D- Go to the bottom of the class. Rubbish beekeeper alert.

[Cazza]

Feeling a little miserable today. All my own fault. Been beekeeping long enough to know better.
Guess who went away, came back, watched it rain for days, couldn't inspect? You know what's coming.
Guess who consoled herself that her two best hives weren't going to swarm, especially as the rain was torrential?
Guess who now has two swarms sitting 30 ft up in trees in the rain?

Cazza

 

[Winker]

Feeling a little miserable today. All my own fault. Been beekeeping long enough to know better.
Guess who went away, came back, watched it rain for days, couldn't inspect? You know what's coming.
Guess who consoled herself that her two best hives weren't going to swarm, especially as the rain was torrential?
Guess who now has two swarms sitting 30 ft up in trees in the rain?

Cazza

Aye its something i have learned as a new Beek this year, dont wait for the weather to get better...the bees wont

 

[terryme]

It it worth considering investing in a small, easy-up gazebo for inspections in wet weather during the swarm season? If it isn't too cold and they wouldn't get wet would that be a feasible solution? I know we have been on pins sometimes waiting for a break in the weather to inspect.......

 

[viridens]

You have my sympathy.
Your story is more confirmation that this is a strange beekeeping year. We are almost 2/3 through July. In a normal year swarming would be over, and you would not have had a problem. It looks like this year's swarming season will be April to August. I can't remember that before.

Good luck collecting and hiving your wayward little buzzers.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Mine the same Friday, high up in a tree

I did a late AS split and must have missed a QC So i have had my first swarm of the year issue on what is a suicide mission

limited forage
16c max daytime
heavy rain for the last few days
20 foot from a tree with a green wood peckers nest

they have today found a new hideaway

the Bees are swarmy carnolians i was going to re queen and bought four new queens, then requeened the wrong hive and she biult QC while the forth queen was on order

 

[Hivemaker.]

the Bees are swarmy carnolians i was going to re queen and bought four new queens, then requeened the wrong hive and she biult QC while the forth queen was on order

Look on the bright side MM, they have gone and hopefully you won't have that problem with the new queen in this hive.

 

[petopia]

Funny thing Nature How little we know yet think we know but our little insect fwends know everything

 

[enrico]

It's not too late yet. put a couple of bait hives out, nucs with drawn frames if poss and put a couple of drops of lemon grass oil on top of the frames. You ever know. Lemon gras oil is amazing stuff and will attract bees to have a look. They are only at stage one when they are 30 feet up the tree. Stage two could be in your bait hive or it could REALLY make you day and go down your chimney!!!!!!
good luck
E

 

[The Riviera Kid]

A beek friend of mine was in a similar situation. He put a bait hive out and it worked! Down they came from the tree.

You've nothing to lose!!

 

[Cazza]

It's not too late yet. put a couple of bait hives out, nucs with drawn frames if poss and put a couple of drops of lemon grass oil on top of the frames. You ever know. Lemon gras oil is amazing stuff and will attract bees to have a look. They are only at stage one when they are 30 feet up the tree. Stage two could be in your bait hive or it could REALLY make you day and go down your chimney!!!!!!
good luck
E

That was all that I could think of to do. I'm not going up to them. I await my fate. Not down the chimney PLEASE!
Cazza

 

[Andre cardona]

easy-up gazebo is going a bit far

 

[freethorpe bees]

easy-up gazebo is going a bit far

I thought it was a bl**dy good idea!

 

[m100]

easy-up gazebo is going a bit far

Our local association has had to resort to the same approach when running courses.

It works!

 

[TBRNoTB]

Feeling a little miserable today. All my own fault. Been beekeeping long enough to know better.
Guess who went away, came back, watched it rain for days, couldn't inspect? You know what's coming.
Guess who consoled herself that her two best hives weren't going to swarm, especially as the rain was torrential?
Guess who now has two swarms sitting 30 ft up in trees in the rain?

Cazza

Maybe time to peruse fleabay re 2nd hand cherry pickers! I know I know get my coat.

 

[m100]

Google translate this!

http://www.imkerforum.de/showthread.php?t=17000&highlight=seifert

"The Seifertsche swarm capture tube"

Drainpipe with water spray and a pair of tights

Surely this has been discussed before?

 

[beeatshellards]

ingenious!

 

[terryme]

okayyyyy
how is spray operated and how are the bees then made to drop down the pipe? It obviously works - the proof is there to see, but I'm not working it out

 

[m100]

okayyyyy
how is spray operated and how are the bees then made to drop down the pipe? It obviously works - the proof is there to see, but I'm not working it out

You lock the trigger down, spray the swarm, and then rely on gravity and a bit of nudge.

 

[viridens]

So having bought the bits and made them up, you stand there for ages juggling 25ft or so of 4" sewer pipe + a sprayer full of water on top and a length of tights full of bees on the bottom??
Nice concept, but that's not going to be easy, is it.
I would be happier working from a ladder at that height as long as the tree will support it.

 

[terryme]

thanks - just thought it looked like a handpump pressure spray and I thought it wouldn't keep spraying long enough for me to manage the awkward manhandling that operation looks to be..... one to ponder