HHHOTTTT!!!!!

wayne · May 12, 2011, 11:30:32 PM

Yesterday we got a call to remove a bee swarm on a building in the downtown business area of a small city near here.
I showed up and found a swarm about the size of a small melon on a flat brick wall about six feet up. Set up a step ladder to hold the box, suited up as I always do, and swept the bees in with two strokes of the brush. No problems very docile and we were gone in an hour.
Got a call today from the same address and found a swarm about half the size of a water melon on the wall a few feet from the last one. Set up the ladder and all seemed calm. This time a local newspaper guy was there to watch and my wife who is in a wheel chair came along to watch.
I suited up and told everyone to get out of the parking lot. I have alot of respect for bees and I know that they CAN be mean as Hell.
I sort of assumed that this was a secondary swarm from the same hive as the first, or stragglers that were late to the party the day before.
Set the box in place and checked to see if everyone was clear and swept the brush into the swarm. It was as if a bomb went off.
They were all over me in a flash and I was getting hit through the suit and gloves. I tried to walk away after I had the inner cover on and let them settle but a few dozen stayed with me. For over an hour I walked and waited and they never let up.
Finally I had the box secured and in the truck and decided to drive away with the cloud of bees after me. I went down the alley slow and eased out of the area then sped up on a back road to blow the remainder off me and the truck.
When I got back for the wife I parked at the end of the block and found the wife in the shop next to the alley hiding out. She and everyone in the area had got hit at least once. Bees found us before we got to the truck and head bumped us a few times.
I've never seen a swarm quite that hot around here before. They are very small bodied almost round in the abdomen, and gold colored.
As I told them before I started I always suit up for bees. And really glad I do.

Shanevrr · May 12, 2011, 11:34:47 PM

AHB?

Mshel · May 12, 2011, 11:37:56 PM

Glad no one got hurt.

preston39 · May 13, 2011, 12:01:01 AM

Quote from: Shanevrr on May 12, 2011, 11:34:47 PM
AHB?

Surely..... not north in Indiana.......??

Shanevrr · May 13, 2011, 12:23:11 AM

Im sure it wasnt but with packages being shipped all over the country, anythings posible. Im waiting for them to ban shipment of package bees in USA. I hear there in georga, just two states from me and they were nowere close to that 5 years ago

Michael Bush · May 13, 2011, 12:30:28 AM

Believe it or not there have been hot bees as far back as we have written history, and judging by cave paintings, probably even longer... no one had heard of AHB...

oliver · May 13, 2011, 09:20:53 AM

I ran into some very nasty swarms before the africans were out of south america, one of them killed a dog that was close..Pays to be careful..dl

AllenF · May 13, 2011, 08:57:47 PM

No smoke? And these may have been the scout bees that came back to find the swarm gone. They were hungry and mad. Can you blame them? A 2 day old swarm can be hot.

joker1656 · May 14, 2011, 12:52:54 AM

Wayne, what little town? Just curious, so I can stay away from it. LOL

Glad you guys weren't torn up. Good luck with 'em.

Apis_M_Rescue · May 14, 2011, 03:48:47 AM

What was the temps that day? Did that swarm catch have queen? It might of been the forager/ scout remnants w/o the queen, making em more defensive. Do you ever use sugar/water-50/50 spray? This couldn't have been a dry swarm, but even spraying sugar water slows em down to keep the cluster from disbanding so fast.

I should have sprayed my first ever swarm on big branch of lemon tree as it had been out & about 3 or more days & also was nearing eve when attempted to brush catch in box. Was told swarms were not having home to protect so are mellow so didn't tighten up veil or glove & payed w/ 20 +/- stings,lol. These were not AHB as they didn't follow me 70ft to car. Lady told me later was possibly there longer than 3 days.

Cheers, David

Tommyt · May 14, 2011, 09:27:10 AM

Could it be that by the time they got to swarm the mother hive had zero or very little
honey for them to fill up on before they flew the coupe,
which would have put them is a bad mood
Are they any better since you have housed them

Tommyt

wayne · May 14, 2011, 08:27:29 PM

The town was Clinton in Vermillion County. I housed them and left them overnight to calm down. When I opened the entrance the next day they seemed alot less "lethal".
The temps both days were in the high 70s and sunny. The first swarm was fairly dense and only a few in the air, the second had the same look with most just clustered on the wall. With conditions the same I just assumed the bees would behave the same.
It's a good thing I make a habit of being careful about bystanders and such.
Since I opened the hive they seem to be making orientation flights like a normal hive so I think they are queenright.
I'll suck up my courage in a week or two and pop the lid for a look, that should settle the questions.

here's a few pics the wife took before all Hell broke loose.

AllenF · May 14, 2011, 08:29:51 PM

I like them coveralls.

Sparky · May 14, 2011, 10:57:22 PM

Next time you see them on a wall like that, try some syrup sprayed on them to keep cluster break up to a minimum and use a piece of posterboard or cardboard and slowly come up from the bottom and scoop them from the wall in a couple of swipes and spray more as needed. Sometimes when the bee brush rolls over top of them it pee'd them off.

Apis_M_Rescue · May 15, 2011, 02:54:57 AM

Thank the wife for the great pics. Like the one w/ Residents Only parking sign next to bees,lol. I'll 2nd Sparky on the sugar spray & Allen on the cool coveralls. Is that winter camo? Been trying to find desert storm camo or lighter camo get up w/ english hood. Update us on the status of this interesting swarm & good luck w/ many more.

Cheers, David

wayne · May 17, 2011, 08:40:04 PM

Thanks, I'll give the wife your complements. The coveralls are winter camo for hunting, I hate to let things just set around and they were much cheaper than a bee suit.
I just got another call from the same place, that's three swarms in a week. We found a nest in the building next door and that may be the point of origin.
The last swarm chose a car in the lot. I tried the sugar spray and it helped some but as close as the main hive is the car had bees cleaning up the left over spray so it took awhile for things to calm down.

AliciaH · May 17, 2011, 08:49:25 PM

WOW! What did the car's owner have to say?

hankdog1 · May 17, 2011, 09:45:47 PM

Quote from: AliciaH on May 17, 2011, 08:49:25 PM
WOW! What did the car's owner have to say?

"I ran out of gas this bee came along said she could help. So I waited and she returned with her friends and filled my tank up with you guessed it BP." Sorry couldn't help myself hahaha. :lau: :lau:

VolunteerK9 · May 18, 2011, 09:40:28 AM

Thats either one heckuva parent colony, or multiple colonies nearby. Very nice swarms.

AliciaH · May 18, 2011, 04:11:21 PM

:lau:

Thanks for the chuckle, Hankdog!