A young lady by the name of Sarah from Michigan called me at 6:30 this morning very, very excited about a swarm she was looking at 3 stories above the street on a building in the french quarter in New Orleans.
She said she has been keeping bees for two years and is in town visiting some friends.
She said there was some dead below, maybe as many as five hundred. I mentioned that it sounded as if they had been sprayed somehow, albeit they were quite high up on the building.
This gal was plain and simple ecstatic over the phone and I heard her tell the tennants "Hey, I want those bees!"
To get to the bees she climbed a ladder 16' up from the porch of an apartment on the third story.
She called me later to say she needed woodenware but I grew concerned when she told me the swarm was about the size of a baseball.
I just had to go to her and see what I could do. Her spirit was contagious.
When I got there I asked to see the box of bees. There were maybe perhaps 45 bees and no queen and some were in fact spinning (a sign of pesticide poisoning).
I felt so bad for her and the bees. She said it was her very first swarm catch and asked me how she did. I told her she gets an At for effort, I mean 40' above the street! You go girl!
Gotta love the bee bug people! It was my bee pep rally for today, had me stoked. Just had to share this with you all, she really made my day.
...JP
PEople and there stupid spraying of anything that moves. Sad she ddin't get any bees out of the deal.
I guess she just had to have some of those special French Quarter bees. :-D Laissez les bons temps rouler. :rainbowflower:
It's a shame it wasn't a viable swarm. Talk about a tale to tell when she got home. "Hey, what did you bring back from your trip?" "A swarm of bees to add to my apiary!" I can imagine the looks she would have gotten from some people.
A woman I work with brought her 6 year old daughter over two weeks ago to look inside a hive. (They studied bees earlier in the year.) At first she was a little nervous, but once I pulled a couple of frames, she lost her fear, which was replaced with fascination. She still doesn't want a hive at her place, but it's okay if I send some honey home with her mother...HA HA
Yes the bee bug can get a hold on just about anyone, and it's fun to see the results!
and here i thought the French Quarter would have been populated with tree hugger types :evil:
you get an A for being a willing mentor also. glad the girl didn't kill herself. there is something about beekeepers and ladders........
Quote from: MustbeeNuts on May 21, 2010, 06:53:46 AM
PEople and there stupid spraying of anything that moves. Sad she ddin't get any bees out of the deal.
It is sad she didn't get a viable swarm but she got a lot from the experience. I was honestly worried about her being up on that ladder, 40' above the street.
When she told me what her plan was, I wished her luck and said a prayer, "Lord, please don't let this lady fall 40' to her death over a swarm of bees."
When her number appeared on my phone with her news of her catch, I felt a hugh sigh of relief she was still alive and in one piece.
Bee fever!
She's got it and its what keeps me going as well even after a long day of stings and sticky honey.
Last night I removed a colony of bees between floor joists of a house. The lady was in the room watching, taking pictures, amazed at how calm I was, she said.
She commented that I obviously enjoy what I do. I looked up at her and said, I sure do, ever since a kid been turnin' over rocks lookin' for bugs.
Bees are just so cool and on we went, talking of bees into the night.
There's just so much more to it than can be put in words, well, you people know what I mean. ;)
...JP
Well folks, I felt bad that this nice young lady went through all that effort to catch 45 bees and no queen, so I called her back and explained she had an invite on my next swarm call if she was still in town.
Last night I got a call, just checked with the guy and the bees are still there. If they are still there a lil bit later we are going to get them.
This should be a lot of fun. My camera and video recorder will be with me.
...JP
you rock!!!!!!!!!! what anice guy!
The swarm unfortunately left. So here's to hoping for another.
...JP
What was she planning on doing with the swarm if she caught them??? She doesn't live there. How did she know to contact you?
Since I was just over there a week ago, this story is even more fascinating to me. What if I had looked up and seen a swarm. It all sounds very exciting JP.
Quote from: annette on May 23, 2010, 01:21:45 AM
What was she planning on doing with the swarm if she caught them??? She doesn't live there. How did she know to contact you?
Since I was just over there a week ago, this story is even more fascinating to me. What if I had looked up and seen a swarm. It all sounds very exciting JP.
She saw bees and just wanted them, had to have them, couldn't resist. After that other thought processes came into the picture. Gotta love that Bee fever!
If you had seen the swarm, I would have held the ladder for you. :-D I wouldn't have worried about you falling Annette, the red umbrella would have caught your fall! ;)
...JP
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