We have to thank Stephanie for calling us this evening to save a swarm of bees hanging on a tree limb right before a nasty thunderstorm rolls in.
6 PM we arrived in Menlo Park and see a good sized swarm hanging on a thin branch. The weight of the bees actually broke the branch so the bees could have easily fallen to the ground if the winds picked up. And if they were rained on, would have definitely dropped on to the sidewalk. (Red arrow indicates location of where the branch snapped from the weight)
That’s our new Werner 12 feet ladder we recently bought for bee rescues. The swarm was about 15 feet up so we were able to just reach it.
After getting in our bee suits and preparing the box, we went up the ladder and a quick cut, the honeybee swarm drops into the box.
Cover them up and we were off to look for the queen at home.
And here’s our queen. So many bees inside the queen catcher I couldn’t get a good photo of her.
Again thanks Stephanie for calling and thanks Vicky for the photos of us in action!!!
Los Altos Honey Bees 