13 pm »
Linda

I am so, so happy for you. What a tremendous experience and adventure with the bees. I can feel the excitement of it all.

You are the best ever,

Sincerely
Annette

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2008, 07:46:21 pm »
OOOHHH an official member of the swarm club!  Isn't it amazing!!!  More more more!

Congrats!!

Offline Kimbrell

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2008, 08:59:46 pm »
YAY! Free-bees! :-D

Offline buzzbee

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2008, 11:11:51 pm »
Great job on the capture Linda!!
Now if you want to see a colony go to work,this will be the one to watch!!

Offline Cindi

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2008, 01:32:26 am »
Linda, how exciting for you, go, girl, go!!!  Now, aren't you really glad that you didn't have any appointments for those few hours, hee, hee.  That is just how it all works out in the wash.  Good, now you have another colony of bees to keep you busy, and more life experiences to put into your already jam-packed blog, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!  Best of this beautiful and greatest day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2008, 02:15:19 am »
Bravo!!! Way to go Linda! Very happy for you!


...JP
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Offline steveouk

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2008, 08:52:48 am »
Way to go !

Offline Understudy

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2008, 09:58:49 am »
Tillie,

That is awesome. I am so glad you got the call. Keep us updated. Don't worry it gets better the more you do.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

Offline tillie

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2008, 11:36:51 pm »
I couldn't believe it - Cindy called me again today for a swarm, but I couldn't go - straight work, no break until 7 PM and someone needed to go right away....but since she is actually calling me, I'm going to put my swarm stuff in the car for the next few weeks so I can leave the office and go straight to a swarm instead of having to run by home - which in Atlanta can make for quite a delay. 

Now watch, I won't be called again for the rest of the season, but the one I got was SO MUCH FUN!

Linda T eager in Atlanta

Offline JP

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2008, 11:38:33 pm »
I couldn't believe it - Cindy called me again today for a swarm, but I couldn't go - straight work, no break until 7 PM and someone needed to go right away....but since she is actually calling me, I'm going to put my swarm stuff in the car for the next few weeks so I can leave the office and go straight to a swarm instead of having to run by home - which in Atlanta can make for quite a delay. 

Now watch, I won't be called again for the rest of the season, but the one I got was SO MUCH FUN!

Linda T eager in Atlanta

Bee ready!!!


...JP
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Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #15 on: April 03, 2008, 12:22:03 am »
hey Linda, That was REALLY COOOOL!!
It seemed to me that you did all this like most anybody would have done!..You did a GREAT job! I would have said"You did it like a pro!"But I reconsidered after alittle thought. I think theres 2 classes of Pros..The first Pros are the catchers that get on site,...get the bees,...quickly..Then go.
 The second type of pro(PRO!!!) is the person who gets to the site,....Realizes they've forgotten some stuff...Hem Haws around with people who are hanging out watching what your fixing to do..Carrys on conversations about bees with the audience...Borrows a ladder, broom, shovel, and whatever they've forgotten at home from anybody standing by to make THEM(audience members) feel like part of the catch. And, if theres a person wanting to record this, give them the time to get their camcorder(Especially if its the homeowner with family)..The last part needed from a catcher is to provide entertainment! People want to see someone get stung!..They also want to see people like me(Not Fat, but "Man Size"
to run around in circles, swatting the air and cussing!!This kind of PRO is my style. If you do it like this style other people will call you back because of by word of mouth...And ALL people like to go to the main attraction!
 Truthfully though, I keep my beesuits and veils in the back seat with other needed stuff. I've only caught about2 or 4 swarms last year ...two were in my yard and one was just up the road, then one more just over the Red River....Every one of them made me feel kinda like a....hero!...My biggest mistake was hiving a swarm in too much of a hurry..The woman(a nabor) called us...we showed up. got suited up, lit the smoker, And "Posed" a little...We started to take the bees offa the tree and the woman ran in to get her camcorder....By the time she came back out,(10 minutes) we were done!(This was also a complete surprise to me and Paul as to how fast this catch went)...Needless to say, there was not much for her to film as the bees were all put away. But it wasnt so bad really...about 2 weeks later the husband of this woman called us back and asked if we were interested in catching another hive!
And we were!
 I think the way it works is, once people know you have bees, you'll be getting removal calls.
  And it IS exciting!!

your friend,
john

Offline Kathyp

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #16 on: April 03, 2008, 01:29:19 am »
i have a big tub in my truck with everything i need except my jacket and gloves.  i know if i try to grab stuff last second, i'll forget important stuff. 
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline tillie

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Re: I Captured my First Swarm!!!!
« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2008, 12:34:34 am »
Yesterday I put everything in my car (as per kathyp) - basket with extra tennis shoes and socks, bee suit, veil, gloves, bee brush, duct tape, scissors.  An empty cardboard box (very large), my pruners, and a short ladder are in the car as well - I'm ready to rock and roll.

So I'm going to the mountains tomorrow, it's starting to be cold and rain, I have dinner plans at 7 PM, and at 6:30 I get an email from my blog from someone about 20 minutes from my office who has a swarm in a low tree - I called - the swarm had been there since yesterday and was about the size of a football on a holly tree - but it was 6:45 and I couldn't cancel on my dinner friend that late and if I went tomorrow morning I'd have my 22 month old grandson with me..........so........

Here I was all prepared, even in office clothes, but with the beesuit in the car, and I had to pass it on to someone else.  Oh, well, maybe the good karma of giving this opportunity away will bring me another!

Linda T disappointed in Atlanta