The homeowners got my number from the little garden center where I'd left my Got Bees? cards. They are avid gardeners and wanted to see the bees go to a good home instead of being sprayed with pesticide by a panicky neighbor. 
The bees have swarmed in this yard before, from a nearby bee tree. (A squirrel reportedly has been seen putting its paw in a hole up there to get dessert.) My friend Deb came by to take pictures, so I hope to have some good ones to show you later. Meanwhile, I've got video again. If you watch it, you'll hear a lot of chitchat going on. I had quite the crowd watching.
So I put down a sheet under the tree, put the box under the branches, and gave them a good shake. Most of the bees went into the box. After a while, those that were flying realized the queen was in there and made their way into the box, too. I may have left behind a couple dozen, if that.
The box came home in my car, wrapped in sheets. Now it's sitting out there unwrappped, with a fan on it. I had to tape up the edges of the lid because bees were escaping that way. 
I'm just waiting for someone from the swarm list to call me and come get them!
Who you gonna call?? Kitt the bee catcher!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should start charging for this!
That's wonderful, Kitt! Would you mind if we borrowed your card idea? :-)
ReplyDeleteYour getting good at this! No stings under rings this time?
ReplyDeleteThat video was fantastic. I loved when the bees got their close-ups; it was like watching The Birds. Great job!
ReplyDeleteWas there a radio on or was that one guy talking the entire time?
JGH, if I start getting a lot of calls, I will!
ReplyDeleteGo right ahead, Gord! That sunflower design is one of the "free" ones available at VistaPrint.
Betts, no stings!
Thanks, Leah! There was quite a crowd there, and a lot of people talking. I don't know if any one person was talking the whole time. (The person you can hear up close saying, "Oh, my God, that is so cool" is my friend Deb, who was wearing a veil and taking photos.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI saw your Blog and thought you’d be interested in this video I made of a bee swarm capture last week with my friend Kerry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGN3PoG0ih8&fmt=22
He’s taking the bees back to his place to start a new hive, and we made this instructional hi-def video. I thought your Blog readers might enjoy it so thought I’d offer it to you to share with them!
Hope you enjoy it.
Sean Arenas