Bittersweet visitors

[skyhightree1]

These guys have decided to come stay in my plum tree... I like that they are there since haven't seen them in a long time but don't want them to get the kids. I am not sure what to do with them. I thought about getting a hive and setting it out there and letting them build a colony in there. What would you do with them?

 

[papavillars]

get a hive. we need the pollinators.

 

[Jogeephus]

Unless you get a hive tonight I imagine they will be gone by morning. I have a box in a pecan tree and they are welcome to go there if they wish. I don't know much about bees but I think they are swarming around this time of year.

 

[skyhightree1]

They have been here all week I thought they would have left too. What kind of box do they need?

 

[Jogeephus]

I had a swarm last year that made their hive on a limb on a cherry in the fencerow. Never seen that before. I was afraid it might be Africanized bees so I asked a crop duster to spray it for me when he emptied his tank.

I don't know much about bees but have some guys working hives on my land and they have what looks to be a smaller narrower box stuck up in a pecan tree to try and catch a swarm. Don't know anything about the process or how the box is built. Looks like any other box but about half the size.

 

[Stocker Steve]

They have been here all week I thought they would have left too. What kind of box do they need?

Hive body (plus frames and base and top).
Call a bee keeper to come get the swarm.
You can not afford all the specialized equipment needed.

 

[skyhightree1]

They have been here all week I thought they would have left too. What kind of box do they need?

Hive body (plus frames and base and top).
Call a bee keeper to come get the swarm.
You can not afford all the specialized equipment needed.

Hmm... I can't afford the equipment ???? Didn't know you were my accountant :lol: :lol: I looked and seems as 1000 is a base amount

 

[Bright Raven]

Sky. Did your swarm of honey bees find a hive? Both my brothers are beekeepers. If they are the right kind of honey bee - those look like the western honey bee - a beekeeper would be happy to put the swarm in a hive.

I imagine they are gone by now.

 

[Jogeephus]

You might want to just thump them with your finger to see if they are alive and healthy. :lol:

 

[alisonb]

You might want to just thump them with your finger to see if they are alive and healthy. :lol:

:lol: Yeah..they don't seem to be moving.

Sky, they are 10:1 just stopping over until they find a better spot. It's called 'swarming', the old queen and about 1/2 of the workers leave the old hive to find a new nesting spot...to ensure reproduction continues. You will probably notice scout bees buzzing around/in your buildings looking for a new nesting site, if they find something suitable they will move in if not they will usually move on.
You could establish a hive but it expensive as Stocker Steve suggested, I don't think he was actually saying that you could not afford it. Get a beekeeper to show you the ropes. Or, if they are still there, burn an oily rag in the near vicinity to them and that will get them moving on.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Check Craigslist there are folks who will come remove them because they have hives.

 

[TexasBred]

These guys have decided to come stay in my plum tree... I like that they are there since haven't seen them in a long time but don't want them to get the kids. I am not sure what to do with them. I thought about getting a hive and setting it out there and letting them build a colony in there. What would you do with them?

And old man once told me to get a 5 gallon bucket, walk up under the hive and beat on the bottom of the bucket. Every bee would drop down in the bucker. :hide:

 

[mwj]

These guys have decided to come stay in my plum tree... I like that they are there since haven't seen them in a long time but don't want them to get the kids. I am not sure what to do with them. I thought about getting a hive and setting it out there and letting them build a colony in there. What would you do with them?

And old man once told me to get a 5 gallon bucket, walk up under the hive and beat on the bottom of the bucket. Every bee would drop down in the bucker. :hide:

He was correct. The old timer here would put a box on the ground under the swarm, and beat on a ''dishpan'' with a wooden spoon. The bees would drop to the ground into the box, it beat anything I ever saw in my life. :shock: He claimed the bees thought it was thunder, and there was a storm coming. They did this to protect the queen.

 

[boondocks]

Check Craigslist there are folks who will come remove them because they have hives.

x2. We need the bees. If they're still there, get them in the hands of a pro. My uncle (an entomologist) has all the equipment and is very trained and still loses many of them to disease. Not for a novice to undertake on-the-fly. My 2cents.

 

[Rafter S]

I worked as a beekeeper for a few years, and agree with the folks that said to call someone that knows what they're doing. If you're interested in beekeeping and want to get some of your own, that's great, but you need a mentor. Kind of like someone going into the cattle business needs one.

 

[skyhightree1]

Still here lol no one really knows anyone around here

 

[Workinonit Farm]

If you have any orchards or berry farms, anywhere near you, I'm sure someone there would know some beekeepers to talk to. I'd love to see those guys get into a hive.

 

[hurleyjd]

Sometimes a beekeeper will have his phone number at the fire station. You can call and they will hive the bees.

 

[skyhightree1]

Thanks I'll go to extension agent office to see if they know someone

 

[Jogeephus]

Hope you find someone to take them or they find a good home on their own before they find a crack in your home and setup shop. Nothing worse than having honey dripping from your walls.