* SWARM HOTLINE *
* 541-236-4732 *
Swarm Season is in the spring!!
Swarm procedures are as follows:
Members of Umpqua Valley Beekeepers Association can be placed on the Swam Call List.
1. A swarm call comes into the hotline or any other means.
2. A member receives the call and then texts the alert to the swarm list using the GroupMe app (see details below.
3. The first to answer the call has dibs on the swarm. The member provides the address and as many details as might be necessary.
(IF YOU ARE NEW OR NEED ANY ASSISTANCE, OR WANT TO WATCH -- tell us, or call us ASAP — we will let other members know you need assistance or want to watch so they can help.)
4. Collect the swarm, and then followup to let us know know how it went.
2. A member receives the call and then texts the alert to the swarm list using the GroupMe app (see details below.
3. The first to answer the call has dibs on the swarm. The member provides the address and as many details as might be necessary.
(IF YOU ARE NEW OR NEED ANY ASSISTANCE, OR WANT TO WATCH -- tell us, or call us ASAP — we will let other members know you need assistance or want to watch so they can help.)
4. Collect the swarm, and then followup to let us know know how it went.
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A little about the GroupMe app:
The UVBA is using the GroupMe app to maintain our swarm call list, and to use it, you only need a smartphone. Read more about the app HERE. Please contact us if you have any problems getting signed on with GroupMe and we will do our best to make sure you are ready for swarm season.
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Swarms in general are very docile when they are between homes. Beekeepers collecting swarms are rarely stung, but you never want to assume you won't be. Most of the bees are busy waiting for their next instructions while scout bees push forward into the world looking for a new home.
In order to be that new, welcoming home, here are some tools and tricks to use:
In order to be that new, welcoming home, here are some tools and tricks to use:
What to have with you to collect swarms:
(New beekeepers: let UVBA beekeepers help you with this!)
- Bring your bee suit! A full suit is recommended — depending on the bees, they could be feisty.
- Thick gloves (best for scooping bees into the box).
- Step stool and/or ladder — the longest one you can bring with you.
- Bucket with a long stick to hold it up in a tree - we will have examples in our swarm catching class.
- Collection box: This can be a box you've bought or built, a giant tote, even a cardboard box works. (cardboard is great to keep in the car — it folds flat and can be sized to fit some frames.)
- Tape (masking tape, painters tape, duct tape) — for securing the box after collecting the bees.
- Bee brush and or a scooping apparatus to help collect the bees into the container you brought.
- Pruning shears or loppers for larger branches (use these as a last resort).
- Squirt bottle of:
- Sugar water with a drop of lemongrass oil — you can mist the bees or collection equipment and they will clean off, this also helps keep them grounded. If they are cranky, it can serve as a snack too! The lemongrass mimics the queen pheromone. It helps to calm them, and they tend to follow it.
- Almond oil or bee repellent (honey-b-gone, honey robber, etc.) — bees are not fans of these scents. It helps clear them away from the area they were swarmed on after you have presented your collection box.
- Sugar water with a drop of lemongrass oil — you can mist the bees or collection equipment and they will clean off, this also helps keep them grounded. If they are cranky, it can serve as a snack too! The lemongrass mimics the queen pheromone. It helps to calm them, and they tend to follow it.
- Old comb/wax "slum gum" or an old frame of comb from another hive works great to attract them to your box.
- Epipen or Benadryl in case you or bystanders are allergic (please allow them to administer).
- Queen cage if you find or see her, remember they will follow her.