Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: schawee on February 17, 2013, 09:08:49 pm

Title: first swarm of the season
Post by: schawee on February 17, 2013, 09:08:49 pm
got a call this morning about a lot of bees on the ground but the lady didn't know what kind of bees.when I got there they had a lot of honeybees on the ground ,so I looked up and about 15ft there they were.it was about the size of a soccer ball.the bees on the ground were the size of a softball.we had a cold front move in and it got down to 29 this morning.i took a rope and threw it over the branch and shook them to the ground (jp style).found the queen and caged her and left the nuc on the ground.it warmed up and the rest made it to the nuc.     schawee
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: goatmanbees on February 17, 2013, 10:07:11 pm
Did you take any video?
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: schawee on February 17, 2013, 10:47:26 pm
no  didn't have my camera and i didn't think they were honeybees but they were .they had to swarm Friday and got caught in the cold front that came through that night.


Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: JP on February 18, 2013, 01:26:16 am
And so it begins!

They should be flying good this week, waiting to get my first of the year!

Good catch Schawee!


...JP
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: bailey on February 18, 2013, 02:02:20 am
An early season indeed!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats.   First of the season. 
This one beats jp's earliest of last year.   Hope it warms tomorrow and they start like popcorn!!!!


Oh well.  Time to put out more traps and continue making nucs the fun times are here again. Woo hoo.  I love Louisiana :):). 

Only thing better would be having them as early as hardwood and the Florida group.
Bailey
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: Moots on February 18, 2013, 07:19:34 am
Nice catch Schawee, I wouldn't of thought it was possible with this little cold snap we're having, looks like confirmation to what Bailey's been predicting...an early spring.

I have my two Nuc boxes that I had my bees in until a week ago out as swarm traps. I realize that's pretty much a long shot, but I'm hoping for some beginners luck to catch one.  :)

I made 4 more 6 frame Nuc boxes (mediums) this weekend for "just in case" future use...splits, swarm traps, etc. Obviously, they're lacking any bee smell, and as a newbie, I'm lacking old comb, but I do have lemon grass oil. Considering all that, I'm wondering if its worth putting them out as swarm traps?  Any thoughts, opinions, or suggestions are appreciated.
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: bud1 on February 18, 2013, 07:30:07 am
moot call up one of those 3 suckers and have them save you a piece of old comb from a cutout dont take much
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: D Semple on February 18, 2013, 11:21:02 am
Great job schawee, looking forward to more videos.

Moots these folks here have taught me, it's way easier and a better use of time and resources to use other peoples houses/trees/barns for swarm traps and just answer the phone.

Nice to catch free bees, even nicer to get paid to catch them.  :lau:  :lau:

Don
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 18, 2013, 12:48:14 pm
Nice job Schawee, great to see you are out collecting swarms. Look forward to seeing you on video.
Jim
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: blanc on February 19, 2013, 08:22:28 am
Waiting on mine down here Schawee! Passed by your little yard in Sorrento the other day and didn't know it was yours and asked the fella there if the boxes were for sale and told me they belonged to you. Said you lost the bunch during the flood just like I did. Hope you recover soon. I did a few removals so far and coming back. Bailey has four nucs set up for me and a buddy who let me put hives on his 300 acres by Bonnet Carre spillway. Was doing a job off Grand Point road the other day and saw bee removal sign and figured it was yours too. You the only beek I heard of over there.
Blanc
Title: Re: first swarm of the season
Post by: schawee on February 19, 2013, 11:50:56 pm
blanc that's the boxes I recovered out of 47 hives.i had 25 hives on that slab and they just sailed away.checked the swarm today and looks like the #s are down sinse the heavy rain yesterday evening and last night but they are doing fine and building new comb.        schawee