Todays Project

[Nugget Shooter]

Got a call at 10:00am about a swarm that had been on the same branch for 2 days so went and had a look. Took less than an hour to get them all boxed up and home safely, cut the outside branches then the main, tapped them into the 10 frame box, waited a few for the stragglers, sealed them up and off to the house. Love free bees..... 

[Perry]

We had our first frost last night, hard to imagine someone catching swarms this late in the year.

[Nugget Shooter]

We had our first frost last night, hard to imagine someone catching swarms this late in the year.

It was 86 here today Perry and bone dry air so feels great and the bees are active like on one of your sunny summer days. We have no winter her in this part of AZ that last longer than a week at a time with temps under 65 degrees for the daytime high. The plants here also are active most of the year with one species or another blooming depending on precipitation. Nights can get cold (to me) and have seen 18 degrees F on rare occasions.

Sounds wonderful during winter months I know, but we pay our dues from June to September with 115 common.

[neillsayers]

Cool,
Looks like a good sized swarm.

[Nugget Shooter]

5 0r 6 pounds worth I guess so quite happy and this morning the field bees are doing orientation flights like crazy.... Getting a feel for the new digs.

[Mikey N.C.]

Nugget,  were the bees on that 4", 5" limb ?
Did ya have help.  Looks like chainsaw in pic (bow)? And if you cut with saw how did you keep limb from falling to the ground ?

[Nugget Shooter]

Yes I was alone and they were on the limb, I used loppers to cut off the outer branches leaving enough to hold on to so I could steady the branch. I then used the bow saw to cut through the limb 99% and holding both ends snapped it off.  I had a 10 frame deep with 6 frames 3 to each side with bottom screwed on and a screen top ready to go for ventilation. I then held the branch and slowly lowered it into the center of the deep and gave it a firm tap on the bottom which dislodged almost all of the bees which quickly covered the frames as there were allot of them. I then put the screen top on leaving a small opening and covered that with a migratory top and picked up my tools etc. while the strays eagerly followed the others into the box. When I left there were fewer than 30 bees that were still in tree and flying around.

The bees had been on the limb for 2 full days and a half and that seemed odd to me, but the home owners had the days before the bees showed up cleaned out an old shed and put a new roof on it. The owner said he must have messed up the spot the bees had in mind for their home and I figure it just may have been correct and that is why they were just staying in the tree trying to figure out what to do. They were sure in need of food because they went through a quart of 2:1 syrup the first night and almost a full quart yesterday as well. They are now drawing comb like crazy and going about their usual business with orientating field bees, guards at the entrance, comb building, and all seems well.... 

[Mikey N.C.]

Sounds like the plan worked to a P (perfect)
Great job !!!

[riverbee]

yah baby, FREE BEES!!!!...............



like perry, hard to imagine getting a swarm, frost coming tonight/this weekend............

we have family in mesa, been there in january when it was 70 d F...........while it was minus arse cold here in wisconsin..............

ps.....nice catch!

[Nugget Shooter]

Almost same weather wise here Riverbee and have to drive a 100 miles into the higher mountains above 5000 feet to see real lasting snow. Cool part is we can do lunch, throw a couple snow balls, say o-how-pretty, and drive back to our 70 degree weather in Jan/Feb....

[neillsayers]

Almost same weather wise here Riverbee and have to drive a 100 miles into the higher mountains above 5000 feet to see real lasting snow. Cool part is we can do lunch, throw a couple snow balls, say o-how-pretty, and drive back to our 70 degree weather in Jan/Feb....

I have always loved the climate in Arizona. We have so much pollen and mold here my sinuses are almost always stopped up. Soon as I get to west Texas they clear up.

[riverbee]

nugget shooter.......last january we were in mesa for about 4 or 5 days, then tucson for another 4 or 5 days or so, a place called 'tanque verde ranch'.  it was beautiful and sunny, i think 75-80 degrees F...........leave it to us to take a drive up the coronado highway(beautiful drive) to mount lemmon........we didn't know a pretty good snow storm had just hit a couple days earlier.  where the snow hit, all the folks from tucson headed up that way to play in the snow and make a day of it, grilling and cooking out, and  some other pretty funny stuff. pelted with snow balls, (sorta like when we float the flathead river in montana everyone brings water guns for watergun fights!)  trucks with loads of snow in the back, and/or huge snowmen built in the backs of a trucks driving back down to tucson......... (something i would do........only a SNOW WOMAN..... )  it was cold up there! 

[Nugget Shooter]

Yeah Riverbee we all do get a little goofy when it snows and on rare occasions it even snows here in the desert though it only lasts a few hours.




Cheers, Bill

[riverbee]

that ain't snow! that's just a dusting..............

goofy? i like being goofy, makes life fun and i have been called other things, just ask jack......

ps bill, loved the pic! desert snow!  when was that taken?
where are you in central arizona?
i have a brother in law in mesa, awesome guy and enjoy him and his wife.  would like to get back down that way sometime this winter.  he puts christmas lights on his cactus plants around his yard every year, sorta funny stuff for me, cuz we are usually buried in snow!
he gave me a train horn to put in my jeep wrangler..........
have a gg grandmother buried in yuma. want to get there and want to order a proper headstone on her grave. 

hey, thanks for the pic, enjoyed!