That was a big swarm, Greg!!!! Dog gone it....you just had to email a link to me didn't you??? You KNEW a SWARM STORY would get me to post!!!!
Howdy everyone, Ed here, a rookie beekeeper of 3(?) years down in south Alabama. Good to make your aquaintance and re-aquaintance with several folks from the past (your secrets are safe with me
).
Greg, my first comment is...you need make a pole-bucket. Best thing since sliced bread in my opinion. Remember my first year when I had all the swarms that landed in the briar patch...not one on anything but briars. I was picking bees out by clipping a briar branch and shaking it hivebox...one at a time....one by one...one by one....<groan>. Anyhow, last year wasn't so bad...I think maybe one swarm.
This year has been another story...been chasing (my) swarms again. But this time they're getting in the pine trees and privet bushes...anywhere from 10' to 20'...so far. I had to come up with something quick. I used my mentor's pole bucket last year on a swarm so I thought that would work.
I found an old extendable pole and lashed a bucket to the side of it...this was about 8" long and worked well on the first swarm. I raised the bucket to the swarm (for practice) and then lowered it as if I was going to dump the bees so I knew where to place the box. For the real thing I eased the bucket up to the swarm until most of the cluster was inside the bucket and then bumped the limb firmly a couple of times to dislodge the cluster. I probably got 90% of the bees on the first bump. After they were in the bucket I swung it down and poured the bees into the box. Worked great! I'd let the flying bees cluster back on the limb and I'd bump them into the bucket again....I did this several times until only a small layer was gathering back on the limb. This was the easy one.
The next one was up about 20' in another pine tree. I ended up lashing a 10' piece of conduit pipe to the original extension pole....ended up at 15.5' long. That swarm and another one in a privet hedge thicket both used the pole+conduit to reach them. I had a swarm in between that I had to fall back to the extension pole only (the conduit was too long). I think I'm simply going to rig up a short and a long pole....too aggravating to lash and untie and then retie the poles. When I reattached the conduit to the extension pole I didn't overlap them as much...total length is a touch over 16' long...it is unwieldy, but manageable...and I ain't Goliath. It beats balancing on a ladder...I ain't getting no younger but I do want to get older!
Btw, I used the extension pole + conduit pipe today...I've gotta go out there and seal them up and put'em back on "hive row"....I'm pretty sure that it's a swarm that I hived the other day...maybe they'll stay put this time. I've got some videos (of course) that I'll put up when I get back to work (faster connection). It wasn't nearly as big as yours, though.
I highly recommend you fix up a pole bucket, Greg. It will make getting swarms from trees much better. Mine isn't fancy, just lashed and duck-taped to the side of the pole...it works.
There...now I'd better go to the "Hi, my name is Ed and I'm a bee-addict" forum.
Ed
