We got a call from Carley about a honeybee swarm that landed in a Texas Sage bush in Las Vegas.
First and foremost, she knew that it was important to save these honeybees as they are a vital part of our ecosystem and need our help to be protected.
When we arrived, Carley showed us where the swarm was, and wow, what a real beauty. It was still pretty early in the morning, and our Las Vegas weather has been unusually cold lately.
The bees were huddled up in a packed ball in the shrub, and very little flying was going on.
This is normal, especially on a chilly morning. We needed to get these girls back to the apiary and give them the VIP treatment as soon as possible.
We decided to shake the swarm in our 5-gallon bucket, which is only used for these types of situations. The shrub was to stay intact, so a little bit of pruning was ok, but no real noticeable cutting or damaging the shrub was to take place.
Let's get these ladies in the swarm bucket!
We got the bucket in place, gave the shrub a good shake, and caught 95% of the bees immediately. They landed in the bucket and were trying to get out already.
This told us we didn't get the queen yet. Had she been there, their behavior would have been a lot different. Now it was time to use the bee vac and get the last 5% and, most importantly, "her royal majesty."
With the first pass of the bee vac, we got almost all of the bees.
However, they still wanted to escape once we emptied the vac into the bucket. Totally understandable, they wanted their queen, and that was that. We waited a few minutes to let the bees regroup on the shrub.
Vacuuming them in a ball is much easier than being scattered everywhere.
We checked on the swarm bucket, and to our surprise, the bees no longer wanted to leave the bucket. The queen bee made it in there with the last bees we added to the bucket!
This great news made us so happy and relieved.
The Texas Sage bush was very dense, making trying to find the queen challenging. Now that we got her in the bucket with her colony, this swarm removal was just about done.
We did a last pass on the shrub and got as many bees as possible, adding them to the swarm bucket, and now it was time to load up and go to the apiary. These ladies will be set up in a new Langstroth bee hive box and given frames of drawn comb and capped honeycombs to enjoy.
Plot Twist!
Ten feet away, we got a surprise that we didn't see coming, but maybe we should have.
When you find a swarm of honeybees, they must have come from somewhere. After all, they left their previous home to find a new one. That's what swarming is all about.
Enter the ICV box
The ICV box that was ten feet away from the bush was waking up now that it was getting warmer. We didn't notice any activity from it when we arrived, and it was around the side of the house from where we were saving the swarm.
We are assuming that maybe the swarm came from the ICV box. Well, there was only one way to find out,
We had to look inside the ICV box to see what the situation was in there. The bees inside didn't like the idea of us being near their home. They gently let us know by pouring out of the box and sending us a more persuasive message to get lost. We pried up the box just a little and saw it was packed with bees and honeycombs.
Now What?
We contacted Carley and let her know that the swarm may have come from that ICV box. However, judging by the number of bees in there, maybe not. If this swarm was from that box, there would have been a lot fewer bees in the ICV box.
So now we guess the HOA will have to have the bees removed from the box, hopefully by us. Those rascals in the ICV box already know us and maybe have grown to like us, giving them some company and not upsetting their home.
Thank You, Carley
Carley was amazing. She represents the younger generation who has a love of nature and honeybees. She understands that bees need to be saved and not exterminated.
People like her are bringing the understanding of our natural world to light for others to learn from. The days of honeybee extermination are fading quickly, and our youth, like Carley, is part of a powerful and unstoppable movement.
How refreshing!
Betsy and Pete
Las Vegas, Nevada
About Us: The Authors
We're Betsy and Pete, passionate Las Vegas beekeepers trained by a master in the field. With hundreds of successful bee and bee swarm removals under our belts, we're not just experts; we're enthusiasts committed to the well-being of these incredible pollinators.
We manage dozens of beehives, both natural and honey-bearing at our Joshua Tree Preserve.
Our Commitment to Excellence
Education is an ongoing journey, especially in a dynamic field such as beekeeping. That's why we continually update our knowledge base, collaborate with other experts, and stay up to date with the latest advancements in bee control methods and beekeeping practices.
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