Swarm Catcher

Thomas got a call about a swarm just after 5 p.m. on Friday. We were due at our friend Michael and Pamela's house for dinner at 6:30 p.m. He knew it was going to be tight but he couldn't resist taking a quick drive by the property to check out the bee action. At 5:30 p.m. I get a call from Thomas and I knew from the excitement in his voice, I just needed to say yes and join him on this adventure.

Thomas caught a swarm and I took some pictures. We were late to dinner but our friends were very understanding. Thanks M&P!

The cluster of bees in the plum tree.



The only way to get to the swarm was to cut the tree branches.



One good shake and they were in the box.



Yes, we had an audience. They were entertained by us and we were entertained by them.





After Thomas took all the fallen plums and branches out of the box, he was able to cover the bee box. We were confident the queen was in the large cluster, so we actually let the bees that were on the ground and sheet crawl their way into the box. Since it was still light out, we left the site to celebrate with our friends and returned after dark. Later that night, all the bees were tucked in the hive. A short drive later they were at their new home. Not bad for a Friday night adventure. Oh and for those of you that are curious... neither Thomas or I got stung.