Tag: Berks County
Finding the queen.
Log Colony Queen mating flight
Me, in the News!
A few weeks ago, I was featured on the local, and Philadelphia news (on the same day!). I actually got to tell the truth about honeybees, and didn’t regurgitate the same 3 talking points every other beekeeper says when a camera is recording them.
Below is the link to the Philadelphia Action News broadcast which was a little more standard.
https://6abc.com/berks-county-beekeeper-pennsylvania-bees-bee-removal-bruce-rodriguez/10651843/
What do you think? How did I do?
First feral honeybee Swarm of 2021
Earth day brought 48°F for the high temperature, and my first swarm call of the year that I could comfortably drive to. The swarm issued from a tree that has had a honeybee colony in it for a few years. Despite the cold, the bees were relatively well-behaved, and went right into the hive. I noticed several other trees that looked hollow on my way off the property. I expect to return in a few days for secondary swarms.
Carpenter bees | Gentle annoying Giants
Awesome honeybee tree relocation!
My latest (and most awesome) tree colony relocation is at the top of this playlist. I made this playlist so people could see how many tree colonies I deal with, and that they are not rare.
Three different swarm collecting techniques
Today, I employed three different techniques to collect swarms on a miserably windy, chilly, and rainy day. The first was the “Set it, and forget it”, because it was close to home. I just sat the nucleus box right up against the swarm cluster and left the bees to slowly crawl in. I’ll pick them up tomorrow night.
With the second swarm (further from home), I used a bucket, and bumped the majority of the bees into it. Then I slipped a filter bag over the bucket and snapped the ring lid on. Once all the stragglers flew into the top, I cinched the slack up over the top of the bucket and closed it with a rubber band. This is much easier on the bees, as there are no frames swinging around and shifting on the bumpy ride home. Once I got home, I dumped the bees into a hive and opened the filter bag to release the stragglers.
The third swarm was just out of reach, in a tree, so I used the “Bucket on a Pole” method. A very straight forward and popular way to get a swarm down, but the wind made it interesting.
Triple swarm call!
One thing I’ve learned over the past few years of chasing swarms is to never get tunnel vision on a swarm call. Especially during prime swarm season. Always walk around and look up into the trees and at nearby buildings for a beeline. If you find one, you’ve very likely found the source of your swarm. Then, keep looking around for other swarms that the caller did not see. Below is a video of what started out as a call to remove a single swarm. Then, plans changed. Also, always have more than one swarm box setup in your vehicle. I never leave home without at least 5.
Very busy swarm day!
I made this goofy video compilation of the 5 swarms I got in one day. I literally “found” a queen in an alleyway, on the ground, for a queenless group of bees on a fence. Very fun and tiring day.
Berks County PA Honey Bee Removal 19601 