semi overturned in georgia

[10framer]

does anybody know whose bees were on the semi that blew a tire and turned over in forsythe, georgia?

[OldMech]

Ohhhh lord.. I bet that was a mess..........

[AllenF]

http://www.macon.com/2013/11/03/2753938/bees-swarm-in-forsyth-after-accident.html   

[OldMech]

Uhyup!!!  Definitely a mess.. kind of looks like what the pollinators leave behind in the blueberry fields when they pack up and leave.. I dont envy anyone trying to sort out that mess.

[GSF]

10framer, I have some swarm traps. We'll split the bounty..

That's a sad sight.

[10framer]

it's amazing to see those guys in full suits.  those bees would be so disoriented that just about the only stings would be from mashing them.  instead you see beekeepers in full hazmat suits with a caption that says they are suited up for war with the bees.  still don't know who the bees belonged to. 
thanks for the link allen. 
gary, i don't like our odds of getting them through the winter at this point.

[bernsad]

Really, the bees aren't going to be defensive after being upended and dumped all over the place?

How would you go about organising hives again after that? I mean you've got millions of bees all lumped together, very little or no idea where the queens are, what do you do? Grab an intact box and some frames, scoop in a couple of lbs of bees and put a lid on it?

[BeeMaster2]

I'm surprised that the fire department didn't come in and foam the whole area down. Usually when this happens, everyone in the area is getting stung. I talked to my local fire chief about calling me if we have a bee tractor trailer accident and he in formed me that they would just foam them.
Was this site near the town or any housing areas. I suspect it may have been in an isolated area.
Jim

[10framer]

Really, the bees aren't going to be defensive after being upended and dumped all over the place?

How would you go about organising hives again after that? I mean you've got millions of bees all lumped together, very little or no idea where the queens are, what do you do? Grab an intact box and some frames, scoop in a couple of lbs of bees and put a lid on it?

i don't think there is any organizing hives at that point.  you put together what you can what makes it makes it.  bees reach a point of being so disoriented that they act like they do when they swarm.

[10framer]

I'm surprised that the fire department didn't come in and foam the whole area down. Usually when this happens, everyone in the area is getting stung. I talked to my local fire chief about calling me if we have a bee tractor trailer accident and he in formed me that they would just foam them.
Was this site near the town or any housing areas. I suspect it may have been in an isolated area.
Jim

the news story did say that they were hosing the bees to keep them under control.  the general public doesn't know much about bees.

[bernsad]

i don't think there is any organizing hives at that point.  you put together what you can what makes it makes it.  bees reach a point of being so disoriented that they act like they do when they swarm.

Yeah, I kind of figured the part about acting like a swarm but you don't catch swarms that big, so I was wondering how you'd divvy them up.

[JPinMO]

oh, that's just heart-wrenching. poor girls.   :'(

[OldMech]

i don't think there is any organizing hives at that point.  you put together what you can what makes it makes it.  bees reach a point of being so disoriented that they act like they do when they swarm.

Yeah, I kind of figured the part about acting like a swarm but you don't catch swarms that big, so I was wondering how you'd divvy them up.

  I had to think about that one.. but... yeah...  set up boxes, (salvage the ones that werent broken) dump bees in, put the lid on...(Smack the snot out of anyone trying to hose them) Haul them to a yard somewhere, preferably away from your bees and any people..   FEED like a madman while queens were incoming from everywhere you could find them.. by the time you got queens youd know if any of the boxes HAD a queen.. You know how many queens are incoming, so you split the frames of eggs/larvae you can spare into some of the boxes... requeen those you could with commercial queens, and combine all the rest.  man what  mess that would be to figure out.