Yesterday, our bees swarmed! Which means…uh…that they left the hive to find a new place to live because their hive was too crowded and they hatched a new queen and blah, blah, blah…they swarmed!! I can’t tell you how relieved I was that the official beekeeper was home, because if he had been at work when the swarm started I would have called him and said, “Your bees…gone. See ya at dinner.”
If you don’t keep an eye on your bees you can miss a swarm. Clay just happened to be outside working when he heard a lot of buzzing and saw thousands of bees swirling around a pear tree.
He quickly ran into the house and consulted his bee manual to make sure he knew what to do. A swarm doesn’t last very long so you need to move quickly if you want to capture it and get them moved into a hive. Fortunately, we had the dead bee hive that was stored in the barn because all the bees had died over the winter. Clay rushed to get it set up.
This is an empty frame that the bees will build wax comb on and the queen will lay eggs.
This is an old frame that is full of wax. He put two of these in the hive so the bees would smell the comb and be drawn into the entrance to start doing their thing. He also set a jar of sugar water near the hive body and sprayed sugar water around the entrance.
Then it was time to capture the swarm. Dear God…..
please…
let…
me…
live.
Seth and I stood back to watch.
This is the cluster of bees that formed in the pear tree.
Clay took a cardboard box and a soft bristled paint brush to catch the bees.
And now I think you should see for yourself how the rest of it went.
Fast Tube by Casper
After three trips up in the tree Clay was able to get them into the hive. He’ll open the hive in a couple days and make sure that the queen is actually in there.
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Now that is scary!!!!
This is the one part of country life I have NEVER been able to embrace, it totally unnerves me! Please tell me you keep lots of epi pens and liquid benadryl on hand.
I clicked on your website from pioneer woman and I think I’ll be a daily visitor! I have laughed out loud watching more than a couple of your videos and reading your posts. So funny!
Okay, I also found you through Pioneer Woman and I have to say you went immediately into my favorites pile. I laughed and laugh at this bee video. What a riot!!!!! I am touched by your no nonsense writing and love your getting out of debt series. I feel ya!
OMG! You are too funny! I can’t believe you got so close then ran away and squealed like a girl when one got in your hair!
I laugh and rewind and laugh and rewind…funny funny the famous April “bug Screams” Boy can Clay run best laugh today
another faithful lurker!
Oh my goodness. I watched 3 times.
My favorite part…Help Your Mother !
And my husband wants bees.
That was worse than the teacup ride at Disney … I think I may throw up from motion sickness! You all crack me up … never a dull moment on the farm.
Best video ever! So funny. Did the bees take to the hive?
OK, I don’t mean to laugh at your pain, but that was hilarious!
Oh my goodness. That was hilarious. HILARIOUS. April, you and your screams…and that crazy camera work…wow.
And then Clay running at the end.
That was just spectacular. I loved it.
Oh My Gosh, you all are a hoot! I love coming here!
What a great post! I loved it. I’m so happy to see people keeping bees, especially in light of CCD. Yay! I hope everyone got out sans bites.
I’ll come back later to comment. Right now I have to go and change my clothes. I spilled my water when I was laughing. This was the best video EVER!!
Hilarious. I’m confused though – my husband’s grandpa is 86 years old and keeps bees…. and I know for certain he cannot run like that. Are you sure Clay is doing it right?
Oh my aching sides! That is too, too funny……can’t breathe……laughing too hard!
OMG that was scary and yet hillarious! You should title this video “The Bee Witch Project” lol
Bees scare me. That many bees terrify me!!! I could hear them!!!!!
I think I broke a rib spinning around and laughing.
April, you CANT DO THIS TO ME ANYMORE!!! My guts wont take it!!! If I laugh any harder, I am going to have an anurism… i can feeeeeeel it!
and
WHO LOVES APRIL?!?!? WHO LOVES APRIL?!?!? the bees.. LOL
Was so not expecting The Blair Witch Project. Stop Drop and Roll, woman!
Ok, I just watched it again. I was laughing so hard the first time I missed alot of it. It just gets funnier and funnier. You need to submit this to Funniest Videos.
OMG! Y’all are insane! That is crazy! I LOATHE bees … and they know it and they hate me as well. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while and the whole time I was thinking … that’s soooooo me … I’d totally be running around and freaking out. WOW! April, you never cease to make me laugh girl. Thanks for sharing the story.
oh brother… you guys are definietly the best! i love coming to your blog, because i’ll never know just what i’ll find!
Oh, tears rolling down my and my husband’s cheeks from laughing. We can so relate. Summer before last we had eight swarms and after the fifth or sixth one we just said, ‘Aw, nuts!’ and ignored them. If only the rest of us had the presence of mind to capture some of our adventures on video. Yours is PRICELESS!
During the creative camera work and the screeching, I was trying to tell you…”April! Bee stings are good for you! Embrace the bee sting! Embrace it!” Really. They are!
The rest of the post was really, really cool!! Go Clay!!
This is hysterical… Thanks for sharing. Julie
OMG! That was soooo funny! I surfed on over from Ree’s site, and I laughed out loud as I watched your video! I’m so afraid of bees, I was squirming just looking at the photos of your brave Clay, but the video was exactly how I would probably freak out, I was laughing so hard! Thanks for sharing.
I love it! I would also love to raise bees.
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
Way way too funny!! I thought I wanted bees..but there is NO WAY i am that brave!!!
OMG! I almost wet myself, laughing so hard. You guys are hysterical! If your crops fail and your animals run off and the bees swarm when you’re not watching, you can definitely make a living in comedy!! Love your blog!
OK my sick sense of humor had me rolling but that is also soooooooo cool!!
“Help your mother” and “they’re stinging my ankles!” CLASSIC! Now I just can’t wait until Friday!
Oh yeah, and I kept having to scratch my head throughout the video, I swear the bees got in my house!
I too found you through Pioneer Woman; I think I’ve read all of your archives!! You are now on my favourites list. This post though…..man it cracked me up!!! “HELP your Mother!” ( Notice my use of …… maybe some day I’LL be a famous blogger;)
That is TOO great! My reaction would’ve been something like louder SCREAMS…but I loved getting upside down views of your son laughing at you.
As you’ve already gathered your fans like this. Keep it up!
Clay is a very brave man; much braver than anyone one who lives on this homestead.
Love the pics!!
I missed the WHY IN THE HECK you would start farming bees!!!!
Oh my, I do not think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time. That was HILARIOUS! I agree you should turn that into Am. Funniest Videos.
I had bees come after me one time when I was young and jumped into the car to get away, only to find out one was in my hair. It was not funny at the time, but watching this video makes me see why my brothers all stood around laughing at me.
Good Luck with the bee farming…:0)
You are so brave to be around all of those bees!!!
EEEK! The beeees!
Okay, how weird is THIS! I think I’ve may have met you IRL before… I know I’ve met Preacher before! (You don’t forget a dog named Preacher!) I got here today through Smitten Kitchen, through Pioneer Woman and then realized… um, you live just outside of my town. In fact, I’ve probably ran into you at Target, LOL!
I’ll be back. We just got six chickens last weekend and I KNOW I’m going to need some help!
I will ask if you are okay as soon as I stop laughing!!
You are okay right? lol
tooooooo!!!!!!!funny.
Now this was very interesting! You are all very brave, and your honey will be really sweet for all of your hard work.
That was hilarious!
Priceless! Thanks for making my morning! LOL
We have bees…we have pear trees…are we nuts like you??
Da bees! Da bees, Boss! Too funny! Thanks for sharing your crazy adventures!
My husband came running in the office because I was laughing so hard! That video was one of the funniest things I think I’ve EVER seen — THANK YOU for posting it, you brave, brave woman!
P.S. I, too, wandered over here from Pioneer Woman…best “link” I ever clicked!
That is one of the funniest videos I’ve ever seen.
I will say – you were much calmer than I would have been. I would have been filming from far, far away.
Like …… Ireland or something.