Free Bees?

[beenatural101]

Since the beginning of time, bees have pretty much been free to those with the brass to get em. Sure, way back those with the know how and real hunger just followed the bees home and got stung up robbin em. Well one day back in Egypt, who knows when, over 3000 years ago, perhaps a swarm of bees decided this basket left out was a perfect place to make a home, or maybe even someone figured out that a swarm of bees was rather gentle and put em in the basket himself. No way of knowing, still the beginning of beekeeping. Even if the guy was unaware and got all stung up when he went to get his basket. Somebody figured it out. It was common practice thousands of years ago to weave a basket and coat it with mud. They found evidence of a huge apiary in ancient Israel, hundreds of hives. now harvest back in them days was smoking the bees to death, usually with sulfur, and then taking everything. It was best to wait a couple years and chase swarms down in between, so you could get more bees. Just watch the hive and chase the swarm in the spring. It was worth it back then, ancient beekeepers were among the wealthy. Ancient Roman law was rather explicit in defining the ownership of the bees. pretty much if you were chasing it makin a racket bangin metal somethin of the type, it was yours.
Swarms are free, easy if u can reach, and docile.
Best way for free bees, u dont even have to feed em, they come pre filled, and draw comb amazingly fast. And if the bees are swarming it's pretty safe to say there is nectarflow.
Theres other ways but swarms are the best bees know best

[beenatural101]

Of course the other way is to find a hive, bees do crazy stuff like buildin in your walls or grill. Somebody is always wantin bees removed. Now to do this you gotta have a lot of bee know how as well as destruction capabilities, and the homeowner may not like you sawin up the wall. you can do a trap outwith a bait hive an a funnel screen usin a queen or brood for bait . you can find free bees

[beenatural101]

As it is now, I have a trap out to do whenever Dave gets ready for me to come set up. Also, my boss knows I am a careful steward to my bees, and he has a whopper of a hive in his grandpa's old house. Said I could put swarm traps out in the spring, but he wants to leave em in the old house, discourages nosy teenagers, small house 3 room I think OLD lol. Anyway he thinks we need more bees too. Guess the gifts of honey weren't a waste;)

[beenatural101]

Cut out!Gotta explain a little better. For a cut out you need a hive and empty frames, I like mediums use whatever u got. Locate the bees entrance to your domicile. Using a infrared thermometer look on the other side of that spot for a hot spot oh 95 deg or so... Start cutting, use smoke if you can and a bee vacuum, basically a bee collector hooked to a shop vac. On the collectin box u have like a sliding door or somethin to regulate the suction . Of course screen it off so they dont come out, and dont go up in the vacuum, my bet is that is lethal for em. Use smooth hose and minimal suction to do the job. Then cut out the combs, cut em to fit your frames, stick em in, and stretch abt 4 or maybe more rubber bands around it to hold it in. Put the frames in a hive asap like outside and dump your bees in quick! Give em till dark to settle down, plug em up, strap the hive together tight, and drive real slow the way to the bee yard. Couple weeks the bees will remove the bands for you, but I imagine I would rather do it for em I don't think a snappin rubber band can be too healthy close to a valuable survivor queen perhaps.

Trap outs are more involved. Since Dave does not want me taking bricks out of his chimney, I will order a queen next week, when she comes, I will take a hive with 2 frames of comb, some honey and pollen.all the way to Anderson and a piece of screen. I will make a funnel out of this and leave the small end abt 1/4 inch no more than 3/8, leave a cpl wires pokin out toward the imaginary tip o the funnel, help keep em out. I gotta have me a scaffold (sort of, just a tall hive stand to bring the entrance as close t the screen as possible. After attachin the screen well, so there is only 1 way out, I wait awhile. chances are I will have me a ball of bees comin back in a few mins. When there is about 100, I will simply hang the queen cage on the funnel next to the "bait hive" for an hr or so, come back out after lunch and maybe a chessgame and install the queen cage in the hive, right next to the brood frame. I won't take the cork out, I will wait 3 days or so, come back and release her, take the cork out and poke a nail thru the candy, come back the next day and get the cage. Nice Strong fresh mated queen ready to lay will attract the bees to bee sure. I will keep tabs on the hive for a few weeks while they are doin their thing, and about 3 weeks after there are no more bees comin out, let the bees rob whatever is left before it spoils and stinks. Then take the hive home with me!
Trap out!