# Got a call from Georgia.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Home Depot called from Georga last Thursday nearly a week ago to see if I would go to the Lapeer Michigan store to get a swarm of bees that landed in the garden center that afternoon.


I told them I had most of my equipment in the truck and could be there with in an hour. Home Depot biuilds racks with concrete blocks and 2x6 planks as the shelves. The bees were on the under side of the top shelf and the back of the rack. Kare moved flats of Hostas From the oppsite rack while I brought in the vac and hive and got it all set up. I then vacumed them up, took them to one of our out yards to live.
this is the second swarm I have got from a Home Depot store. Last one was in a Flowering crab tree in the parking lot. Only the forth swarm of the year. Last year I had gotten nine at this date.


Was able to take a quick look at them late yesterday afternoon. The queen has started laying again.

 Al


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

That's so cool!

So you drove to Georgia from Michigan? That's a long ways!

Do the bees usually just stay where you put them or do they sometimes fly off to somewhere else?


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## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

Reread the thread again wolfy . . . Slowly. 

Al's a michigan beekeeper who stayed in the state.

Home Depots corporate office is in Atlanta, GA. and made the call to him for help.

Which indicates that the store in Lapeer, MI. no doubt called the home office first.

Nice catch Al.


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## homemaid (Apr 26, 2011)

Great job Alleyooper... What part of Michigan you in. I am in the Thumb...


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

Wolfy-hound said:


> That's so cool!
> 
> So you drove to Georgia from Michigan? That's a long ways!
> 
> Do the bees usually just stay where you put them or do they sometimes fly off to somewhere else?


Thats what I was wondering...an hour drive in a jet maybe!

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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

Whoops! Guess others figured out he wasn't going to GA to get bees.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Mostly they stay where I put them. Every once in a while they just want a ride and stay a day or two till they find some thoing more to their liking. I remember 3 times in all the years I've been getting swarms.
Not once since I made the new vac system though.

 Al


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## 349141 (Oct 16, 2012)

Nice work Alleyyooper; I have been in the Lapeer store before (used to work at the Fenton store when I was in college, and drove there once for a transfer). Nice area up around that way.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Lapeer would be a good place to put a Lowe's. The home Depot in Burton has nicer people working there. Never have had a problem with my discount and if threy are out of some thing they are quicker to look on the computer to find the nearest store that has one in stock.
Got the ridgid mobil stand for my chop saw from Fenton as the last one in stock near Burton. A ridgid Drill from the store on corrona road the last one left in the area on sale. Have been to the Hill road one and peirson road one also.

 Al


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## 349141 (Oct 16, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> Lapeer would be a good place to put a Lowe's. The home Depot in Burton has nicer people working there. Never have had a problem with my discount and if threy are out of some thing they are quicker to look on the computer to find the nearest store that has one in stock.
> Got the ridgid mobil stand for my chop saw from Fenton as the last one in stock near Burton. A ridgid Drill from the store on corrona road the last one left in the area on sale. Have been to the Hill road one and peirson road one also.
> 
> Al


Can't beat the lifetime warranty on Rigid tools (including the lifetime warranty on their batteries for cordless drills). :thumb:


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

So you're saying Home Depot give away free-bee's?! :sing::cute::catfight:


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## Wolfy-hound (May 5, 2013)

Oh my bad... the first thing I saw was the Georgia in the title and the first location mentioned was the call coming from Georgia. 

Good that you didn't need to drive all the way to Georgia, that's a long drive for bees.

I'm glad they stay where you put them too, it would be frustrating to go get bees and set them up only for them to take off and swarm someplace else. I like bees. Not really fond of honey, but I like bees. 

It's really awesome that a major corporation will call in someone to remove the bees rather than just grabbing a can of bee spray off their own shelves and kill the whole swarm!


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

OH YES YOU CAN!!! Beat the ridigid life time warrenty on tools includeing batterys. I had to throw a royal fit just for 2 new batterys for my 18V ridgid drill driver just this spring. Wrote a review on the hassle I had to go thru to get those batterys on Amazon. Got contacted by Ridiged asking what would make me happy. 

Buy back all my rigid tools at the price I paid so I can *go to Lowes and buy Hitichi tool.*
A friend builds pole barns and has hitichi tools walks in the store with a wore out drill driver and walks out with a new one within a half hour. Not like my 6 trip run around for two batteries at Home Depot.

 Al


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> OH YES YOU CAN!!! Beat the ridigid life time warrenty on tools includeing batterys. I had to throw a royal fit just for 2 new batterys for my 18V ridgid drill driver just this spring. Wrote a review on the hassle I had to go thru to get those batterys on Amazon. Got contacted by Ridiged asking what would make me happy.
> 
> Buy back all my rigid tools at the price I paid so I can *go to Lowes and buy Hitichi tool.*
> A friend builds pole barns and has hitichi tools walks in the store with a wore out drill driver and walks out with a new one within a half hour. Not like my 6 trip run around for two batteries at Home Depot.
> ...


I have heard returning the Rigid batteries was a problem too...

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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

alleyyooper said:


> Mostly they stay where I put them. Every once in a while they just want a ride and stay a day or two till they find some thoing more to their liking. I remember 3 times in all the years I've been getting swarms.
> Not once since I made the new vac system though.
> 
> Al


I found a way to prevent that from happening. When you set up the empty hive, use a queen excluder between the brood chamber and the bottom board to prevent the queen from leaving. Once she starts laying, you can take it out.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My third swarm loss was from a bottom board with a queen excluder under the deep. Makes sence they could leave again when you really think about the swarm process. 
One step is the sliming down of the queen about 3 days before they leave. If she is slimed down she can I believe get thu a excluder like the one I caught did.

 Al


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

I never had that happen. I guess if they are determined enough they will find a way.


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## 349141 (Oct 16, 2012)

alleyyooper said:


> OH YES YOU CAN!!! Beat the ridigid life time warrenty on tools includeing batterys. I had to throw a royal fit just for 2 new batterys for my 18V ridgid drill driver just this spring. Wrote a review on the hassle I had to go thru to get those batterys on Amazon. Got contacted by Ridiged asking what would make me happy.
> 
> Buy back all my rigid tools at the price I paid so I can *go to Lowes and buy Hitichi tool.*
> A friend builds pole barns and has hitichi tools walks in the store with a wore out drill driver and walks out with a new one within a half hour. Not like my 6 trip run around for two batteries at Home Depot.
> ...


Sounds disappointing to me :shrug:


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