Big Swarm!

[Rebel Rose]

I had a call this morning from a lady who had 'lots of bees' hanging in one of her trees and she wanted them 'gone'....'please?'

I drove the twenty plus miles one way to find a beautiful extra large basketball sized cluster on a tree branch right next to her bedroom window! I wish that they were all that easy to get. I had them off of the branch and into a hive body within minutes and they all crawled right in with the queen....I got her on the second shake. She seems to be a very fat and dark colored Russian, as are the workers.

The couple had been out in the yard and seen the swarm arrive. They also pointed out a hole in a limb high up in a large white oak tree. Sure enough, that is where they came from. I am thinking about doing a trapout, as they do not want them there either....but that depends on if I can can get a tree trimmer who has a bucket truck for that one...too high for ladders and I am not that crazy yet.

They had thought the bees would 'move on' and when they stayed there....arrived the morning of the 1st of May....they got worried. They said they even had a ladder that I could use and to 'please hurry'! Of course the girls were hungry and cranky when I got there....so I had to use a veil and jacket....and got only one sting on my hand when I put on my glove, as there was a bee in my glove...how it got there I have not a clue, as the gloves were in my truck.

While I was there waiting and watching the swarm move into the hive body, I could see lots of the workers shaking their behinds up in the air....ahhh, now that really made me feel good that they liked their new home.

The girls are now home and seem to be adjusting well....still have those butts up in the air scenting. Since it was so hot on the ride home and pretty warm here today, I took out the grass plug I used (as lost the screen I had been using) and gave them some air. They are a little more hot than I would have liked, but they had been there in a cluster for several days.

Like I said, I wish that they were all this easy!

Oh yes, the best part is that I had my work done before noon, so the couple asked, or more like demanded that I stay for grilled rib eyes and all the extras!
I wish they were all that that!

Brenda

[TXbeekeeper]

great story, Brenda. Good luck with them and hope you enjoyed the grilled rib eye!!

[jaglx]

Free bees and grilled rib eyes, WoW! I would call that a good day. Congratulations!

[Troy]

Yeah, I'm jealous now. I've had some nice easy pickups like that, but I never got a ribeye.

[phil c]

Dang a swarm and a steak?!?! You must be livin right!

[Rebel Rose]

I think that it helped that their Boxer dog liked me, the wife was also so afraid of those bees that I think she would have done anything to see them gone. The husband also had to show me the old Mercury that they were restoring....it is going to be a beauty! (Flat head eight)

Now I am waiting for them to call me back! That was the best steak I had in some time....Black Angus! The next call will be most likely the worst ever! Things have a way of balancing out like that.

Brenda

[Rebel Rose]

Yeah, I'm jealous now. I've had some nice easy pickups like that, but I never got a ribeye.

I think this one was timed just right! I was done before lunch and they were hungry! They also had lots of questions about the bees, so I had to tell them all about the bees while eating. Not a bad trade at all.

They also want some local honey, so I got new customers too!

Brenda

[justgojumpit]

Sounds great! I wish the swarm I got yesterday was that big!

justgojumpit

[Rebel Rose]

Sounds great! I wish the swarm I got yesterday was that big!

justgojumpit

Yes, I know how that can be too....I had more than one call about softball sized clusters! I had to get one out of a tractor cab...the tractor was left out in the field after the rains, near a timber. The door had been left open a bit and the bees thought it was a good new home. They had about an inch by two inches of comb started. The way that farmer was talking about 'all of those bees' I thought the whold tractor cab had been taken over.

Brenda