Last Night I Captured A Bee Swarm! - How My Story is SAVING THE BEES!
When I neighbors called last night
I was in the middle of working on the horse barn. I had to let their call go to message. Along with a voice message they sent me a text saying:Hey Blake. We have a huge bee swarm that has landed here on my office. Do you want them. Or how do I get rid of them?
I knew that get rid of them meant which poison do I buy?. As soon as I was down off of a ladder I was in a hurry to get my gear in the truck and get over there.
The situation
It turns out that my neighbors wife is allergic to wasp and bee stings, so they were not excited about having this beautiful colony of bees take up residence in their office. The bees were all balled up under the eaves of the office shed behind their house. According to the owners the swarm ball had started forming around 4pm. It was now close to 7pm. The bees were exploring some of the cracks in the siding and trim. This was going to be their new home.
the swarm
My Story is Saving Bees
The reason I say this is that the home owner expressed that over the years they have had this happen a few times. Every other time they just sprayed the bees to get rid of them. He was protecting his wife. He didn't know any better for the bees. It is my social media outlet that allowed him to know that these bees can be saved. He immediately thought to call me to see what could be done. I'm glad he did.
Many people have called me to come get bees out of their trees, wall and kids play gyms. The truth is I just don't have time for that. I wish I did. So, what I normally do is refer people to a friend of mine who is also a beekeeper. He has made it his mission to be available to go capture swarms. Where he can't perform the duties he has contact too. The network of local beekeepers is saving bees for miles around.
The Rescue
With my neighbors wife safely inside we set up a ladder so I could reach this swarm. There were many question about the bees that I was glad to answer to the best of my knowledge. Their was one question that I answered confidently, but may have been a bit off. The home owner said:
How many bees are there?
I told him their were 3000 bees, but may be off by a few ;)
The swarm wasn't too difficult to brush off the eaves into the box. I'm pretty sure I even saw the queen drop into the box. She was big and very dark. This morning (the next morning after the initial rescue) I went down with a second box to get some of the stragglers that didn't go in the first box. They were less controlled. I believe it was because the queen was already in the first box. They were lost and confused.
all boxed up
The boxes now sit in my apiary. I was pleased to see this morning that the first box already had some new comb drawn out and there were eggs in it. This confirms that I had, in fact, captured the queen.
Success!
There will be more to this story as it develops :)
at home in the apiary
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We went through the same about five days ago.
https://steemit.com/animal/@watchout2017/real-8-panel-beehive-with-1-000s-of-killer-bees-in-sevilla-spain
Domi
Always love to read such stories from bee-lovers. Great work.
I have done the same and is a great gift to bees and the people around them.
What a blessing your neighbor called you. I guess I have a few questions. When you bring your new bees and set them next to your old bees don't they fight each other? How often do you harvest honey and do you get to sell them?
@daddykirbs oh wow .. thats a huge swarm . never seen one that large ... never intend to as well :) . Must have been an interesting day for you
I didn't get my normal video editing done. Lol I'm glad I coukd make a steemit post about it 😁
Swarms are great! Keep an eye for disease as they progress. Given them lots of foundation to draw.
I put 4 frames of drawn comb. There is one empty frame with plastic foundation. When I opened it this morning to put those frames in it (It already had one full drawn and one empty in it) they were building burr comb on the lid of the box. It already had eggs in it!
They are geared to make a new home fast. They have a queen needing to lay eggs. Swarms are fantastic to get that foundation drawn.
Wonderful rescue! In the Netherlands it's actually illegal to kill a colony of bees. We had a colony of bumblebees once, but I heard they make a new hive each year so we just let them be.
I actually see less and less regular bees in my garden unfortunately, it's mostly bumblebees and the occasional annoying wasp.
What do you recommend for several bee stings at one time?
1 take some anti histamine
2 tea trea oil works great topical at the sting.
3 wear protection for the head: bees focus on the head while it is easy to reach, soft tissue. A bear has no hair on its nose/forehead, so now you know the bee instinct.
Start by scraping the stingers off. Honey bees leave the venom sac behind and it keeps pushing venom into your skin if you leave it on. A credit card or long fingernail works well; just don't pinch the venom sac.
Keep calm and find a comfortable place to rest. There is no need to panic.
Expect to see significant swelling. If you get stung in a fleshy part, say the back of your hand, the swelling is going to be significant. That is normal. As long as the swelling is localized near the sting site then it is a normal reaction. Stings on your knuckles or head will still hurt, but won't swell as much.
Use some ice to keep the swelling down. An OTC anti-histamine will also help.
If you have have trouble breathing or swallowing then you need to get to an emergency room. Hives (itchy red welts) are also worrisome.
If you have an Epipen or epinephrine auto injector you should only use it if you have a serious reaction or have a history of serious reactions. The Epipen is not a substitute for going to see a doctor. It just gives you an extra 20 to 30 minutes to seek medical attention.
Most beekeepers get stung a few times per week and find that the reaction gets milder over time. The first sting of the season hurts for a day or two, but after that it tapers off.
Some people have increasing levels of reaction to bee stings after repeated exposure. The usual advise for them is to use a full bee-proof suit and gloves to reduce the number of stings. If the reactions keep getting worse, then it might be time for a different hobby.
I love catching swarms. It is easily my favorite part about keeping bees. Putting out traps to catch swarms from feral colonies is a great way to improve the survival rate of the bees. Most of the premium nesting cavities in a given area are already taken if there are feral bees in your area. The typical swarm struggles to find a good location to set up shop before they run out of resources. Giving them a nice box to settle in improves their chances a great deal.
Great story! Beekeeping may be my next adventure.
How exciting!-I am very happy that you had the knowledge and ability to save those bees! how wonderful-great job Blake!!