Really gentle bees.

[enchplant]

Here is a video of a really gentle swarm in Berkeley CA. It was a warm still day. If every swarm were this easy to catch it would make for a much duller hobby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn8aUK7ctRU

[Merlinspop]

That's a great video!

[Acebird]

So you feel this was unusual? Could it be his technique? He didn't shake the branch until the end. When do you fell the queen got in the box? In the beginning or after he shook the branch?

[willyC]

I've nabbed a couple of swarms and they were as gentle as this one. I don't shake if I can help it for fear of the queen flying or getting injured. I prefer to cut the limb(s) and lower the whole thing into a capture box, much less disruptive and time efficient as there are very few stragglers going back to where the Queen was. Of course you need to have pruning tools in your kit.

Nice video, nothing wrong as far as tech but not a good message to send RE: Veil, or lack of IMHO

[Intheswamp]

Calm bees... Recently I had to hive three swarms out of a briar patch...off the ground. It was "lift a briar stem, snip it, shake in the box" until enough bees were in there to get the others marching in. I only used a veil on the last swarm. I got one sting...when scooping some bees up by hand I squeezed one and she let me know about it.

I went through my four hives yesterday (wearing veil, naturally) and before it was over the ladies were not happy at all. I would say these are pretty calm bees. There was a couple of times when I moved my hand across the top of the hive a little too fast and nine or ten bees would jump on it like metal filings jumping to a magnet...but they didn't sting, just kind of a "you better be cool" type warning.

Then today I walked down to the bee yard to take a hands-off "look". I was standing about 5' from the hive on the end looking at a small cluster on the porch when I seen her coming!!! She was on a mission, too, and it wasn't a mission of love!!!! As soon as she stepped on the porch she made a beeline for me....right below and to the side of the adam's apple. That smarted!!!!!!!!!

Even calm bees can have a bad hair day,...dance ever how you want to...but only if you're willing to pay the fiddler.

Ed

[Acebird]

I prefer to cut the limb(s) and lower the whole thing into a capture box,

Is most swarms going to fit in a capture box, limb and all?

[willyC]

Depends on the size of box, Nuc or Refrigerator and how well you trim the limb.

[BuzzyBuzz]

What a lovely video Enchplant - thanks for sharing!