Tuesday 13 May 2014

Swarm City

Hello All
As they say in the TV programme "Mostly, I have been collecting swarms"

D. and I were beavering away repairing every single piece of beekeeping equipment left (not much!) and building new roofs and floors from our (considerable) wood stash when I looked out of the window to see a familiar cloud in the sky. I must say I was tempted to pretend I hadn't seen it and let it go, but we have a responsibility to our little friends, so I said "Another swarm D." He tried not to look too crestfallen, as he has spent the last fortnight making new hives and nothing else. Jobs are piling up around us, with deliveries of smallholding gold awaiting attention (more on this later) and gardens still to be dug etc etc.
 As I am collecting our equipment, the phone rings and it is our Godson who has been doing some fencing for someone and do we want the old fencing? I almost didn't pass it on to D. for the same reason as I nearly didn't tell him about the swarm! However, I did and D accepted the wood.(of course)
 This swarm landed on the golden rod and the weight soon bent the young stems over until the swarm was almost on the floor

We cobbled a Brood Box together from bits and pieces and D. put it in front of the swarm while we togged up. At least we wouldn't be balancing on ladders this time. Back to the site, Queen marker in hand just in case we saw her and this is what we saw. They had taken themselves in.

The easiest swarm collection ever!

Good job really as Gdson had arrived with his mate and trailer and pick-up load of stuff. They all set to to unload it all over yard and very pretty it looks too (not)  I went into the kitchen to make tea and my mobile rang. It was Gdson's wife to ask was he there and did he know about the bees? Yes, he does I said and after a bit of a chat it dawned on me that we might be at cross purposes. Yup,  Gdson's bees had swarmed ! Off he and I set in our car, leaving his mate to take the trailer and truck to pick up for their next job.
At Gdson's house we tog up again and collect a swarm from a low gate ..Hurrah another no-ladder swarm!

 Here is a pic of the pandemonium in the yard.
Behind the guys is a pile of logs we have gained, to the right is the truckload of fencing to the left is the trailer load of fencing and in front of them is more fencing thrown on top of a trailer full of horse muck we were given. So nothing to do there then!!

Finally what do people do about dishcloths? (just when you thought this post couldn't get any more glamorous)
As I was boiling the dishcloths this morning, which I do occasionally, the rest of the time putting them in the washing machine with  the whites, a friend arrived and said the kitchen smelled of washing day when she was a child. She uses J-cloths and kitchen roll and clearly thought I was strange.
Off to tidy up the yard!!
Back Soon
Gill

8 comments:

  1. Definitely smallholding treasure and plenty to do sorting it out by the looks of things.
    Have fun!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we know how to live the life here! The fencing is half processed and the bags of muck are still in the trailer as we spent much of yesterday on Civic Society stuff. back in harness today

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  2. I wash my dishclothes in washing machine with the whites as well ,

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    Replies
    1. Just occasionally I feel the urge to boil them too. I get odder as I get older!
      Thanks for commenting. .

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  3. sounds like a busy day. I know where theres a man who has time on his hands if you want one. Hubbies main job has run out of wood.

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  4. I feel like we will NEVER run out of wood, though D. hoards it like gold! Tee hee. is he bored?

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  5. How lucky getting two swarms and easy to access, our last we collected decided to settle in a Blackthorn bush, we had to cut branches away to a get to them and then we had to encourage them to go up into a box as we couldnt knock them down into a box, no swarms this year so far.
    Dishcloths i use re-usable ones to and they go in the washing machine.

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  6. The worst swarm we had was in a dense Pyracanthus. Gosh that hurt!!
    Thanks for commenting.

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