Got these bees a couple days ago. The fence power was definitely on. ( I turned it off to hive them ). How were these bees not getting zapped with electric? Wires are alternating hot / ground. I’d think they had to be completing the circuit from hot to ground?

B's aren't conductive. They have two holes in them.

How did you get them in the box? Did you brush them in, vacuum them up or do something else?

Keith

On training crew we were rebuilding a line through some pasture. The 6 of us gay linemen all held hands and the first guy touched a fence, last guy got wacked hard…lol. Maybe there’s bees we can’t see underneath getting thumped. Omega safety boots my butt!!!….lol

I know honey will carry current. Once got a call to clean out the mess after a wall colony died out above a breaker panel. The honey flowed and flipped breakers.

Made them drop power on that mess.

Had the same thing happen with a swarm from my own apiary. Fence stayed hot during removal. Bees were fine but I got wacked a few times through the gloves. I held frames under the swarm and gently scraped them off the post and into a nuc box.

They weren't grounded

Cut out a piece of cardboard and fitted it around post. Set up a box on it and brush them off. They’ll march right in. Had a swarm land on a gas well head in the same yard, had to brush them off too. There’s a bee tree in an open yard, so when a swarm comes out, there’s not much to land on.

Wow

How far north have the killer bees come? All I know is that if they make it up here, I’m moving up!

No worries Shakeyjake, they are spreading through the southwestern states but I doubt they'll ever reach very far north, even in the US.

Boxed my fourth swarm yesterday - expect more today with warmer weather and sunshine

How do you know if you have the Queen??

Wife got a swarm call this morning but it 12' in an evergreen tree. I'm 127 miles away at work and she has got her first ball swarm this year with my 13 year old she is not comfortable enough to tackle this one yet. I called friends to see if they want to go get it and she can tag along to learn her idea but they have not answered.

Going to have 3 bee keepers in the family after all. She was planning to do a few hive inspections today as well. I will look at them when I get home next week and see how she did.

They've gone about as far as they are going to go. They've hit the limit of their winter tolerance in the southwest and Florida.

The bees will tell you. They fan a homing pheromone to direct the rest of the swarm. When doing so thet stand with hind end in the air fanning over their nasonov gland while facing the direction of the queen.

I have had swarms with virgin queens several times and boxes with 3-5 queens running around them. I don't do a good job of destroying excess cells after I make splits and pay for it by chasing down smaller swarms I have created.........

I believe I can also smell the pheromones produced by a queen right swarm. I have trapped several swarms utilizing lemongrass oil and have noticed the faint smell of similar produced chemicals when a swarm is queen right - anyone else ever smell this?

Occasionally

I hived two swarms one day last week. While I was waiting for everyone to get in the box, the homeowner commented that she could smell Lemon Pledge, ( furniture polish ) . I kinda chuckled ….said I did too. Sometimes the pheromone smell is strong.

I made a road trip today moving and tending hives. I ended up at camp 120 miles from home. Mrs Brownie got a call about a swarm, she went and got them. Same spot where bees were on the electric fence. An after swarm.