Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => HONEYBEE REMOVAL => Topic started by: TwoHoneys on May 19, 2011, 10:01:36 PM

Title: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: TwoHoneys on May 19, 2011, 10:01:36 PM
I received a call about a swarm (tree #1). Then, the same woman called again to tell me there were two...one in her tree, one in a neighbor's tree (tree #2). By the time I arrived, the woman told me that the swarm in her neighbor's tree had moved...it went high into a huge, tall tree in my caller's backyard (tree #3). There were lots of of bees flying ...more activity than around most swarms I've seen.

I thought I captured the the swarm in my caller's yard (tree #1), and I left them to settle in their box while I went for lunch. But when I returned, the box was essentially empty...and the swarm in tree #3 had grown huge. It was too high to reach (maybe 30 feet high), so I simply left a medium-depth box with frames, old comb, and some lure on a fence beneath it hoping they find it appealing.  

Do you think I found a single swarm early in its transition? Do they sometimes all separate and then reconnect?

I'll be they don't come to my nice box, though.

-Liz
Title: Re: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: AllenF on May 19, 2011, 10:26:34 PM
The swarm was probably just getting it together when you showed up.   

Why didn't you climb that tree after that swarm?
Title: Re: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: iddee on May 19, 2011, 10:29:10 PM
If one medium is all you left, I'm making the same bet as you. If you had left 2 or 3 mediums stacked, you would have had a better chance.
Title: Re: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: TwoHoneys on May 19, 2011, 10:42:41 PM
Quote from: iddee on May 19, 2011, 10:29:10 PM
If one medium is all you left, I'm making the same bet as you. If you had left 2 or 3 mediums stacked, you would have had a better chance.

Heck fire.
Title: Re: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: hardwood on May 20, 2011, 12:39:56 AM
You should've been at Bud3...we could have shown you how to drop that swarm with only a .22 and a .357 :-D

Scott
Title: Re: Swarms that seem to settle, then move
Post by: TwoHoneys on May 23, 2011, 07:01:45 AM
Quote from: hardwood on May 20, 2011, 12:39:56 AM
You should've been at Bud3...we could have shown you how to drop that swarm with only a .22 and a .357 :-D

Scott

Hey, Scott...I think I dreamed about this last night! :shock:

-Liz