Swarm challenge

[Charlie B]

With great humility and hubris I hereby announce that I was unable to lure any of Charlie's San Francisco swarms into my bait hives. My site in San Francisco one mile from his rooftop apiary has failed for the fourth year in a row to lure in a swarm., his sleepless nights are over.

It pays to check for swarm cells and to keep your brood nest open!
Swarmcellcheck.jpg

I learned that in a class taught by a guy named Oliver Frank.

[BayHighlandBees]

Two of my three San Francisco traps are back in San Mateo, twenty miles away from his hives, his sleepless nights are over.

What Ollie failed to disclosed is where he moved his remaining trap too. Charlie I wouldn't let your guard down just yet!

[Charlie B]

What Ollie failed to disclosed is where he moved his remaining trap too. Charlie I wouldn't let your guard down just yet!

Oh I know BHB, I don't trust him. Just look who he hangs out with!

Jollie Ollie.jpg

[minz]

I got 2! Yeah finally in the game with the big boys! My boss put the hive on the top of the building so I put traps around the area (just like Ollie). He said that he had never heard of trapping and gave me a uppity snort, now he has taken one of my traps he put next to his hive and wants to know where I get the LGO.
Question, do you have a stash of brood comb? About this time all my brood comb is in use and I am looking for more. I want to reset the traps but weighing the best need. Flow is on strong here.

[odfrank]

Question, do you have a stash of brood comb? .

My secret is to make sure that 80% of my hives die each winter and then I have lots of brood comb for trapping.

[KQ6AR]

I have our hives build a 3rd deep of new comb every spring so I can steal the bottom deep.

[Charlie B]

That's a good idea Dan.

[BayHighlandBees]

thread has gone silent. Does anyone have any updates?

[Charlie B]

Swarms have slowed down dramatically here in SF. Still only 8 so far. Haven't talked to Ollie in several days but I think he's still trapping. I'm sure he's over 50 by now. I've been busy extracting. Quite the flow going on right now.

[odfrank]

This was my last one. Nobody liked my video because I was so giddy with excitement. My life is pretty boring so this was the biggest thing in months for me. I will work on my list because I have been deleting the queenless ones, which run about 10%. I have once again run out of honey supers and should do some extracting.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...pics-and-video

[Charlie B]

As Dan mentioned previously in that post, you are the one and only true masterbaiter!

[BayHighlandBees]

running out of honey supers is a good problem to have!

[minz]

Went on vacation (Oregon to Wisconsin) and got swarm calls #2 and #3 for the year. Seems the swarms know when I am on vacation. Weather stopped raining here in Portland and the flow of blackberries is on. I pulled my swarm traps to get frames, stopping on the way home to get more foundation for my supers.

[KQ6AR]

Our CA privet flow has been disappointing this year. Nectar is coming slow.
Wish I had you're problem.

[odfrank]

Our CA privet flow has been disappointing this year. Nectar is coming slow.
Wish I had you're problem.

It is just starting here with the toyon. Hopefully something will come of it all. I saw both blooming for weeks last year.

[Charlie B]

Probably that nasty San Mateo ragweed your picking up.

[odfrank]

Since Charlie's inferiority complex has already has already driven him to starting another challenge and it is unlikely there will be any more swarms in my hood, here is my not totally accurate list of catches this year. S at the beginning means swarm caught. The numbered list is bait swarms caught. Fail means they were caught but did not take. Some were totally deleted from the list, I would think the baits caught number about 60 with at least a 10% failure rate. I am surprised how many fails there are, you would think that a swarm is a swarm. CO is cutout.

S 3/20/12 El Cerrito swarm
S CannLake 3/29/12
S CannLake4/3/12afteroak
S cedar tree 6/13
CO Castro RC 5/30
Mary's tree 4/7/12
Wisteria vac swarm 6/8 DOA
1 B 3/8/12. 1928 doa bait stand
2 B 3/21/12 1928 #2 stand
3 B Anderson TC 3/28/12 stand
4 B Mary 3/28/12 stand
5 B Claude 3/20 stand FAIL
6 B Huggins 4/3?/12
7 B Leigh tiny 4/3/12
8 B Red trailer winebox 4/7/12
9 B Dan 4/3?/12
10 B Mark winebox 4/7/12EFB
11 1928 #3
12, 13 BB Bob 2 4/8/12
13 B Greg 4/8?/12
14 B Ken 4/14/12
15 B Ken II, 4/18/12
16 B Mark II, 4/18/12
17 B Greene 4/20/12
18 B Tony 4/-20/12
19 B 101 4/-20/12
20 B Jason 04/21/12
21 B Baez 4/-23/12
22 B Runnymede 4/-23/12
23 B Bart 3/26?/12
24 B bedroom 4/27/12
25 B Dirks 4/27?/12
26 B Hutchinson 04/?/12 EFB
BB 2 dinks yard FAIL
27 B BoB 5/2/12
28 B Faye 4/25?/12 fail
29 B Ken Saratoga
30 B Bob 5/6/12
31 B Saffo 5/4/12
32 Winterborne 5/7/12
33 B Arcadia brood chmbr 5/8/12
34 B Bob 5/9/12
35 B Lydia 5/12
36 B Donald 5/9/12 WB fail
37 B yard table 5/10/12
38 B Roger 5/12/12 QLESS fail
S 27th Ave. 5/12/12
B Belmont Virgin 5/17 fail
39 B Anderson TC stand 5/22/12
40 B 5/+6/12 cabin
CO 5/25 Lydia Ct
41 watershed on stand -5/30
42 Belmont 6/2/12
43 101 Jumbo end of May
45 Bruce 6/10
45 Jennie 6/11/12
46 Glenn 6/13 fail
49 B yard follwr brd 7/1/12
50, 51 watershed date unknwn

[shannonswyatt]

It seems to me that I've found the cause of CCD. The bees are not just flying away, odfrank is trapping them!

[KQ6AR]

Of the 9 swarms I caught around my neighborhood, Zero where trapped in my 4 bait hives around the neighborhood.
I admit my loss, maybe next year.

[Charlie B]

Dan,

I just obtained a bee yard in San Mateo so next spring we can use it as a base of operations to assault the odfrank compound!