Wot I dun today...
Well, today's been quite fun!
First of all, I missed a call from an agent. I'm not quite sure why, but there's 2 really good possibilities that occured about the time the mobile went off (according to the history log):
Firstly, it might have been due to there being an almighty racket every 5 minutes or so: A Chinook helecopter was involved in some sort of practice / exercise on Pirbright ranges: It was coming over hard & fast, about 150 feet (which is bloody low for something that size!) and using the skies just overhead to bank hard, to head to the range where it was landing (half a mile or so away). The back door was wide open, and it was filled with troops half-hanging out the back... I'd suspect special forces, but then again, who knows?
The second option was almost as impressive: After one pass, the noise didn't quite abate - a steady, low, slightly agressive drone kept on going after the Chinook had passed. Intrigued, I poked my head out the open door, to see what it was. Good job I did - there was one hell of a bee swarm passing by, so it was a mad panic to bat the few flying critters that had come in back out the door, then to secure the doors & windows (only 2 windows and the door, thankfully!).
Then, with the noise getting louder and then steadying, I grabbed the camera and took some piccies out the window: I was well and truly trapped inside and didn't fancy going out for a while!
It was that dense over an area about 40 yards square. I'd estimate about 2000 bees? Maybe more? (At this stage, I dind't know if it was bees, or something else...)
They started to settle on the tow-hitch of the van 2 up from me: This is taken through the scope, they're about 30 yards away:
The ball developed into something about 10-12" diameter, and over a foot and a half tall - a huge mass of seething buzzing bees. It was quite impressive!
Then, once most of the bees weren't airborne, I scooted out and over to the site office, where I could get it seen to. Didn't want the hive to form inside someone's "well ventilated" caravan!!! Turns out one of the target shed foremen is a hobbyist bee-keeper, so he called up a mate to come collect them (he didn't need any more himself). Then we went back, and he sprayed water on the mass, to keep them from flying off (they don't fly in the rain, so a gentle spray from a mister keeps them clumped like this:
TBH, I suspect about 2/3 of them were off scouting for a new nest site, but the air was clear, so we could get within a few feet of it quite comfortably...
The person who was to collect them didn't turn up before I had to be off, but it's a simple process: Put a wicker skep (basket type thing) underneath the mass, and clout the top. Most will fall off,, whence you turn it upside down and lift it an inch or two off the ground. The queen will go for the safest place (the top of the skep) and the bees will fan the pheremones out the gap at the bottom. Over the course of an hour or so, the scouts will come back, into the new "nest", and be discouraged from coming out with the mister. Bingo, the entire hive can then be transported to it's new home!
Fascinating! (Albeit a bit scary to begin with...)
Turns out the call wasn't a potential job, though, just the agent staying in touch. Oh well, back to the hunting tomorrow!
First of all, I missed a call from an agent. I'm not quite sure why, but there's 2 really good possibilities that occured about the time the mobile went off (according to the history log):
Firstly, it might have been due to there being an almighty racket every 5 minutes or so: A Chinook helecopter was involved in some sort of practice / exercise on Pirbright ranges: It was coming over hard & fast, about 150 feet (which is bloody low for something that size!) and using the skies just overhead to bank hard, to head to the range where it was landing (half a mile or so away). The back door was wide open, and it was filled with troops half-hanging out the back... I'd suspect special forces, but then again, who knows?
The second option was almost as impressive: After one pass, the noise didn't quite abate - a steady, low, slightly agressive drone kept on going after the Chinook had passed. Intrigued, I poked my head out the open door, to see what it was. Good job I did - there was one hell of a bee swarm passing by, so it was a mad panic to bat the few flying critters that had come in back out the door, then to secure the doors & windows (only 2 windows and the door, thankfully!).
Then, with the noise getting louder and then steadying, I grabbed the camera and took some piccies out the window: I was well and truly trapped inside and didn't fancy going out for a while!
It was that dense over an area about 40 yards square. I'd estimate about 2000 bees? Maybe more? (At this stage, I dind't know if it was bees, or something else...)
They started to settle on the tow-hitch of the van 2 up from me: This is taken through the scope, they're about 30 yards away:
The ball developed into something about 10-12" diameter, and over a foot and a half tall - a huge mass of seething buzzing bees. It was quite impressive!
Then, once most of the bees weren't airborne, I scooted out and over to the site office, where I could get it seen to. Didn't want the hive to form inside someone's "well ventilated" caravan!!! Turns out one of the target shed foremen is a hobbyist bee-keeper, so he called up a mate to come collect them (he didn't need any more himself). Then we went back, and he sprayed water on the mass, to keep them from flying off (they don't fly in the rain, so a gentle spray from a mister keeps them clumped like this:
TBH, I suspect about 2/3 of them were off scouting for a new nest site, but the air was clear, so we could get within a few feet of it quite comfortably...
The person who was to collect them didn't turn up before I had to be off, but it's a simple process: Put a wicker skep (basket type thing) underneath the mass, and clout the top. Most will fall off,, whence you turn it upside down and lift it an inch or two off the ground. The queen will go for the safest place (the top of the skep) and the bees will fan the pheremones out the gap at the bottom. Over the course of an hour or so, the scouts will come back, into the new "nest", and be discouraged from coming out with the mister. Bingo, the entire hive can then be transported to it's new home!
Fascinating! (Albeit a bit scary to begin with...)
Turns out the call wasn't a potential job, though, just the agent staying in touch. Oh well, back to the hunting tomorrow!