Keep An Eye On The Butterfly.

[ski]

Over the past several years 99% of the swarms from my hives have landed in a small peach tree in front of the hives. They were 4-5 feet off the ground and easy to shake into a hive. This year there have not been many swarms in the peach tree. Not sure where they have gone or if my checker boarding had helped curtail a few of the swarms.
So I was cleaning up my shop to get ready for extracting honey. I took a break and sat down on the edge of the barn deck just enjoying the shade and a light breeze that was blowing. It does get a bit hot in the barn/workshop.
I noticed a butterfly in the branches of the pecan tree it seemed to be going around and around looking for a way to get out of the center of the tree. It finally gained some altitude and escaped from the pecan tree and flew into the pin oak right next to it. So it was flying around the branches of the pin oak gaining altitude and began flying out of the tree along one of the larger branches. So as it was flying out to the end of one of the larger branches in the pin oak it flew right past a swarm. It was about 35-40 feet up about 10 feet or so from the end of the branch.
Ok the butterfly left and my eyes stayed focused on the swarm. Too high to reach with a pole and bucket but I can throw a rope over the branch and shake them out. After several tries I got the rope over the branch several feet from the swarm, but I was able to shake the branch pretty good. The swarm was in a tear drop shape but yet there were only a few bees falling. The bees were falling on branches below the swarm and flying back up. I was not able to see the swarm while standing directly below it due to other branches. After a closer look at the swarm with a pair of binoculars I could see the tear drop shape were bees covering comb. They had been there for a few weeks at least. So now I know where another one of my swarms had gone. I put a box with some old comb and lemon grass oil below the swarm but I know thy will not leave the comb they have built. The box was for my peace of mind.
It will be interesting to watch the colony in the tree and see how they will fair over the coming months.

[Wally]

Time to get a bucket truck.