What not to do with a swarm

[darrenperrett]

The following is copied from a gardening forum in the states in reply to "What should I do with a swarm in my garden?"

I followed the advice of some people on this site (gardenweb), and I shot holes in the nest with my shotgun. This did not work. It just made my neighbours and the bees angry.

Eventually somebody called he police because of all the shooting. After explaining my situation to the police, they begn firing their hand guns at the nest, but it did not work. The bees just attacked us and covered us in bee stings.

I think the best way to get rid of bees is to use a baseball bat and smash the nest so that you can be sure that it is destroyed. You may get a few bites, but nobody will be annoyed by all the shooting, and the police wont have to be called.

 

[Black Comb]

Only in America...................

 

[Stephen H.]

Yep--Great aren't they

 

[Onge]

Lol

 

[Ely]

Crikey. They don't do themselves any favours do they?

 

[thurrock bees]

The americans seem foolish at times, ive heard of a bloke using a lighter as a torch to looking in a petrol tanker to check the level inside, well that went with a BANG

 

[DulwichGnome]

That why the Darwin Awards were created, http://darwinawards.com/

 

[victor meldrew]

The americans seem foolish at times, I've heard of a bloke using a lighter as a torch to looking in a petrol tanker to check the level inside, well that went with a BANG

Don't only happen in America. I witnessed a guy whose tractor stalled in a field , he undid the petrol cap. lit his lighter and peered into the tank WHOOSH! a flame shot in the air but fortunately the tank didn't explode , half an hour later ,he trundled past me (having got some petrol) with a huge grin on his scorched face and a knotted handkerchief on his head .
I firmly believe, this guy has a guardian angel as I've seen him get away with all kinds of stupid stunts including hitting the corner of a pig sty with his tractor whilst blind drunk ,having it roll over with he finishing up underneath it and crawling out covered in oil and crap without as much a a scratch !

John Wilkinson

 

[beebreeder]

It does'nt only happen in America, I was eventually called to a swarm that would have been a early prime swarm last year, the lady of the house, (a towny moved to the sticks)had decided with her husband that the best way to get rid of the bees was to keep on spraying them with the garden hose in jet form, by the time I got there the place was like bee armageddon, dead and dying bees everywher, the grass under the cluster so wet my steps sunk straight in, after they had made this mess they found me on the web and called me out. Needless to say I charged them fuel money and politely said ring next time. I wonder if they will!!! On a different note do any of you out there carry a business card when collecting swarms, people often ask me and they are so easy to print of and laminate 10 at a time.

 

[Hivemaker.]

More sick entertainment.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2243176

 

[taff..]

The americans seem foolish at times, ive heard of a bloke using a lighter as a torch to looking in a petrol tanker to check the level inside, well that went with a BANG

my mate used to drive articulated lorries internationally, he told us that every evening he'd transfer fuel from the trailers tanks, into the tractor unit tank and dipping the tanks with a stick and using a lighter to see the level in the dark was normal practice.

deisel will not ignite easily from a naked flame, however......

in Siberia where low grade fuel is the norm, they use petrol as an additive to prevent icing, this ignites very easily and it did.

the tank went off like a rocket, it ripped itself off its mounting and flew a very long way. the spilt fuel burned the skin off his chest.

he hasn't driven internationally since

 

[MJBee]

A very expensive helicopter was totally destroyed by an idiot demonstrating that JP4 turbine fuel (similar to paraffin) will not ignite when a lit match is dropped into spilt fuel. The demo failed big time.

 

[oliver90owner]

'Spilt' gives me the impression he dropped it onto, not into.

Subtle difference. Candles burn OK, as long as they have a wick....

Regards, RAB

 

[Onge]

Hivemake OMG that is sad and all those comments in that post make me even sadder

 

[mivona]

I loved Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer" with its story of bees in the wall of a church in Appalachia. They were poisoned, and then the church ladies were all bothered by honey seeping out of the walls onto the church floor. A local beekeeper was called to ask what to do after the extermination, and she gave them short shrift for killing the bees.

 

[mandabow]

more american madnes sin the form of scarmongering to get more business. http://www.beerescue.com/Removing_bees_yourself.html

 

[onriver]

both links made me a bit nauseous - Americans really do believe they have a God given right to be a...eholes and are actually proud of that!!! Scarey stuff

 

[newportbuzz]

they will learn some time i am sure. the photos in the first link were impressive tho. still some budding beek could have put those bees to good use. they seemed to be a nice little swarm.
what is more worrying is amount of supportive comments.

 

[Queens59]

When I was a kid in Gloucesteshire a farmer nealy lost the lot tying to kill a swarm. He lit a fire under the tree they were in, the tree caught and lit the barn, the barn lit a pigsty and stables! The farmhouse was only just saved...