I walked up to my hives yesterday afternoon just to take a look at them and I heard a lot of extra buzzing. I noticed in front of one of the hives there looked like a bunch of bees fighting. I thought that there was some robbing going on but then I realized that the buzzing was coming from up in a tree. The bees were still swarming around in the air landing on a tree branch about 30 feet off the ground. I went and got a ladder but it was to short, so I borrowed a 30 footer. It barley reached and was at a weird angle so I tied the top of the ladder to the branch with a rope. It was pretty windy so the branch kept moving around and the bees were still just about out of reach. I sprayed them with sugar water then kind of knocked them off the branch with a 5 gallon bucket then sprayed them in the bucket to keep them from flying out. I finally got most of the bees into the bucket. These bees were somewhat aggressive. I guess it may have had to do with me getting to them so soon after they swarmed.
After hiving the swarm I looked through the hive that threw the swarm. I found three caped swarm cells. I left them in place until I finished inspecting the hive. I did not find a queen so I decided to take one of the swarm cells and put it into the new swarm hive in case I did not get the queen. When I pulled the frame that had the one queen cell on it I saw that she had just emerged. I quick check the nearby frames and found her wobbling around looking like she just popped out. I put the other swarm cells in the swarm hive and closed everything up.
The stings I got while capturing the swarm hurt way more then the last 20 or so stings I gotten this year. Normally I have no reaction to the stings and it is more like getting a thorn in my finger. These ones were crazy, immediately the areas swelled up and hurt like crazy. I dont know what the deal with that was.
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I'm glad you got the bees but... I would have probably donated those to mother nature. I have a 28' ladder I keep with me and that's as high as I'm getting without a lift.
Be careful man!!!
...JP
Glad you got them back! I had the samething happen to me yesturday. I was out checking some hives that I have on my brothers farm. Added supers to them and everyone seemed to be fine. I just got home when the stable hand called to tell me that there was a swarm out in the barn lot. They landed in a pear tree and were about 4 ft off the ground. Easiest one that I have got so far. I wish they were all that way. With all of the rain that we have been getting, it made it hard to get into that yard.
Marcus
The hive they came from was my strongest best producing hive this year. I could not bare to see them head off into a hollow tree some where.
I wish they had been 4' off the ground... I have not had any like that yet.
So far a five, seven and a seven and a half footers. Sorry but I would have donated them also...not that brave. :'(
Brave man! There is no way I would go that high (I'm afraid of hights). 5 feet is enough for me.
30 something feet is not to high :) I am used to the heights with my job. From time to time I have to climb radio and cell phone towers. Here are some photos from about 180 feet.
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I have Menier's disease (balance problems) plus acrophobia--fear of hieghts--so when I get 2 feet off the ground I fall over. The 2 feet I'm talking about are the 2 I stand on.
I saw the pictures of the ladder straight up to that limb and cracked up!! :-D
This looked like a set-up from Laurel and Hardy! I could just imagine this ladder swaying back and forth with someone on top yelling for help!!
your friend,
john
>My bees tried to swarm but I caught them
They didn't try. They swarmed. And quite successfully. Now they have a nice new home, just like they had hoped when they left...