Post date: Mar 19, 2012 6:8:38 PM
Post date: Mar 19, 2012 6:8:38 PM
Friday afternoon was almost over and I was about to get dinner on the grill for my wife and a friend she was having over. They had already agreed earlier that day that this would be a chick-flick night. So you can imagine how excited I was when my phone lit up with a call from an unknown caller. A property manager wants me to come get a swarm on his property! Woo Hoo!!! That was my Get Out of Jail Free card! I knew my wife would be fine letting me off the hook to get a new swarm. My father got his first swarm of the year a few days ago and I wanted to hive a new swarm in the worst way. I already had all my gear ready to go in the Xterra so I hopped in and arrived 15 minutes later.
When I arrived at the apartment complex there were maybe a half dozen people watching the swarm and keeping their distance. I shook hands with the property manager and said "Hi" to a few of the children who were there. I got right to work situating my equipment and getting my bee suit on. Within no time the bees were all entering the hive and then it was just a waiting game. I like to wait till the sun goes down to get as many of the honeybees as possible. One lady was watching me the whole time from her back porch so I strolled over and said hello. We talked for a good half-hour, she shared with me that watching me brought back memories of when she'd watch her father and grandfather hive swarms. She's lived in the area all her life. By the time the sun went down I already had an open invitation to come visit her church as well as some info on several people she knew who would buy my honey from me.
The kids were real nice too. I was really bummed that I had no cash on me to buy some pecans two enterprising young friends had collected to sell. They insisted I take a couple handfuls anyway for free. It's funny how these entries in the swarm log read like little snippets of utopia. What is it about honeybees that seem to bring out the best in people?