Efmesch Gets The FIRST SWARM of the Season Woo Hoo !

[riverbee]

i had to re-post this thread after our data loss!  ef, we are all going stir crazy, and swarms are a long ways off for me.............
ef's report is here:

Can't wait for swarm season!

"On Sunday, March 1st, I was called on to collect my first swarm of the season.  Unbelieveable---it's a whole month earlier than the usual date for swarming locally.
The "catch" went quite easily.  The swarm had setttled on a fence and surrounding shrubs about shoulder high.  The only real challenge was getting through the wild shrubbery that blocked access to the fence.  The location wasn't far from my home so I answered the call by biking there.  I wasn't suited up and had brought no tools with me, so I had to be careful as I broke off the branches where bees had settled.  I placed a nuc on the ground nearby, broke off the branches with bees on them and put them in the open nuc.  I didn't see the queen, but the bees that were on the frames showed that they were accepting of their re-location.   After most of the swarm was inside, I took a pole and jostled the fence several times.  Either I had already placed the queen inside or she decided to follow the invitation of her girls.  The bees re-settled in the home I gave them (three built frames and one frame of foundation) without any further need for encouragement.
When  nightfall came I returned to the spot, closed up the nuc and moved the family to where it was convenient.

If the owner of the property hadn't pointed out the exact location of the swarm, I never would have found it.  It's amazing how a swarm can "disappear" into the background once its cloud of bees  condenses and settles down."

just cool to read........!!!

[Bakersdozen]

Thanks for reposting riverbee.  Nice to know it's spring somewhere.

[efmesch]

Thanks for representing me Riverbee--I had thought that the "full" report was totally lost.
I've been having some trouble linking into the forum from my email account and reported on it to Iddee's sign-in request thread.  I think that the fault must be that the link on my computer points to a thread that went with the wind.  But the message was in my account.
I guess you must have had my lost post in your mailbox, where it didn't get erased.
Good thinking on your part. 

[riverbee]

ef, like baker's 12 said, it's spring somewhere, but not here either!.......

it was refreshing and encouraging to read your swarm post. you originally posted it in the 'snow reports' thread and it was lost. you reposted in a different thread, 'can't want for swarm season', and i linked to your post there. 

i think you are correct, the trouble you are having and the error you are receiving goes to MIA threads we lost.

did you get any pix of the swarm capture?

[G3farms]

Good to hear somebody is catching swarms!!
Glad you got the call and added another hive to the yard!

[efmesch]

I confess, I didn't add it to my yard but set it up for my grandson.  He's planning on increasing his holdings to over 200 hives this season, and the way it looks, I'm pretty sure he'll make it.

[Jen]

Thanks Riv! It would be cool to have a subject on just swarm catching stories. They are all so different, challenging, and unique.

I've caught 9 out of 10 swarms, and to be honest it's more fun and easier than the cut out I did. I don't know if I'm going to do another cut out. Think I'll leave those to my friend Chris 

[LazyBkpr]

He's planning on increasing his holdings to over 200 hives this season, and the way it looks, I'm pretty sure he'll make it.

   wow! Sweet!  You could still get some pics for us!