Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: JP on April 14, 2010, 11:23:05 pm

Title: Two Swarms & A Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 14, 2010, 11:23:05 pm
One nice swarm, one very, very large swarm that had moved in 4-5 days ago, tough removal.

One little teeny swarm (911 call) kids knocked it down from a mailbox with rocks.

The queen is alive and well and wicked looking! I love her look its different, kinda tiger striped.

Pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/112138792165178452970/April142010# (http://picasaweb.google.com/112138792165178452970/April142010#)


...JP
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: AllenF on April 14, 2010, 11:29:02 pm
Maybe my eyes are going bad.  I just could not see the kinda tiger striped queen.
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 14, 2010, 11:33:58 pm
You'll have to take my word on it, but I'll try and get a picture of her tomorrow when I set them up.


...JP
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: iddee on April 14, 2010, 11:35:54 pm
Nice day's work.
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 14, 2010, 11:41:52 pm
Nice day's work.

A long day's work Iddee. The big swarm in between the joists & the pipes was a brutal one. The house was built before any codes existed. Had to stand in the shower and cut the ceiling out (plaster) & part of the celing in the next room (sheetrock) as there was no top plate where there should have been one. Also the space between the two floors was about two feet.


...JP
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: iddee on April 14, 2010, 11:47:26 pm
Sometimes you have to earn your keep.... :D

I've hit a couple similar. Makes you appreciate the easy ones.
I guess my worst was 5 separate hives side by side between each set of studs. Had to pull the whole chimney down and remove 2/3 of the wall.

Luckily, they were going to tear down the house anyway. The worst thing was not knowing they were there, so only smoking the one we were working, the others ate us alive. An estimated 800 to 1000 stings in 5 or 6 days.
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 14, 2010, 11:54:04 pm
A lesser man would have been dead. You are my hero Iddee.


...JP
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: iddee on April 14, 2010, 11:57:41 pm
No better than you, JP. We just know we have to get the job done. There's not that many others to do it.
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: G3farms on April 15, 2010, 12:13:16 am
Good job JP, that really looks like a difficult on in that house for sure.

Looks like your magnolia trees are just about ready to bloom from the looks of that first swarm.

Bummed we did not get to see the wicked queen also.

G3
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 18, 2010, 08:54:23 am
Ok folks, as promised a picture (not the best) of what I am calling the tiger striped queen. I could only get a pic as she was descending, will have to get another one of her in the hive another time. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WZDI0R3DyUXB-ZtarEXTLQ?feat=directlink (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WZDI0R3DyUXB-ZtarEXTLQ?feat=directlink)

Here is a picture of the swarm with the neat looking queen being combined with a newly established colony: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zqetXLVlcfJRpDXbqy_U3A?feat=directlink (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zqetXLVlcfJRpDXbqy_U3A?feat=directlink)


...JP

Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: Irwin on April 18, 2010, 09:46:12 am
Jp thanks for sharing :-D
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on April 19, 2010, 12:20:51 am
Jp thanks for sharing :-D

You're welcome Irwin! I'm still holding out on the camera for a bit cause of all the money I've spent/spending on new equipment. Expanding is expensive!


...JP
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: Buzzen on May 03, 2010, 01:08:33 am
What do you do with all your swarms JP?
Title: Re: Two Swarms & a Removal---April 14, 2010
Post by: JP on May 03, 2010, 04:05:16 am
What do you do with all your swarms JP?

If they're small, I nuc them, large, in a deep, really large, deep & a medium, super, super large, two deeps (that doesn't happen very often).


...JP