If your gonna help a friend catch his swarm....

[KD4MOJ]

Before shakin' the bush, check for 3 inch thorns first....



I learned the hard way...

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[Edgy]

Yikes!  That looks painful.  That tree/plant would be something to plant around your perimeter to deter thieves.  Very nice looking swarm though!

[swflcpl]

Looks like a citrus of some kind. Wish a swarm like that would take up residence near our citrus trees. :)

[KD4MOJ]

Yikes!  That looks painful.  That tree/plant would be something to plant around your perimeter to deter thieves.  Very nice looking swarm though!

My friend called me at work at lunch about this... told him I could not get there until 4:30 to help him capture his wayward bees... I was hopping they would hang around until then.

My first though this plant would be thief deterrent!!  My friend who works for a local PD office, I said the same thing! The thing was, you could not see those spikes at first... really weird. We planed the capture out (at his next door neighbors house) and I told him what our plan of action was going to be and I grabbed the limb showing how we were going to dump the swarm down to the box not looking at the branch and..... two spikes went through my palm! YIKES!! So I said " Now you see why you need to PLAN this out!!!". Kinda embarrassing to say the least!

I will have to say, besides the blood loss from the SPIKES (and I am a free bleeder), we hived the swarm in less than hour, we must have gotten the queen in the box because they were fanning away in the  box on a step ladder and the stragglers came to the fanning like clockwork. Really amazing!! No veils, no smoke, no muss. My friend wanted to remove them before dark because the neighbors don't speak real good English and don't know he keeps bees so we worked real hard in getting this done!!

I have to say, this was the easiest, quickest swarm capture that I have ever done with great results.


If I can be so lucky in the future like JP... the SWARM KING... my idol! [GRIN]

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[BeeMaster2]

Ouch, That looks nasty.
How is your hand doing?
Jim

[D Coates]

That's a young Hedge Apple, Bodark, Osage Orange, Horse Apple, Monkey ball, etc... tree.  The thorns disappear from the trunk as the tree grows.  The newer limbs always have them.  If you want thorns look into a locust tree or a Monkey-no-climb tree.

Great job catching the swarm!  When they are in the middle of a tree it's always a challenge.  It really makes you appreciate those tight 4 ft. limb hangers.

[KD4MOJ]

Yep found out it was a Lemon tree (young).


Hand is doing ok... caught one thorn between my index and middle finger on the right hand. Then to top it off, when securing the box to take it down from the ladder, I mushed 3 bees on the SBB and they got me 3 times on that same middle finger! Almost made through the whole episoside without getting stung and I was the cause of it!

And something real funny, as I was leaving the subdivision down a winding road, I saw a guy on the side of the road with his flashers on and trunk lid up. I was slowing down to see if he needed assistance. He was sitting on his bumper and on the ground was a deep and a white sheet (and lots of bees on the pavement)! Must have seen the swarm on the  side of the road or something! Was going to stop and chat but I had lots of traffic going both ways so I continued on.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ

[D Coates]

That's what makes swarms so much fun to catch.  You never know what you're going to find and I've not had any 2 be the same.

[KD4MOJ]

That's what makes swarms so much fun to catch.  You never know what you're going to find and I've not had any 2 be the same.

So true... now I'm really ready for swarms... got rid of my '96 Suburban over the weekend and bought a '04 dodge ram 1500 complete with tool boxes. Bring on 'dem swarms!!

...DOUG
KD4MOJ