20ft shake down success

[WI-beek]

Hey fellow beeks, just want to share a swarm I shook out of an oak tree about twenty feet up last night just before dark. It was chance circumstances that allowed me to even be aware of its presence. I pulled up to the yard to change batteries and decided to take a stroll over toward some milkweed to see if they were working it much. When I got near the oak tree I heard enough buzzing to make me think they were working something pretty hard but soon the sound was right above me in the oak tree which was odd since its way to late for them to be working pollen. I looked up and laughed, I just drove right under that tree and had no clue that a swarm was in it. Ahh, just what I dont need to deal with right now I thought being I had lots of frames and foundation to put together yet. Oh well, I had to at least try to catch it and thank goodness, it was a success.

http://youtu.be/Y4d1L44FJaQ

Morgan

[tsmullins]

Good job,

Thanks for sharing.

Shane

[geebob]

That was awesome!

[sevenmmm]

I believe it!

[RogerCrum]

Great catch Morgan!

[Barry]

Another way to catch high swarms.

http://www.beesource.com/resources/e...t-high-swarms/

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Barry, that has to be worth a try. It wouldn't be that hard to test in your own apiary as there should be brood around. Thanks for posting.

[wheeler88]

Good job, thanks for sharing......

[Daniel Y]

I've seen that brood comb thing mentioned before. But when I tried to say something about it on a post it got shot down by all the experienced keepers. So if anyone tries it and finds it does work let us know. The problem was that the other keepers didn't think that brood comb would be something that is readily available when you find a swarm. I actually thought of it when I saw the video.

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Daniel.... I would think that during a swarm season there would be lots of brood available, since at that time, most hives are expanding. I have heard of this, but never tried it, but, I will this Spring, just to see what happens. I'm always game to try something different.

Lots of those same "experienced beekeepers" you cited, also have said, you can not get a queen to leave a tree, tank, house, etc, during a trap out. I tell them, just keep believing that, as you watch me catch the queen in trap outs.

cchoganjr

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Cleo, that is the beauty of Beesource, it seems to attract innovators and the open minds that positively reinforce those open minds.

[Daniel Y]

Cleo, As soon as I can find a hive in a tree or wall I am inviting you to come show me that trick.

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Daniel...Do you have a copy of my writings and photos of actual traps in progress which explains how it is done? If not send me an e-mail cchoganjr@scrtc.com and I will send it to you. Trees are easy, walls are more difficult due to inability to close all entrances/exits, and location of brood nest. In trees, the brood nest is normally easy to access, in houses, the entrance may be several feet from the brood nest, and it is more difficult ( but certainly not impossible) to get the queen to come into the trap to inspect the unsealed brood you place in the trap. Early Spring, during a good honey flow, take the queen and let the feral colony make themselves a new queen. End result, a new hive with very little cost. If you take the queen, be careful and watch the feral source to insure that they have made themselves a new queen. If not, you might have to give them a queen during the trapping process, long enough to reestablish the colony. If not, the colony dies. Over the years I have had several farmers let me trap, just don't kill the colony.

I know there are those who don't want feral source bees, (disease concerns, etc) but, I have never experienced this problem this with the several hundred I have trapped. Feral sources, with feral queens, are local queens, adapted to the specific area.

I would love to come to Reno. Never been there. By the way, received an e-mail, they are currently trapping bees in Bolivia (out of concrete telephone poles), and I told them I would come and watch their progress too, if they just paid my plane fare. They responded they would send photos. HA!! Hope to share them with Beesource when I get them sometime after the first of the year.

Anyone close to Park City, Ky. Exit 48 on I-65, or if you are just passing through next Spring, let me know, I will gladly show anyone how it is done, actual traps in progress, let you talk to some locals who have been doing it for years, using my trap plans. The good thing is, it is all free. I don't charge for any of this.

cchoganjr

[Daniel Y]

Cleo, E-mail sent. I need all the help I can get. I will one up the offer from Bolivia and send you a photo of a plane ticket to Reno.
I have thought over the plus an minuses of capturing bees. sort of comes up 6 of one and half a dozen of the other for me. I don't think I would run a commercial operation that way. But I'm just playing and hope that maybe I can add to the health of the bees along the way. Capturing bees adds to the appeal of a challenge.

[wheeler88]

Cleo, thanks for sending me the info. I took a quick look at it some of it and looks like you have some good ideas, going to read it over tonite. Thanks again..

Matt........

[Daniel Y]

Cleo, Ditto Matt. I found the e-mails this morning and loaded them to my computer. Will have to wait for the weekend to read through it all. Pretty obvious it is not the standard go shake them into a box method though. I have seen more hives in cavities here in Reno than I see swarms though. I am pretty sure that this information will be very helpful.

[Beeboy01]

I picked up a swarm this year by accident using some drone brood and old frames. I was culling out some beat up frames in my bee yard and was storing all the frames in a deep with no top cover. I came back about two hours later and a nice swarm had moved in on the frames and was already making it's self at home. Don't know where the swarm came from, maybe from one of my own hives but it is doing well so far. It was a real "Go Figure" moment because I really wanted to get rid of the old frames but ended up with a swarm instead. I guess the bees cared less than I did about the condition of the comb and frames.