Quick paper – pen – write down address – that stupid thing won’t write – look up the number – address, phone number, name. Read it over again and double-check to avoid any mistakes. Say thank you, take a deep breath and hang up. That’s the end of our cozy family gathering then. Mr. Schmitt needs help after all.
So quickly call Tobias and pack the equipment. No! First call Mr. Schmitt.
"Hello – we will save you – don’t panic – stay calm – keep windows and doors closed, we’ll be right there! Please provide more details about the phenomenon – uh the bees". Now to the facts:
- Swarm at 4m height
- Ladder is available
- Has tried unsuccessfully to reach a beekeeper all day and then called the fire department
- 19:45, wind force 4, 8°C outside temperature, overcast sky
- No – bees don’t fly in those conditions
Well then off to Tobias and check the equipment:
- 2x bee suit – check
- Goose feather duster – check
- Boots – check
- Spray bottle – check
- Swarm catching special box – check
- Smoker – check
- Gloves – check
- Pruning shears – uh – whatever
- Cover cloth – check
- Belt for securing – check
- Lighter – check
- GPS and address – check
And – let’s go – actually just missing the flashing lights and the 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor.
A short time later we’re there. The swarm is not a swarm but a freezing solid cluster of bees at 4m height on the outermost branches of an oak tree. Good thing Mr. Schmitt has a ladder. Good thing Mr. Schmitt also has pruning shears. Bad thing that the only flying bee around tried to use my bee-proof rubber boot as a new home right before putting it on (ouch!).
This “swarm catching” was more of a grape harvest than a hunt. Up the ladder, spray with water, hold the twig, cut the twig, put the twig in the box, cover with cloth, secure the cloth, done, say thank you, drive home.
The little bees stayed in my basement overnight, and since they got quite warm, I aimed a small fan at the cloth.
After 15 minutes in the basement the buzzing stopped. Dead silence? Let me knock: knock…ssSSSSSss..
OK – all good. Phew!
The next day at 16:00 we weighed the girls (2.4 kg) and transferred them to a hive with 7 combs. After they had distributed themselves reasonably well, we inserted the remaining four combs. Since then there has been lively flight traffic from two colonies in Tobias’s garden. Whether the two colonies will make it until the linden blossom???