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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
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- From: Lewis Cauble <lewis AT hivebody.com>
- To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
- Subject: Re: [ocba] Swarm patrol?
- Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:07:17 -0500 (EST)
I would certainly check in with Todd to sign up for the swarm list.
Any sort of ventilated container should suffice for transport. If in doubt, over do the ventilation. I have moved them in a mostly closed cardboard box. A nuc with a screened bottom board might be a good option. The cardboard nucs that fold flat might be handy to keep at work or in your car.
Things I like to have on hand include:
1. Snips to prune around the cluster before cutting the main branch.
2. A sturdy saw to cut the branch if it is too big for the snips. A pair of loppers might be better if the branch is medium sized.
3. Something to put them in.
4. Queen cage. This came in super handy last year with a swarm that was on the ground. I poked through the cluster until I found the queen. I put her in a cage and placed her in a nuc near the cluster. Everyone marched right in. I came back after dark and closed up the nuc and brought it home.
5. A manila file folder can be handy for scraping a cluster from a flat vertcal surface.
6. Veil and other protective equipment just in case.
Every situation is a little different so be ready to ad lib. Swarms are nearly always very mellow, but treat them as you would treat a cheerful and friendly drunk with a gun.
Adding a frame of open brood does seem to substantially increase the odds of them sticking around. Feeding is also required but you will be impressed by how fast a swarm will draw comb.
I will inevitably have a swarm or two in my yard this spring and will try to post it to this list and do an impromptu hiving a swarm demonstration. I would like to encourage others to do the same.
What other gadgets do you guys like to have on hand?
Lewis
On February 15, 2012 at 11:20 AM Blair Christian <blair.christian AT gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I don't know what the protocol is for swarm patrol, but I have an
> extra hive I'm keeping ready. I saw some swarms on craigslist last
> year, so I set up an RSS feed for the search for "bee" in the title of
> the post. Is anybody interested in non-OC swarm announcements from
> craigslist this spring?
>
> Any advice on what a swarm kit for keeping in my car would look like?
> I work in Wake county. A 5 gallon bucket with a screen lid? Is it OK
> to keep a swarm in a bucket for an hour or so?
>
> I watched a couple swarm captures on youtube- they make it look pretty
> straightforward. Is there any advice to prevent them from absconding?
> Like putting one frame of mostly larvae in the empty deep?
>
> I want to be ready for the craigslist ads like I saw last year where
> folks have an easily accessible swarm in their backyard and they're
> scared of it, and it's on my way home or not too far off.
>
> Best,
> Blair
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-
[ocba] Swarm patrol?,
Blair Christian, 02/15/2012
- Re: [ocba] Swarm patrol?, Eva Hoke, 02/15/2012
- Re: [ocba] Swarm patrol?, Lewis Cauble, 02/17/2012
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