the swarm god is trying to teach me humility

[Kathyp]

and i must be a slow learner.  this was todays swarm.



looks like a piece of cake.  unfortunately, there were at least that many again under the truck in the wiring and (surprise) the frame of the truck is hollow!  i crawled under and kept scooping.  they kept going back to the truck.  nice bees?  not a chance.






i have never, in a hive or swarm, smelled alarm pheromone that strong.  it was enough to gag me.

anyway, eventually they started fanning and kind of slowly heading into the hive.  i left it and i'll go back and see how things are in the AM. i'll take the smoker and see if i can smoke them out if they have returned to the truck frame.   still many bees on the truck, but not returning as quickly.  with luck, i got the queen in there.  these weren't the kind of bee that you could examine one handful at a time!   :-D

[kedgel]

ZOWIE!   :shock:  I've never seen so many stingers in a pair of gloves before!  If it'd a been me, I'd have thrown in a spoonful of ammonium nitrate into the smoker.  One good toke of that and they all sit around saying, "far-out, man!" and start singing "Give Peace a Chance"!   :mrgreen:  They get REAL docile.

Kelly

[John Schwartz]

Sounds like you need to borrow my bee vac! ;)

[Kathyp]

i was thinking i just need to turn all the swarms this year over to you.  :evil:  almost all of them have been a PIA. 

how many more can you take?  i need to put together more equipment before i can do any more.

[Thymaridas]

Those gloves were amazing to see. I have never seen that many stingers. I was just wondering about the concentration on the tops of the fingers. Scooping bees I would have thought they would get you on the palm and the bottom part of the finger. Don't you wonder what they are thinking sometimes?

Do you know how long the swarm had been there?

[John Schwartz]

i was thinking i just need to turn all the swarms this year over to you.  :evil:  almost all of them have been a PIA. 

how many more can you take?  i need to put together more equipment before i can do any more.

I can take 10-15 more pretty easily. :)

[lenape13]

I'd be glad to give you a hand, but it's a bit too far of a drive for me.

[Kathyp]

the stings in the fingers are probably from trying to sweep them from between the frame and bed.  don't know if i can smoke them out of there as they have the whole frame to scoot around in.  not sure another hand would help.  maybe smaller hands?  :-)  

LOB, you will probably get most of the rest of my calls.  company and vacating for most of June for me.  about another week or so and i'll have to call it quits.  

i have my fingers crossed that they are in the box when i get there!  guess i'm paying for all the easy ones last year.

[John Schwartz]

LOB, you will probably get most of the rest of my calls.  company and vacating for most of June for me.  about another week or so and i'll have to call it quits.  

Right on! :)

[D Coates]

You da man, woops, woman!  I'm not looking forward to running into a swarm like that.

[harvey]

sure am glad I havn't run into a swarm like that!  I work inside a prison and last week they called me and told me that a swarm had landed on one of the bushes out in front of one of the housing units.  I talked them into letting me get the bees however they didn't want any equipment coming in.  As I have only messed with one other swarm on a tree and it was very very docile.  My first swarm.  I decided it would be fine.  I went into work and got a cardboard box.  I cut a hole in the front and used a small piece of window screen I had brought with me to cover the hole.  Walked up to the swarm, only gloves were a pair of latex that we use for shaking down prisoners, no veil.  I was confident!  I reached right up to the swarm and brushed them gently into the box.  Only a few flew!  I put the lid on the box and carried them out and brought them home.  No one inspected the box as we left the prisoner!  Go Figure!.  Now after reading your post and seeing your gloves I am thinking that I got pretty lucky and might not have that confidence again!!! 

[Kathyp]

Harvey, most are like yours.  i have very rarely had even a head bump from a swarm.  this year i think it's a combination of things.  the weather has been crap.  yesterday, thunderstorms were building.  wind was blowing.  the one before, it was pouring down rain.  other thing is location.  the last 3 have been in bad spots.  one tangled in vines high in a tree and the last two in equipment.

i suspect the weather is the biggest factor.  even my bees at home have been a little testy.  usually i can walk in front of the hives and have no problem.  twice in the last few days i have had them come after me even when not close.  the horses are staying away from the fence near the hives too.

[Kathyp]

went back today.  of course it started raining as i got there.  swarm back on truck.  this time i went armed with honey robber.  wanted to use it up anyway.  it stinks!!  put a cotton ball of the stuff in every space i could reach and clear, but they still didn't settle so i'm pretty sure the queen is still up in there somewhere.  cold, wet, cranky bees and i paid for it today.

left box.  back when the sun shines.  maybe tomorrow.  at this point i wouldn't mind it they just flew away  :(

[John Schwartz]

hang in there, Kathy!

[Kathyp]

got them.  friend called and said that the bees were off the truck (thank you honey robber) and ON the hive.  well, after 4 days of being exposed to rain and cold, they were a pretty sad bunch.  they were indeed on the top and sides of the hive and had not gone in. 

i scooped up the whole soggy mess of them and took the home to warm syrup and an almost completely closed up hive.  tomorrow will tell the tale.  no idea about the queen.....

[Scadsobees]

at this point i wouldn't mind it they just flew away  :(

Ya just can't fix stupid.  Sometimes they are the dumbest things around.