5/12/2024
First off, happy Mother’s Day for all the strong women who have been in my life. You helped mold this ball of Camden County red clay into something almost useful. I could not have done the things in life that I have accomplished without your influence.
This entry really started several days before when our friend Brian called and wanted us to pick up one of his swarm traps. If I understand correctly, he was picking up his traps for the season because all of his boxes were full, when he discovered one full of bees. He called and said it was ours, if we wanted it.
We did, but the problem was that we didn’t have a complete hive box for them. The main part, the box itself, was complete except for sealing up a few holes. His call prompted me to start on the top and get wood for the stand. We didn’t finish the hive box until Friday the 10th.
Saturday’s Activities
After a busy day on Saturday the 11th, Brian called and said that we could go ahead and get the box without him. It wasn’t a problem; I had known the property owner since the early 1980s when both of us worked at Union Electric, now known as Ameren. We didn’t know where he lived. Once we got his address, we realized he lived about 3 miles from us.
Once it got close to dusk, we headed to the location. Note: you wait until dusk to make sure as many as the worker bees are the swarm box as possible. The owner was waiting for us with his Gator and a ladder. We climbed in and headed to the swarm trap.
Once we got there, it took a bit of work to get the trap down and onto the Gator, but we managed with no injuries for a change. By the time we got the trap into the car, got home, and placed it near the permanent hive, it was around 9:30. We knew there was going to be a Northern Lights display, so we waited in the gazebo until around 10:30.
While we were waiting for the Northern Lights, Yogi curled up on Linda.
Although we didn’t have a real good view of the lights, I did manage to get a couple of pictures.
Sunday’s Activities
After church, we went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch to celebrate Mother’s Day. As usual, the meal was great. After a few more stops, we made it home sometime mid-afternoon. Now it was time to move the bees.
Brian’s swarm traps are different than mine. They hold 5 frames and mine hold 7. His boxes are much lighter than mine, making them easier to carry.
The bees were definitely ready to get out of the trap. I opened the disk on the front and a couple of hundred came flying out. I took it slow and used a lot of smoke because I wasn’t sure of their disposition.
The bees had not used the first two frames I pulled out.
This wasn’t unexpected, but it did give me an idea of how long the swarm had been in the trap.
The video below shows the next two frames.
Frame 6 had a lot of bees on it.
Moving frame 6.
After the frames are moved, it’s up to the remaining bees to find their new home. You never really know how long it will take, so we move the trap to the entrance of the hive and wait them out.
We placed a piece of wood to aid the the transit.
It took most of the afternoon for the rest of the bees to find their way into the hive.
A final video of the bees going into the hive.
I never get tired of watching the bees!
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