Topbar Beekeeping

I'm an urban topbar beekeeper in Albuquerque, NM. I manage hives in backyards and small organic farms within city limits. These hives are probably pollinating your veggie patches right now. Visit my website at: http://brownsdowntownbees.com/

5/25/11

"If you are lucky enough to be Irish, then you are lucky enough..."

or "The Irish ignore anything they can't drink or punch". I now introduce the newest hive in the flock, Ireland. I haven't even labeled this hive yet because they are roudy bunch. They were a swarm a friend and I captured from her back yard. First, they stung me through my skinny jeans 10 times, they stung my friend through 3 layers of clothing, they stung me at night while moving the hive, they got in my veil and stung my head.... and, they stung my poor friend's cat!

Here's a drink, or a keg for you.... Ireland

4 comments:

  1. Are you going to requeen? They seem like a testy bunch!

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  2. I'm going to get into the hive in a couple of days and see if they are still aggressive. I think their large number (5 pounds or so) and the way we captured them had to do with their aggressiveness. They were so high up in a branch that we had to use a bucket on a stick to try and jostle them free into the bucket. Seems like every time I capture bees this way they get very defensive. Don't what your experience is. I'll keep you posted on bee mood.

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  3. Bucket & stick. Sounds fun! I don't have that much experience -only caught swarms that were on easy low branches I could snip off.

    Congrats on the large swarm! A small swarm I caught a few weeks ago seems to be now queenless. Sigh.

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  4. LOL, little did we know how apt the name would be! And sunstone, this was my (aly's) second swarm. I think I'm due a nice bush capture next - though hopefully my hived and feral colonies will just be content and productive for a while :)

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