Another Pill Bottle Swarm! Oh Yeah!

[@ralphjr7000]

Hey Josh if you take all but two frames out of the nuc before you shake the limb,more bee will go in the nuc and not roll off the top of the frames. ✌️

[@beesintheweeds]

Good tip Ralph! Thanks!

[@ralphjr7000]

​@@beesintheweeds👍 You'll have a way better chance of getting the queen in the nuc, and if so the bees that fly out when you put the frames back will go back in. I'm lacking in drawn comb so even if I get her it doesn't mean their staying. This year I put a queen excluder on the bottom of the brood box on three swarms I collected and installed with nothing but waxed foundation and Left them on for a week . I removed the excluder and all three have stayed, wonder where a guy would have just learned that?. I haven't inspected them yet,I'm making sure they have some larvae in the comb before I do. I could have taken a frame of nurse bees and larvae from another colony to hold them and the drones in and out of the hive would have preferred that method .lol

[@handsburyhoneybees893]

20 colony's and tired? Hold my beer >lol

[@beesintheweeds]

🤣🤣🤣

[@SylantBill]

After catching 12 swarms this year I took down my traps and started to give the ones I caught to bee club members.

[@beesintheweeds]

I hear ya! We all get to that point! Haha 🤪

[@thomasrape4616]

I know what you mean brother. The first week of March I had 2 colonies I overwintered. On May 18th I had 13 colonies. On May 19th I had a tornado reduce my hive count to 4. It's may 24 now and I'm back up to 7 hives. An easier way to shake bees off a limb is to take a good solid stick about 18" long and about 1 to 1 1/2" in diameter and whack that limb sharply near the bee ball. When shaking bees into a box remove several frames so the bees have space to fall into instead of spilling onto the ground. To me catching bees whether in swarm traps or shaking them is the most fun part of beekeeping. When you get the bees into the box, close it up just like if you're catching them several miles from home then move them to the permanent location location. If you leave them where you shook them too long a scout might come back and confidence them she's found a better home and they will leave. On my catch boxes I use one of those entrance discs and will use the queen excluder setting so the queen can't leave so the colony can't leave for several days. Just some tips, I love catching bees.

[@beesintheweeds]

Great tips! And I’m sorry for your losses with the tornado. 😞😞 I agree, nothing more fun than catching bees!!!!

[@LisaBaker-cb7bg]

Could you place your pill bottle on an S hook that easily unhooks from the branch and place it on top of your nuc? Might help your bees orient to your box rather than keep returning to the bottle.

[@beesintheweeds]

Exactly! That’s what I plan to do next year. 🙂 Thanks for watching!

[@iowalayensbeekeeping]

Or take the pill bottle away so they quit going back. 😂

[@beesintheweeds]

Haha, yes.

[@kh7794]

Feathers or even just leaves or holding a frame up to them works much better from my hundreds of videos I watched. Feathers get lost and break is the biggest complaint

[@kirbyharrissrigsby8795]

Don’t put the lid in so quickly. Be patient. Use the brush slowly but you may want to wash it well. Hold a frame of drawn comb up to the swarm cluster to get them off.

[@nickfilopoulos7428]

Perfect where it is very easy to put them in the box 📦

[@nickfilopoulos7428]

It be much easier to cut the brunch and shake it in the box man?

[@beesintheweeds]

Yes, but then you won’t get the next swarm there. 🙂 You don’t want to lose the great spot!

[@georgebeard6886]

Why not take the swarm commander away until bees are in the box

[@anthonymuma4602]

Is that an animal hair brush? I think Bob Binnie said to use synthetic because animal hair makes bees madder

[@beesintheweeds]

I’m not sure but Bob is right! I need to get off my rear end and order a better one! This thing belongs in the garbage!!

[@meloneycrews]

@@beesintheweedsget a feather from somewhere..turkey feathers work great..and they fit right in your back pocket! Also maybe next time you hang the bottle, put it in a hook or something that when you have a swarm you can just unhook it off the branch and lay in in front of the box and let them march in!

[@beesintheweeds]

@@meloneycrewsGreat idea! I ordered a different brush from Amazon today. My buddy Don swears by it. We will give it a try!

[@timbervalleyhomestead]

What exactly is in the pill bottle?

[@beesintheweeds]

A cotton ball with Swarm Commander on it.

[@timbervalleyhomestead]

@@beesintheweeds I figured the swarm commander but wasn’t sure what holds it. I think I’ve heard of people doing this before. I need to get me some swarm commander obviously ! Great work with the catch!

[@pooterist]

The pill bottle thing seems to be working wonderfully. Other than that though, you seem in far too much of a hurry to get them into the nuc and to get the lid on. How can you expect them to accidently find that tiny entrance hole.. So first thing - as you say - lock away the bee brush. You know it's bad news, yet you keep on going back to it. Remove one or two frames to make it easier for the bees to fall into the nuc instead of bouncing off, and get the nuc much higher so they don't have so far to drop. Unhook the pill bottle or cut the string and place it with the bees on the entrance landing strip. Don't keep brushing them off, miles from the entrance. Happy collecting.

[@beesintheweeds]

All very good tips. Definitely will take a few frames out next time. Also will try to get the bees closed. Admittedly, I am in a bit of a hurry most times as I have 3 young kids and little time to spend in the bee yard. Kids sports is killing me! 🤣🤣 The bee brush is going in the trash. I already ordered a new one off Amazon. These videos are a little old as I have so many that I need to still post. Just takes time!! Haha

[@handsburyhoneybees893]

I think it's your brush. My bees don't care if i brush them.

[@richardrbrynerjr.7912]

Show me the queen!