Need help with wording Craigslist ad to collect swarms

[naturaledge]

I am putting ads on craigslist to collect swarms and was looking for some well worded or some wording for ads to help with mine. honey bee rescue , relocation .ect.and maybe a $10.00 finders fee.Thank you Brian

[AllenF]

First I would not have a finder's fee.   Too many people want cash for you to take their bees already.   Ask around and hear the stories.  Tell them you will save the bees, feed them, provide them a good, that you come from a good bee loving family.   Anything like that.   

[Bellavista2]

I guess I was thinking along the same lines as you as I put a add offering 20.00 for a easy to get to swarm.I figure a package is 80.00 so if it's a easy one why not. I have other people in my area looking for them also so maybe that will give me an edge. For some reason theirs a area a couple miles from me that has an unusually large number of swarms flying around I drove thru one yesterday and it was like going thru a hailstorm. poor bees. My son drove thru the same area thurs. and had the same experience. 

[indypartridge]

First I would not have a finder's fee.  Ask around and hear the stories.    

That's the voice of experience. Once you're on swarm lists, you'll get lots of calls for any kind of flying insect. They'll swear they are honeybees; easy to reach; a swarm the size of a beach ball. You'll get there to find a paper wasp nest the size of a softball 20 feet up.

I'd keep any ad very simple as Allen suggested. Also, besides craigslist, you might want to print some flyers and hand them out at fire stations, the library, county extension office, pest control places, etc.

[gardeningfireman]

Business cards and flyers are a good way to reach people. I have them at my dentist's office, pharmacy, auto mechanic's, physical therapist's office, car parts store, vet, and a couple of garden centers. At one garden center I made a poster with picture id's of yj, wasps, hornets, and honeybees, and some wording about how honeybees need our help and my motto "save them, don't spray them". You want your cards and flyers where there is a lot of people going through. Police and fire stations don't get that. It is good to notify them though, because sometimes people call them when they see swarms.

[vmmartin]

I would agree with Allen as well.  For instance, you get a call, drive 30 minutes to go get them, get there to find that they have left already, or the primary swarm is gone and only stragglers hanging around that are mad and sting you up, or that the HUGE BALL OF BEES is really about a pound. And then the tipster is still wanting their $20. You are out an hour of time and gas AND $20. Been there, done that, got a t-shirt, bumper sticker AND a key chain. I would not offer a finders fee. I am not trying to sound argumentative  (even though as I read this post is sounds that way) just speaking from first hand experience.

[hardwood]

Paying folks so that you can remove their bees??? Most of us that have done removals for even a short time CHARGE for the removal. Even with charging them you'll be lucky to break even in the long run!

Scott

[greenbtree]

Gardeningfireman - I love your poster idea - I am going to make up a couple.  If it will stop even one of the "I have these bees, and I sprayed them yesterday, but they are still here." calls, it will be well worth it.

JC

[AllenF]

There is no need to kill yourself over swarms driving all over the place.   Ask for a pic texted to you when you get the call.    I have seen ads on craiglist where someone has a swarm in the front yard and they were selling it.   I don't know if it was sold before they took off.    But there are a lot of bee ads in craiglist.   A lot.   

[Kathyp]

Ask for a pic texted to you when you get the call.

or emailed.  i always include an email address on my CL postings.  you'd be surprised how many people don't know what honeybees look like, and how many think a few flying around their yard might be a swarm!!

+ that swarm that is reported to be 10 ft up the tree, is often 30 ft up there.

as said above, don't offer to pay for swarms.  in a good area and on a good swarm year, you won't be able to keep up once the word gets out.  even here, where there are a number of other beekeepers, i get more calls than i can take.

in addition to CL, post  in the feed stores, grocery store BBs, give them to the local PD and FD....because they are the ones who get the calls and want to find someone else to take care of it!.  larger churches often have caretakers/gardeners.  i have gotten to be friends with the one on our road and he keeps my number...and loves my honey :-)

[naturaledge]

Thanks for all the great advice I will take a little from the posts and get a good ad . The poster is a good Idea and the garden centers are great spots . Any idea on how to find out when and where the commercial guys are bringing there bees for the blueberry blossoms. thanks again . brian 

[2Sox]

Great answers!  I'd go one further: There is a site on the Internet, Bees-on-the-net.com. that lists beekeepers who will remove swarms and do cut-outs in every state in the union.  I'd recommend you list yourself on there.  Just about every one of the calls I get come from my listing on this site. I know because I ask everyone who calls where they got my name from. Oops, I gave away my secret.

[backyard warrior]

I cant say im a big fan of swarms myself if they are hard to get to or far away. I have enuff colonies on had to due splits and over wintered nucs i try to keep my genetics within my own area. Why???  The bees may have bad genetics for temperment or hygenics then they raise drones and they are then mating with your virgin queens not good.  But some arent worried about it but myself i like to monitor my bees for mites and gentleness build up things like that.  If you get swarms dont put them into your apairy use and outyard to determine there worth.  Just my 2 cents  Chris