Don't know whether to count this as a Swarm or Cutout

1819 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by USCBeeMan, Jul 6, 2010

USCBeeMan

Discussion Starter · Jul 5, 2010

Got a call Saturday about a swarm/hive of bees in a tree. Not inside a tree but on a limb. Sent me pics. Went the 60 miles this AM to see and get the colony. Got pics and will post later.

Vacuumed the bees first. Took several rachet straps and connected them together and used it as a rope. Tied it to the branch with the comb and then around another limb to use as a focal point. Finally got the limb cut and then lowered the hive.

Got 5 or 6 large frames and 1 or 2 medium frames of comb. Some of them had honey. Many had honey, pollen, brood, larva, young larva and eggs.

There were lots of bees on the limb after I cut off the largest combs that had something in them. Vacuumed the limb to get most of the bees. Believe the queen was still on the branch. Shook the branch so that all of the bees would go down into the box with the cutout frames. So hopefully the queen was shaken into that box and not vacuumed into the other box containing frames with SW/HBH.

Need a joint replacement in my left shoulder real bad. Thought I wouldn't get home from all of the pain cutting the limb down from above my head using some lopping shears.

Took a pain killer when I got home and laid down. Just got up from the nap but going to lay back down as the pain is still pretty good.

Couldn't turn down a job like this one because of the size of the hive in the limbs. Got 2 last year but they just had a very small amount of comb. Was paid $50. Not sure I would do it again for the $50 but I am glad I got to see and get a colony like this one.

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mike haney

· #2 · Jul 5, 2010

"...whether to count this as a Swarm or Cutout..."
id count it as a whale of a lotta work for $50 and a hive of bees!
best o luck with your shoulder. my local doc wanted to cut into mine but i put it off. just as a lark, i started taking "move free" vitamins/supplements. felt better in a few weeks- 5 years ago. maybe the power of suggestion, or just a mis-diagnosis, but i feel fine now.
good luck,mike

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USCBeeMan

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 5, 2010

Here are the pictures

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/...e limb/?albumview=slideshow&direction=reverse

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Hoxbar

· #4 · Jul 5, 2010

How can they live on that branch? I thought the hive would need protection from the elements.

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knpeterson

· #5 · Jul 5, 2010

That is crazy!! I gathered three swarms this year that were all building comb in the tree. Nothing at all to that extent though!! Looked like a lot of work.

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MeriB

· #6 · Jul 5, 2010

Wow! thanks for sharing!

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USCBeeMan

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 5, 2010

It seems the bees themselves protect the hive. Before I started every square inch of the comb was covered with bees. They were all in a very tight configuration just like you would see with a swarm. Everyone of them fit like a piece to a 3 dimensional puzzle.

And not 1 single SHB to be seen!

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USCBeeMan

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 5, 2010

mike haney said:
"...whether to count this as a Swarm or Cutout..."
id count it as a whale of a lotta work for $50 and a hive of bees!
best o luck with your shoulder. my local doc wanted to cut into mine but i put it off. just as a lark, i started taking "move free" vitamins/supplements. felt better in a few weeks- 5 years ago. maybe the power of suggestion, or just a mis-diagnosis, but i feel fine now.
good luck,mike

Vitamins will not help me.........ball joint is bad and needs to be replaced.

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sqkcrk

· #9 · Jul 5, 2010

Well, if you don't know, then it isn't.

Don't you charge for both?

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mythomane

· #10 · Jul 6, 2010

For $50 that seems insane -- pretty hive, though....used to do stuff like that with ladders until I smartened up and bought some scaffold towers. Word.

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sqkcrk

· #11 · Jul 6, 2010 (Edited)

.....

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USCBeeMan

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jul 6, 2010

I normally don't charge for swarms that are not far away. Many times the callers insist I take money. I just tell them to give me what they think it's worth to them. Had a local swarm a few days back and she gave me a check for $30.

I am sure I could have gotten more than $50 but at the time I thought it would be a decent price. It wasn't until I got there and started the job that I realized I low balled myself.

Still it was worth it to see and get the bees from such a hive. Most beeks probably will never see one much less get the colony.

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