"Bee driving" in days gone by, what was that?

[cwinte]

Maybe you all know what this means from something you read, but I can't find any reference to it after a few searches on the web. A few videos of in-car swarms...
BBKAnews has made several references to it being a required skill long ago, before it was dropped in 1933.

Encouraging a swarm into a new home? (seems more passive than the name, so maybe not!)
I assume not moving them in a vehicle as it was before most people had vehicles...

I can almost imagine a bee version of the cowboy flailing some lasoo equivalent, giddy up - wah-heey, yippee yi aye - ouch a sting

 

[B+.]

Maybe you all know what this means from something you read, but I can't find any reference to it after a few searches on the web. A few videos of in-car swarms...
BBKAnews has made several references to it being a required skill long ago, before it was dropped in 1933.

Encouraging a swarm into a new home? (seems more passive than the name, so maybe not!)
I assume not moving them in a vehicle as it was before most people had vehicles...

I can almost imagine a bee version of the cowboy flailing some lasoo equivalent, giddy up - wah-heey, yippee yi aye - ouch a sting

This might help https://youtu.be/C1n0coEFX0g?list=PLbr7jvL12x96CATXF3u59e_lvLETOD6Vq&t=283

 

[cwinte]

Very interesting and informative piece (20mins well spent), so much to see in the handling, wax colour, methods etc. There seem to be quite a number of others in the series about skep based apiculture.
THANKS!

 

[deemann1]

This might help https://youtu.be/C1n0coEFX0g?list=PLbr7jvL12x96CATXF3u59e_lvLETOD6Vq&t=283

There are great shows

 

[TooBee...]

This might help https://youtu.be/C1n0coEFX0g?list=PLbr7jvL12x96CATXF3u59e_lvLETOD6Vq&t=283

Watched these about a year ago, even more fascinating now that I have bees, and they're using bare hands, etc. !

... err are those Top Entrances I see ... heresy !

(sarc)

 

[Poly Hive]

Driving or drumming was the method of accessing the honey without killing the bees. Prior to the discovery that drumming worked the only option was the "Sulphur pit"

PH

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I recall that MasterBK did a little bit of it from what he said in another place.

 

[B+.]

Driving or drumming was the method of accessing the honey without killing the bees. Prior to the discovery that drumming worked the only option was the "Sulphur pit"

PH

If you scroll a little earlier in that video, you'll see they dug a hole for sulphuring them too. Strictly speaking, I think "drumming" was a rhymic drumming on the side of the skep rather than the bouncing that he did. It's something I have never done though so I can only go from what others have told me

 

[For want of a better word]

possibly someone flogging me a black canary......
But was told of a bee whistle.. a long tube spun over the head and emitting a droning note (?A flat) to call or drum bees in that had swarmed.

Must try tuning the Hurdy Gurdy to A instead of G ????

That will amuse the neighbors come next May !!!!

 

[Ian123]

possibly someone flogging me a black canary......
But was told of a bee whistle.. a long tube spun over the head and emitting a droning note (?A flat) to call or drum bees in that had swarmed.

Must try tuning the Hurdy Gurdy to A instead of G ????

That will amuse the neighbors come next May !!!!

Think you may be confusing 2 dfferent things.....drumming/driving used to remove bees from thier home....and old beeks running down the village highstreet banging a pot as the bees swarmed over the roof tops, I think that was more to do with telling everyone else to f...off they are mine

 

[For want of a better word]

Think you may be confusing 2 dfferent things.....drumming/driving used to remove bees from thier home....and old beeks running down the village highstreet banging a pot as the bees swarmed over the roof tops, I think that was more to do with telling everyone else to f...off they are mine

Who knows?

 

[Ian123]

Am sure I was told an old wives tail about the banging simulating thunder and the bees landing in prep for the rain

 

[cwinte]

Very very different approach... relies on swarms

Both prime swarms and cast swarms are collected, for a normal tripling of colonies (so there must be matching losses or sales, and this place was selling lots of packages).
They just dive in mushing cast swarms together and labelling them out, making micro nukes for spare queens. All more dynamic and I think verroa and pests would have a tougher time though if there is xFB I imagine it would spread fast!

The beeks wore very little protection, I did wonder if some of the hands looked to have a sting or two...

 

[Ian123]

I think those videos are pre varroa

 

[For want of a better word]

I think those videos are pre varroa

And... skeps are not the easiest devices made to allow for foul brood inspection!




but a great series of vids worth watching..... from the days when bees were encouraged to swarm!

 

[mbc]

An alternative theory on the banging thing is that the cohesion of a swarm in flight depends on them hearing the different tone of the queen flying and the banging disrupting that, whatever the mechanism I can attest to it working having seen a swarm descend in a raggedy mess over a wide area when subjected to banging.

 

[For want of a better word]

An alternative theory on the banging thing is that the cohesion of a swarm in flight depends on them hearing the different tone of the queen flying and the banging disrupting that, whatever the mechanism I can attest to it working having seen a swarm descend in a raggedy mess over a wide area when subjected to banging.

Perhaps then the "Bee whistle" is a probability.... set to the queen's frequency... but louder????

 

[mbc]

Perhaps then the "Bee whistle" is a probability.... set to the queen's frequency... but louder????

Could be, pied piper or bee whistler.