# How does the saying go....



## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay,
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon,
A swarm in July.... humm.... can't remember...

Got a call last night about a swarm on a house, so I went to see if I could knock it into a box this morning. Got about 2/3 of the bees into the box and then placed the lid almost all the way across. I let them settle a bit and a cluster went back up to the window. Waited about 15 minutes for it to cluster up again, then slid the lid back on the box and swept them down, closed the lid to a crack. Kept doing this for about an hour and a half!! All I seemed to do was tick them off and got nailed twice! :grit:

Finally decided I either got the queen and the rest will finally find their way to the hive, or I didn't get the queen and the hived bees will either convince her to join them or they'll go back to the window with that cluster. It's been 6 hours now and I called the folks to see what was happening. The cluster in the window is a bit bigger but there are still bees coming and going into the hive. :shrug:

So, I'm going to go back about sundown and either close up a hive with all the girls in them or I'll have to set up the bee vac and get the rest. Either that or they'll have left.... :nono:

I'll post again tomorrow and let y'all know what happens. It's supposed to rain later this evening and all day tomorrow, so it's get them home tonight or they'll be gone...:whistlin:


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## Slick (Jan 27, 2012)

ain't worth a fly


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## scrapiron (Jul 23, 2011)

Bring a spray bottle with sugar water. Spray the heck out of them, scoop up the majority, and dump them into the hive. Done deal.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Scrapiron, thanks for the sugestion. I hadn't thought of that. Duh. Here I was trying to figure out if I aught to close up the hive and then suck up the rest of the bees into another hive, then somehow get them combined again. I think I'll try the spray. If I can't get them all, I'll just take home what I have and let the rest die or move on. Hopefully I have the queen in there somewhere...

Thanks for the final line of the quote. Wonder what a silver spoon is worth these days with the price of silver...... LOL...


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Stop fooling around and leaving bees that may or may not have a queen and taking a hive that may or may not have a queen. 
Use the bee vac and suck them into their new hive. If you end up with two hives in the end marry them back together with the news paper method.
With the bee vac you get them all except for the scouts first time every time.

I never go on a swarm call any longer with out the vac and many times the genarator.

 Al


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Thanks again, Scrapiron!! I sprayed the cluster that was still on the house, but evidently I didn't spray them enough!! Got stung .... again .... Don't know why these girls liked stinging me in the upper, inner arm. Can't help but have it rub against my body, which just agravates it... and me!! Boy do they itch and sting yet. Each is swollen up an area about a palm and a half in area! Grrrr... Might have to invest in a bee suit after all as the long sleeve shirt isn't deflecting them much. And if I continue having these reactions, I think I'll feel more confident.

Al, that's the lesson I learned as well. From now on, I'll have the bee vac with me as well. I had a large die off the first time I used it. Evidently I had the suction on too high and they were slammed into the hive perhaps. Anyway, I think I'll still sweep as many into the hive as I can, then attach the top, open up the hose opening on the bottom, attach the hoses and suck up the rest. One trip that way and getting all the bees but still minimizing the death toll. Win-win.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

OMG!!! I'm not so sure I want this swarm!!! They were flying all over the place and bearding on the outside of the hive entrance. They were AGRESSIVE! Zinging the veil and following me for quite a while. I WAS going to open them up and put a syrup jar in there but I opted to leave it upturned on a couple of sticks outside their entrance. Boy am I glad I was geared up!! Then my son and I were bringing in some things from the trailer and he got stung!! The hive is 100 feet from the door! 

Do they calm down over time? Are they just agressive because they found their new home and are protective? Will they settle down? I can easily move them out back with some other hives. I just had space behind the garage with two other hives and hoped they'd be just as gentle. Geesh!!! Thank goodness my son didn't swell up like I do!! It got red but we put stuff on it and gave him some antihistimine safe for babies as he swells up big time with skeeter bites. I was really worried. Whew...


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Is it possible that they are africanized? I haven't kept up with how far north they have spread, so I don't know if they are in your area or not.

My first hives were africanized and acted similar to what you are describing. LOL....I was so green that I just didn't know any better! Shocked the heck out of me the first time I worked hives with another beekeeper....couldn't figure out why they weren't stinging and flying at my veil the moment we got into the hive.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Benidril is what Kare uses as soon as she gets the stingerout. I keep telling her to stick her hand in the hive and shake it around Once she gets about 10 good stings the swelling and itching will stop.

Do you have the entrance vac box padded?
I used 3/4 inch carpet pad held in place with a spray glue and 4 staples.



















To start open the pressure regulator full open. Start the vac, hold the suction hose to the bees close the regulator till you start sucking in bees. Mark that location so you can set it there to start every time.
I just removed a colony from a barn a week ago. When I lifted them off the bottom I counted about 10 dead bees laying on the ramp. That seems to be the results of most of the other people who built from the same plans have. 

Since it is a swarm andthe queen is probably old to boot I would don two shirts if need be and smoke the crap out of them. Go in and find the queen and step on her hard. Install at least to frames of eggs from a gentile colony and wait.

 Al


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I'd appreciate it if you'd share the plans for that swarm vacuum.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Al, that's a great idea about the soft landing. I'll give that a try.

TxMex... Al has got to have some pictures of it somewhere on here. That's what I used, not really any 'plans' per se. I took an old hive body that was mouse chewed but in otherwise good condition. Took a circular saw (but you can also use a jig saw) and square and cut off the bad part. Then I cut the remaining into two boxes 2/3 and 1/3. The 2/3 box is the bottom in which I cut a hole for the hose that the bees travel. Get the largest size hose you can find/afford, preferrably clear so you can see how fast the bees are traveling or if they're getting jammed up somewhere. There's also a slanted bottom board so the bees can climb into the hive body that you set on top of this bottom box. Depending on the size of the swarm you're sucking up, you'll have either one or more hive bodies, complete with frames in them for the girls to cling to. 

Next, I took some lath and made a 2-lath thick 'box' and put window screen on top of that. Duct taped all around it to seal out air gaps. Place this on the hive bodies, screen side down. This will keep the girls in the hive bodies and not sucked into your shop vac.

Last box in this tower is the 1/3 box. I made two holes in this top, one for the shop vac hose to go into for suction, and the other has a swivel top that I can adjust the suction/air flow.

As I didn't do so hot on my cutting, I found I didn't have a good enough seal and therefore didn't have any suction at the incoming hose. So, I put closed cell window insulation strips, the kind with the sticky peel-off strip, on the top of the bottom 2/3 box as well as on the bottom of the top 1/3 box. Bungie strapped the thing together and duct tape anywhere else that I thought might be air gaps. Then I had enough suction power that was adjustable. I also made a swing/pivot entrance hole panel that I could swing closed when I removed that hose as well. When done, simply remove the hose to the vac and the income/entrance hose and close up the entrance hole. I left the two holes on top for ventilation during transport as the screen keeps the girls inside. 

Then, once they were home, all I had to do was remove the top 1/3 box and put on an outer cover and open up the entrance and let them adjust to their new home for a while. Once they were settled a bit, I slid the hive over, put down a standard bottom board where they were sitting, picked up the hive body(ies) and put them on the bottom board, remove the screen and replace it with an inner cover. Whalla, installed bees.

So, refresher... 2/3 slanted bottom incoming box with bee hose on the bottom, topped with hive bodies and frames, then the screen board and 1/3 flat top box with vac hose attachment and flow adjustment hole. 

If you can't find Al's pics, I'll see what I can do, although my setup isn't as purdy as Al's is.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My bee vac pictures was on another thread where Tom J and I had been talking about other things. 

I'll do another one just for the bee vac.

 Al


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