Author Topic: My Hive Just Swarmed ~ (Read 24982 times)

Jen · « **on:** March 16, 2014, 07:46:48 pm »

Holy Schmolly! 4:00 oclock here. Just one hour ago I took a break from the forum, stepped outside... Huge Swarm just starting.

Expletive! Expletive! Expletive! Ran in the house grabbed a cotton ball and doused it with lemongrass oil. Back outside
running around grabbing the only free deep I have, three plastic frames with last years wax, a lid, and a piece of plywood for the bottom. Scrambled up the bank in my jammies and slippers. How I Got Up There With All That In Tow? I Don't Remember!

I had a good idea where they might land because the three swarms that left last year landed in the same place. In this cedar tree just over our backyard fence. By the time I was up on the bank the swarm was definately landing in the cedar tree. COOL! Set up the deep swarm style. Stood back catching my breath. After a bit they settled on the branches too high for me to get to without a ladder. Carol, the 90 year old sprite that lives on this bank was watching the whole thing. She brought me a ladder not at all afraid of the bees. BLESS HER COTTON PICKEN HEART! When the bees appeared to be settled, I climbed the ladder and snipped as many little branches of the swarm as I could and put them into this plastic bin. I couldn't get the rest, maybe more than half left up there. The rest are too high for me to get safely especially with Carol with me. By the way she made me wait for her to go back into the house and get her cell phone just in case I took a header down the bank. I Love Her! I need to do something real nice for her

Anyway, for now, I am left with a good amount of bees in the plastic bin. If anyone can tell me what to do at this point, I would be forever in your debt ~

Can you see them swarming here?

Starting to settle

settled

Thankfully they settled on the west side of the tree so I could at least get a ladder up to them

Swarm trap, the best that I could do

Bees in a box, scratching head, now what do I do???

iddee · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2014, 07:52:29 pm »

Use a pole or something to shake them off the limb. Hopefully, they will regroup lower down where you can reach them.

tecumseh · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2014, 07:52:37 pm »

well they will not do well in that bin. you did not have any kind of spare box and some old frames anywhere within reach???

litefoot · « **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2014, 07:56:22 pm »

Hopefully the queen is in that first bunch you caught. If so, you can get them in a spare deep and the rest, I believe, will follow her in. I just want to say that I marveled at your presence of mind to snap the photos of the swarm. Awesome pics!

barry42001 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:08:08 pm »

while I would never advocate working with bees at night under normal circumstantial, I don't think they will survive the night. it might not be something you want to do, but you should have on up there and shook them down, or cut the branch off with the swarm on it. I don't believe you really can leave them like that though and that Tupperware container is it properly ventilated not that that really matters. put them in a regular hive, provide them with a frame or two of brood to hold them. then go get the rest of the swarm.

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Jen · « **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:08:38 pm »

tec- ""you did not have any kind of spare box and some old frames anywhere within reach???""

Hi Tec, I have only one hive, 2 deeps. I have very little excess equiptment. The only spare deep is up on the bank as a swarm trap at the moment. The whole incident was amazing and comical at the same time. I do have extra mediums now that hubby has been working on for a couple of weeks. But no other deeps. If I can get these bees off of the tree the whole swarm will go into this extra deep.

Iddee- ""Use a pole or something to shake them off the limb. Hopefully, they will regroup lower down where you can reach them.""

K, I'll try that, cause I sure would like to have all of them, it was a big swarm.

lite- ""I just want to say that I marveled at your presence of mind to snap the photos of the swarm. Awesome pics!""

Thank You!

DLMKA · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:10:05 pm »

I'd shake the swarm into the plastic tub then dump them in your deep, full hives are too heavy to carry up a ladder IMHO. Tape a bucket or something on a long broomstick if you can't reach them from the ladder. Dump into the deep from the bucket.

I got to watch one of my hives swarm last spring. Such a cool thing to see!

Jen · « **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:13:34 pm »

Barry- ""while I would never advocate working with bees at night under normal circumstantial, I don't think they will survive the night. it might not be something you want to do, but you should have on up there and shook them down, or cut the branch off with the swarm on it. I don't believe you really can leave them like that though and that Tupperware container is it properly ventilated not that that really matters.""

I don't have a ladder tall enough or safe enough for me to get up to that branch and shake them down. I would be on the top end of the ladder. Not safe. That's what I wanted to do was shake them off. But I can't reach safely. I need another method to bring them down to lower branches. It's 5 oclock I don't think they will fly off at this hour.

Jen · « **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:18:53 pm »

DL- ""I'd shake the swarm into the plastic tub then dump them in your deep, full hives are too heavy to carry up a ladder IMHO. Tape a bucket or something on a long broomstick if you can't reach them from the ladder. Dump into the deep from the bucket.''

Cedar tree's are very soft trees, I don't have anything to hang onto.. in order to shake them into a container. I would have to be up on the ladder doing that.

I'm going back up there now.... I'll see if any of the swarm has made it into the trap

barry42001 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:18:55 pm »

here's an idea, do you have access to a pole saw, that is a saw that's on the eight to ten foot pole.

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iddee · « **Reply #10 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:27:16 pm »

Dump the ones in the bin into the deep. If the queen is there, the rest will follow. If not, they will rejoin the swarm. You can't save them if she isn't there, so might as well have them all together, wherever they end up at.

Jen · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:28:28 pm »

Barry- Nope

The bees are still there, I have only a couple of hours to try and reach them

blueblood · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:30:42 pm »

Ha! Running out in your jammies! Epic. Throw a rope over the branch using a heavy object to direct it and shake shake shake. Maybe she will drop to a lower branch.

Perry · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:32:36 pm »

Quote from: blueblood on March 16, 2014, 08:30:42 pm

Ha! Running out in your jammies! Epic. Throw a rope over the branch using a heavy object to direct it and shake shake shake. Maybe she will drop to a lower branch.

Do I sense another video Dave?

Perry · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:34:15 pm »

Get some 1 to 1 sugar syrup in a spritz bottle, squirt down real good so they're sticky and can't fly well, and follow advice given, shake.

blueblood · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2014, 08:54:15 pm »

Ha! You never know Perry, I may just have to bust out Dancin Dave again!

DLMKA · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2014, 09:05:02 pm »

Cut the tree down, cedars are a dime a dozen

DLMKA · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2014, 09:06:23 pm »

When we're in swarm season all the trees are leafed out, I found that interesting of your pictures, all the trees are still bare.

G3farms · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2014, 09:35:52 pm »

Long pole, pipe, painter pole, etc
five gallon bucket
duct tape

Tape the bucket to the end of the pole, raise the bucket up to the bottom of the swarm, shake hard (by pushing up on the branch), lower the bucket with bees in it and dump into your hive body.

Repeat as needed, giving the bees time to settle back on the branch or into the hive body.

Jen · « **Reply #19 on:** March 16, 2014, 09:39:18 pm »

I GOT EM! I GOT EM! I GOT EM!............. omg omg omg omg

I'm all out of breath, I swear to god it's better than sex!!.... wait a minute.......... thinking....... well.... maybe not.... but Dang close!

So this is the equipment I have right now. One deep, some pulled frames, a lid..... oh and a bottom board.

The bees are attached to a bunch of branches in the plastic bin. Sun's going down.

I'll go back and read what else has been posted