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Author Topic: What's the most interesting place you've done a swarm capture or cutout?  (Read 4224 times)

Offline The Bix

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I received a swarm call yesterday and found myself in the heart of an electric power generation plant.  My buddy and I captured the swarm.  After watching all the JP videos and Schawee's videos I found myself with much more confidence.  The swarm, while very close to the ground wasn't an easy access (like the "Easy Peasy" video).  I reached in with my hand and gently pulled the girls little by little.  I chickened out and donned a blue nitrile glove and didn't use my bare hand.  I spotted the queen in the box, captured her with the queen catcher and rubber banded her into a frame in the nuc box.

At that point, I had to do nothing but wait for the rest of the bees to settle into the box.  So my buddy and I asked for a tour of the power plant.  Being more of a nerd than I care to admit, I did find the power plant very interesting.  Mike, the onsite manager, was happy to show us around.  It was a smaller, 90-120 megawatt power plant that had two jet engine turbines that are fired with natural gas. Those turbines produce about 40 megawatts, but they also capture the heat from the exhaust and generate steam.  The steam can generate another 50-80 megawatts.  After the 30 minute tour was over, almost all of the bees were in the box.  We sealed them off and went home.

It wasn't the easiest swarm I've captured, but it was easy and, buy far, the most fun.  The actual process went well, I got a nice set of feral bees, got to know some really nice folks and a bonus tour of a very cool power generation facility.



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Offline wayne

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Live on camera at the local TV station parking lot.
I was born about 100 years too early, or to late.

Offline annette

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At the California ISO. They are in charge of the infrastructure for all the electricity for California. The security was very tight and had to go through guard stations and gates to get in. They had 2 guards watching me the whole time and a few office workers as well. They had the area roped off with caution tape and signs saying bee swarm. I felt extremely intimidated, but I did what I know how to do. I caught the swarm and taught the people a thing or 2 about bees. Got the guards interested and they even helped me light my smoker.



Offline The Bix

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Good stuff JP!  I was hoping we'd get to see a response from you.  Talk about intimidating though, "live on TV"...can't screw that one up!!! 

Offline G3farms

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JP those were great pics, and what a progression from no beard and fully suited up to long beard and no suit.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline JP

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Yes, I believe there is supposed to be a progression!  :-D

I did a removal the other day with a total newbie. Gave the bees a little smoking on the exterior, then went right to cutting open a six foot long opening in the sheetrock ceiling to expose the massive hive.

He was in awe that we just did that so simply, confidently & quickly.

I thought to myself, yes that must be quite a site and undertaking to him, as he's never been here before.

I did tell him he would be getting a crash course on a lot of things that day & did he ever!  :-D


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

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Offline vmmartin

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I don't have pics but did one from underneath a sea-can storage container (like the metal ones used for shipping stuff overseas). It was a newly established hive that had been there about 2 weeks.  We lifted it up with a forklift and I started getting them out. My construction customer was fascinated that I did not put anything on.  He started out about 40 feet away and after a little coaxing and him seeing that I was not getting stung I had him in the middle of it helping my rubberband the super soft comb sections into the frames.  His quote was "I would have never thought in a million years, that I would be this close to bees!" To which I responded "Pretty cool ain't it?" He now has his own hive out on the construction site.

Offline annette

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I don't have pics but did one from underneath a sea-can storage container (like the metal ones used for shipping stuff overseas). It was a newly established hive that had been there about 2 weeks.  We lifted it up with a forklift and I started getting them out. My construction customer was fascinated that I did not put anything on.  He started out about 40 feet away and after a little coaxing and him seeing that I was not getting stung I had him in the middle of it helping my rubberband the super soft comb sections into the frames.  His quote was "I would have never thought in a million years, that I would be this close to bees!" To which I responded "Pretty cool ain't it?" He now has his own hive out on the construction site.

Great story there. Just love it.

Offline annette

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JP, I just love the cemetery captures. Now I know why you wanted to take me to the cemeteries when I was out with you in LA. :-D

Offline annette

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Ok dear People, I don't necessarily have an unusual place as much as an unusual technique. Received a swarm call this last Friday and the home owner said the bees were about 15-18 feet up a tree. Well they were actually about 30 to 40 feet up the tree. check out my posting about this swarm capture with photos.

Annette

Offline iddee

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I guess my most unusual was on top a four story hotel. Carried the equip. through the lobby and up the elevator in a laundry cart covered with a sheet. Didn't want the guests knowing what was in it. Carried the bees out the same way.



"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 BlueBee

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Bix, I guess we now know the answer to the question of rather or not bees like electricity  :)

JP, I loved the coffin swarm as well. 

Offline annette

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I guess my most unusual was on top a four story hotel. Carried the equip. through the lobby and up the elevator in a laundry cart covered with a sheet. Didn't want the guests knowing what was in it. Carried the bees out the same way.





Very considerate of you, but it would have been more fun to come out wearing the beekeeping outfit with the bees showing through the box. (I know you don't wear protection). Just saying!!

Offline iddee

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But, Annette, you can see the bee suit laying on the vac box. I don't wear it until the ladies tell me to put it on. I do always have it at the ready, just in case they have a bad case of PMS that day.   :shock:

Yes, it would be more fun, but not good bee stewardship. I like to teach the gentleness of the bees.
"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 JP

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I had almost forgotten about this one until reading Iddee's post https://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/SwarmClusters#5169640425647591762 https://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/SwarmClusters#5169640378402951490

This was at the RiverWalk in New Orleans. A covered walkway. They had closed off the stairs leading out and told me I couldn't leave through the exterior either.

I said, well you want me to carry all these bees through the interior past all these people?

Yes was the answer and so I boxed up the swarm and carried them through the mall with this sinister grin on my face, like I was carrying some bomb that was about to go off at any second.

I was praying "Lord don't let some poor soul run into me and release all these bees!"  :-D


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

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline annette

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But, Annette, you can see the bee suit laying on the vac box. I don't wear it until the ladies tell me to put it on. I do always have it at the ready, just in case they have a bad case of PMS that day.   :shock:

Yes, it would be more fun, but not good bee stewardship. I like to teach the gentleness of the bees.

Just pulling your leg Iddee :-D :-D :-* :-*

Offline iddee

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Love a gentle tug now and then.......
"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*