Other uses for wireless equipment: Bee swarm capture
April 13, 2008 – 11:20 pm
I’ve got a few hobbies which are not related to the Internet business. One of them is beekeeping, and I had a lot of fun taking care of my two hives last year. The bees are so dedicated and interesting to watch, and the honey is great.
Like many beekeepers, I suffered losses and only one of my hives survived the winter. As a result, I’m on the lookout for bees.
It’s swarming season for the bees right now. This is the time when a healthy but overcrowded hive will split, and a group of about 10,000 bees join the outgoing queen and depart the hive. They cluster somewhere while scout bees seek out a new home. Then, once a bee quorum is archived, they all move to their new home. Generally this takes a day or so, during which time beekeepers can box up the whole group and put them in a cozy new hive.
I got a call this afternoon about a swarm that was very high upin a redwood tree. My coworker Kelsey and I had captured a swarm last week from a bush – shoulder height, just off a trail, it was really quite easy. But, the height at which this swarm had settled in the redwood tree made it sound like a real challenge.
Thankfully, our bucket truck hasn’t got much to do these days. Normally it’s used to install Wi-Fi, but I put it to another use. At the full extension of the boom, we had to put a rope over the branch to draw it down. Thanks to Katia at BeeKind in Sebastopol for the idea.
Tomorrow evening, the bees will be moved into the home I am giving them, a nice cozy new hive box located next to my other two in Forestville.
If you find a bee swarm, don’t panic. Swarming season is when bees are generally best behaved. Don’t disturb them, and they are not likely to sting you. Consult your local beekeeping association for a list of people who may be able to pick up a swarm. Locally, that would be the Sonoma County Beekeeping Association.
7 Responses to “Other uses for wireless equipment: Bee swarm capture”
Thanks for plugging the Association! Looks like you had fun with that swarm! Ettamarie
By Ettamarie Peterson on Apr 14, 2008
Great pictures. Nothing like a good pinot to enjoy while watching from a safe distance!
Quite the challenge moving them from around the trunk.
Daria is back up to 2 hives; Down from 5 last year. Her girls at work: http://tinyurl.com/6j5ce8
By Tony Tugwell on Apr 14, 2008
Dane.. I surprised to see you even needing a beekeepers outfit on haha.. I had always thought you were invincible to minuscule things like bees!
By gSarpy on Jun 6, 2008
Interesting. You make it sound easy.
By Sargun Dhillon on Jun 27, 2008
Katya at Beekind is really great. She cheerfully (and educationally) collected the colony that had moved into our Japanese maple tree. I’m allergic, so took a good photo from a bedroom window. I still have trouble looking at the photo!
By Chris Dunkle on Jul 2, 2008