by Steve McDaniel
\nWith a little luck, you may get a call to come and pick up a swarm this spring. It\u2019s tempting to take off after that hundred-dollar bill hanging on a bush, if you have priced a three-pound package lately. Do you rush right over to the caller\u2019s home, only to find that the \u201cbees\u201d are really yellow jackets, or the \u201cswarm\u201d is a crew of worker bees foraging on a flowering bush, or the cluster is fifty feet up in a tree? To avoid disappointment, ask a few questions first.<\/p>\n
1.\tAre they on your property? If not, you need to talk to the owner. Don\u2019t trespass.
\n2.\tHave they been sprayed? If so, I usually end the conversation there or offer to remove them for a fee. I can\u2019t use bees that have been poisoned.
\n3.\tHow many insects do you see? To some people, ten bees are a swarm. Correct answer: \u201dThousands.\u201d
\n4.\tWhat do they look like? \u201cShiny yellow and black\u201d means yellow jackets, not bees. \u201cFuzzy yellow and black\u201d may mean bumblebees or carpenter bees. Correct answer: \u201cBrown or golden and fuzzy.\u201d
\n5.\tHave they formed a cluster, and where is it? If not, how can you collect them?
\n6.\tHow big is the cluster? If it is only softball-sized, it may not be worth getting. Correct answer: Basketball or at least football-sized.
\n7.\tIs there a nest with a hole that the \u201cbees\u201d are flying in and out of? If so, they are hornets or other wasps, not honey bees. Correct answer: \u201ca solid mass of insects.\u201d
\n8.\tHow high are they? Most people\u2019s estimates in feet are way off. Instead, ask if they are head high, within reach, within reach with a stepladder, and so on. Take your own ladder if you think you will need one.
\n9.\tDid you hear them arrive? If yes, it is a fresh swarm.
\n10.\tHow long have they been there? If more than a day, they may be hungry and tend to sting, so take a sugar-syrup sprayer to feed them.
\n11.\tAre they still there now? Please go and look. Often, they will have left before the caller found you.
\n12.\tHave you called any other beekeepers? You don\u2019t want to get there as the other guy pulls away with the bees in his truck.<\/p>\n
Emphasize to the caller that bees are valuable and should not be sprayed or hosed down, and that they are harmless if left alone but will sting if attacked, as by children throwing stones. Tell the caller to keep people away from the bees until you get there.<\/p>\n
I usually remove swarms for free, but if there is a charge, now is the time to say so. I do charge for removing bees from walls or for false alarms, when I get there and find a pile of dead bees or a bit of wax on a branch and no stragglers, meaning they left hours ago. If the distance is too great for me, I will find a beekeeper in the area to take the swarm and tell the caller not to keep calling around.<\/p>\n
Be sure to get an address, directions, and a phone number, and ask if anyone will be there when you arrive. Give an accurate estimate of your arrival time and stick to it. Now get your favorite swarm-catching gear together, call in sick, and go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"