Well, this morning I went and found them just as we left them, all nestled into the nooks and crannies of the ivy and ornamental wall. after explaining to them as nicely as I could WHY they should move into the nice box, complete with honey and drawn comb, they flat-out refused and rebutted with animated buzzing. So I resorted to trying to grab them, first by the fistful, then using a garden trowel, and drop them into the box. No real luck. So I left them for a while. When I left they were pissed, and all over the place.Came back a few hours later, repeated the futile efforts of earlier (Pavlov was wrong!), the results were no different. Maybe they were more annoyed, hard to tell....At about 1:00 I got a call from the neighbor who's house they were squatting near that they had swarmed again and were heading South. I drove around and tried to find them...... no such luck. The girls are just plain gone..... sad.
Alyssa gave me on update on the results of yesterday's debacle:
I know this is after the fact, but alot of old timers suggest putting a fram of worker brood in the box your offering them. This is to apparently "sweeten" the real-estate with the promise of future workers.
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Earlier posts
- The Wrong Way -
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
- Hives and Dials -
Monday, June 02, 2008
- Beauty and the Bee -
Sunday, May 11, 2008
- Beepoint -
Thursday, April 24, 2008
- Cold Days, Fireside Chat -
Monday, April 21, 2008
- Bee Christmas -
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
- And in my hat... -
Monday, April 14, 2008
- Hipster Beekeeper -
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
- Back on the (bee) horse -
Friday, March 28, 2008
- Haagen Bee -
Sunday, March 16, 2008
- Current Posts
If they cannot be shaken directly into the target hive you can soak them and then gently brush them or just scoop them into the hive.
Your casual attitude towards inflicting swarms on your urban neighbors is interesting. I imagine that you might be considerate neighbors in some sense, but by repeatedly allowing swarms that you know about escape you're doing the moral equivalent of letting your pig loose or allowing your dog run free- both of which are illegal.
You shrug and say 'too bad' but will you pay the exterminator to remove this swarm from someones attic?
If litter were blowing off your property and out of sight would you express the same ethos?
To a non beekeeper a swarm of bees is much worse than a dumpster of trash on the lawn.