Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: olehunter on April 20, 2017, 07:15:57 pm

Title: swarm
Post by: olehunter on April 20, 2017, 07:15:57 pm
got a call last evening .been trying to trap a swarm for 3 yrs. no luck the caller said that he heard i was looking for bees. had a swarm in his backyard. came from his hollow tree , occupied for 5 yrs he said . yess there they were . ten inches in diameter 2 ft long on a branch 20 feet in the air. bunched tight wet and cold . im 81 with replaced hip , dont do ladders. he called a neighbor to get them. i guess im still trying to trap.  stilled bummed .                                                        :sad:
Title: Re: swarm
Post by: Dallasbeek on April 20, 2017, 07:30:51 pm
Keep trying.  I'll be 81 next month, but haven't had a hip replacement because I stay off ladders :cool:
Title: Re: swarm
Post by: Acebird on April 20, 2017, 08:39:08 pm
I am just wondering if you can hit them with a water cannon and then suck them off the ground with a shop vac?  Or maybe find the queen and put her in a caged box?
Title: Re: swarm
Post by: divemaster1963 on April 20, 2017, 11:08:17 pm
hit them with water and you will probably kill most and the queen. remember that water coming out of a hose is 62 degrees or less. you will chill them . get a 2 full long 20 foot sections of schedule 80 PVC pipe 2 inch dia. and some unions. cut the pipe into 5 foot sections and glue union on one end. and on the final one glue a on flange mount. then in a five gal bucket drill a 2inch hole in bottom and glue a 4 inch round of rubber innertube over the hole. mount the flange onto the bottom of the bucket whee the hole is. cut a small x in the center of the rubber take the lid and attach thin roper in three places around the lid. then make the pieaces long enough to lay the lid off the top of the bucket and down Thur the bottom of the bucket Thur the rubber. attach the three ropes to one long rope that will run Thur all the pipes. as the height of the swarm increases add a section of pipe slipped together. rub a little lemon grass oil on the inside of the bucket or place a section of old comb in the bucket. get under the swarm and then just gab really really hard into the swarm and limb. this should knock the swarm loose and into the bucket. pull on the rope and the lid should close on the bucket but not seal. remove sections of pipe to bring it down onto a hive box. then just dump them in. repeat if needed. oh wear your jacket( nothing like knocking a swarm onto your head. ) Oh maybe Sand the pipe a little to make it easier to slip the pipes together. not to loose though.

john
Title: Re: swarm
Post by: BeeMaster2 on April 22, 2017, 09:07:41 pm
You can also just tape the pole to the bucket and then use it to bump the swarm into the bucket.
I have done this a few times when I didn't have my swarm equipment.
Title: Re: swarm
Post by: Oldbeavo on April 23, 2017, 08:20:13 am
20 ft up is too far for ladder
I have caught swarms by throwing a rope over the branch and if small enough break it off and bring the swarm to the ground. If you can position the box under the swarm and they fall in all the better.
You can if they are tight enough just give the branch a good shake with the box underneath.
Last resort if you are not in the suburbs and the branch is broom handle or smaller thick then place the box below the swarm and use a shotgun to blow the branch off. They drop and you have the branch with all the scent on it and they seem to go into the box quite well.