And so it happened. The swarm was located at approximately 4m height in the middle of the overhanging branches of a wild cherry tree. Unfortunately, this wild cherry stood right in the middle of a hedgerow and unfortunately this hedgerow was completely overgrown. A paradise for wildlife, hell for beekeepers.
Mission briefing. I need suggestions!
- Ladder? No space to set it up!
- Helicopter? All in Afghanistan at the moment!
- Phaser weapons? Not sufficiently tested!
- Ladder? Already covered that. Just too dangerous!
- Abort mission? Nonsense!
- Ladder? Okay, let’s try it!
So the ladder. Veeery carefully pushing the thing at an angle under the bees against the sun over the hedgerow to the only thin brittle branch. Load the water sprayer and send Niels ahead. “Go on up and give it a try. Spray plenty of water!”. No chance! Everything full of branches in the way that keep getting caught in the veil. Abort mission? Nonsense!
New attempt. Move the ladder and arm my son with garden shears. Hours later – the swarm moves into reachable distance. Now plenty of water!
So far so good. The bees now know what water is, our adrenaline is at maximum. I notice it’s slowly getting to me. So son, let dad have a go. Box in hand and up the ladder. It’ll hold…
Box under the bees and shake. Awesome – it’s raining bees! – Bees in the box, bees on the ladder, bees under my veil, bees … ahhhh how are they getting under my veil???? Should I have closed the zipper? Yes I should have. aaaaaaahhhhhhh – they’re not stinging, they’re not stinging, they’re not stinging … I think the words like a meditation – my life flashing before my eyes as a film … I climb down the ladder very slowly, hand the box to Tobias and carefully speak the words “I need some HEEEEELLLPPP”.
They really aren’t stinging! At least not if they’re not also completely wedged under my beekeeper suit in the sleeve… One sting during the action is a good cut or??
Now I’ll skip a few ladder rungs up, water, shake and so on.
Continue with the drive home. Wet bees in a wet cardboard box. Normally that should have made me think twice. But in swarm fever, thinking just shuts down. And so it happened. In the last curve before home, the box collapses. Good thing we still have our protective suit on. Up to the parking lot, grab the hive, veil on and the girls inside. Queen excluder on, entrance closed, lid on with a small gap open. Wait. By 9 PM all the little bees were in the box.
Now everyone in our neighborhood knows that we have bees and are bloody (er, stung) beginners.
Tonight the little ones get to take their first flight.