# Swarm Capture like you've probably never seen before! Can't do this in the city...



## modonnell (Jun 16, 2013)

Now THAT is how to catch a swarm.
Awesome


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## JStinson (Mar 30, 2013)

Nice work!


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## D Semple (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm most amazed that the bees fell in the hive!


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

LOVE THE BEEYARD, pretty neat catch too, thanks for sharing! I do have a question though. Do you have problems with overheating with your brown colored boxes, they are the exact same color as mine.


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## Silverbackotter (Feb 23, 2013)

Isn't that what the vp Biden recommended?


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

What kind of load was that, buckshot?


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Harley Craig said:


> LOVE THE BEEYARD, pretty neat catch too, thanks for sharing! I do have a question though. Do you have problems with overheating with your brown colored boxes, they are the exact same color as mine.


Thanks guys!! It sure was a hoot! 

Harley Craig, I do not have overheating issues. Last Summer temps stayed around 100 for a solid week. One day it got up to 107 degrees. To elaborate a little, I run top entrance hives and use foundationless frames (no wiring in comb). As delicate as newly drawn comb is I've never had comb get so soft with the warmth as to drop off the frames. The bees do a great job at keeping the interior "air conditioned" even with brown hive bodies!


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Silverbackotter said:


> Isn't that what the vp Biden recommended?


Haha! :lpf: Yes, it sure is! Taking 2 cartridges out to the back porch and firing them into the air is really a panacea for just about anything, now isn't it?


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

JRG13 said:


> What kind of load was that, buckshot?


Yes, it was 3" magnum 00 buckshot. Might have been overkill. But the only other shells I had in the house were bird shot and slugs which I didn't feel would have done the trick.


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## imthedude (Jan 28, 2013)

that was awesome. two shots - nice shooting. sure as hell beats ladders.


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## djdup (Jul 5, 2012)

Well done!


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks for the Laugh! LOL, nice job!


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## snl (Nov 20, 2009)

HiveMind....
You've been watching too many of Lauri's videos!


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Excellent! Sounds like a setup for a Jeff Foxworthy line though - "If shooting bees out of a tree with a shotgun is your idea of a good time...."


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## Stella (May 22, 2013)

Nice shooting!

"Overkill"? ...nah!

Wanna join my deer camp?


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

That couldn't have gone any better.


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## Spinner (Jun 2, 2013)

Well done! With my luck, I'd miss the branch and hit the swarm.


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## Tom Fran (May 18, 2010)

Amazing catch and two great shots! Congratulations on thinking outside the box. One of the nice benefits of living out in the country.


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## rtoney (Apr 20, 2011)

You could go in to tree pruning. Beekeeper/tree pruner will travel


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## BigDawg (Apr 21, 2013)

Well, it did take him TWO shots......lol!


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

BigDawg said:


> Well, it did take him TWO shots......lol!


I'd love this to turn into a contest of one-upmanship! I want to see beekeepers posting videos of hiving swarms from 300 yards with a .308. Only to be outdone the next week by a beek doing a night vision swarm capture at 1000 yards with a .50 BMG. We need to start a #SniperBeek meme. My lousy .1 posts per day would skyrocket if we had that!!! :lpf:


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## falls pa (May 20, 2013)

I really thought you were going to start banging pots and pans to bring them down, then the gun came out!


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

HiveMind said:


> Yes, it was 3" magnum 00 buckshot.


What gauge 12 or 16?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

I suppose you could shoot a line over the limb with a paint ball gun and then pull up a rope saw to cut the limb off if you were in the city.


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Acebird said:


> What gauge 12 or 16?


12ga.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Acebird said:


> I suppose you could shoot a line over the limb with a paint ball gun and then pull up a rope saw to cut the limb off if you were in the city.


why not just use a bow and arrow, A lot simpler than trying to rig a paint ball gun to shoot a rope.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Sure, why not.


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## Cessna180 (Jan 31, 2009)

That is possibly the best swarm capture I have ever had the privelege of withnessing. You not only get a nice swarm you get to practice with your shot gun. Man that is sooo cool. Who cares if its the city or not. haha, Claim self defence. You were doing a public service. Being a good boy scout. Helping out to keep bees alive. Preventing CCD...


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Cessna180 said:


> That is possibly the best swarm capture I have ever had the privelege of withnessing. You not only get a nice swarm you get to practice with your shot gun. Man that is sooo cool. Who cares if its the city or not. haha, Claim self defence. You were doing a public service. Being a good boy scout. Helping out to keep bees alive. Preventing CCD...


Thanks! I suppose there may be some cities you could legally discharge a firearm in. But yeah, I never thought my 2 favorite hobbies would ever intersect. Here's another interesting way they guns and bees belong together. Many old-school hunters and shooters cast their own bullets and use beeswax as a ingredient in the bullet lube! And when casting the bullets they use bees wax as a flux for the molten lead! Bees and Bullets can and do go together! 

Not trying to hijack my own thread, but for the inquisitive here's a link to a company that makes high quality bullet lubes. Notice the lube labeled "50/50 Bees Wax". It amazes me how every output of a honeybee colony is beneficial to humans in so many ways! Honeybees have stingers for self defense. I use their wax to lube bullets for the self defense of my family as well!


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## MAJ_MALFUNCTION (May 30, 2013)

HiveMind said:


> a beek doing a night vision swarm capture at 1000 yards with a .50 BMG.


My main business is Class 3 firearms wholesaler, so I've got the kit to make that shot (w/IR laser, but I'd prefer to do it w/thermals)!

That was a great video - thanks for sharing!


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

HiveMind said:


> ... the idea popped into my head to get try a method I heard about somewhere...


Your idea to catch a swarm with a rifle is unreal.
I analyzed your video frame by frame, and the snapshot below shows that you almost destroyed the swarm:
https://sites.google.com/site/borisromanov/_/rsrc/1375296520595/home/swarm2.JPG

So, please do not misinform forum members.

Boris Romanov


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

Now that's my kind of swarm catching . What a beautiful site


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## JStinson (Mar 30, 2013)

> Your idea to catch a swarm with a rifle is unreal.
> I analyzed your video frame by frame, and the link below shows that you almost destroyed the swarm:
> https://sites.google.com/site/borisr...ome/swarm2.JPG
> 
> So, please do not misinform forum members.


Do what now? He didn't hit anywhere near the swarm. The bees might have been knocked off, but if he got the queen and a bunch of bees in the box, they'll fly right into the box.

Also, it was a shotgun.


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

JStinson said:


> Do what now? He didn't hit anywhere near the swarm. The bees might have been knocked off, but if he got the queen and a bunch of bees in the box, they'll fly right into the box.
> 
> Also, it was a shotgun.


Look closely - the branch is almost EMPTY! And your "IF" is a risk factor!
I caught many swarms in my life and I know how swarms are sensitive to any physical influences.

In my opinion shotguns, rifles and so on are useless. The smart decision is to install a swarm trap with a swarm Lure during swarm seasons: http://beebehavior.com/beeimages/Hive_Gadgets/swarm_trap.jpg

How To Use A Swarm Trap (By MannLake Ltd): http://beebehavior.com/Arxive/how_to_use_a_swarm_trap.pdf


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Boris said:


> Your idea to catch a swarm with a rifle is unreal.
> I analyzed your video frame by frame, and the snapshot below shows that you almost destroyed the swarm:
> https://sites.google.com/site/borisromanov/_/rsrc/1375296520595/home/swarm2.JPG
> 
> ...


I'm not interested in this turning ugly but I will explain what you are seeing in your screen capture. You are seeing the bees that were festooning closer to the branch itself. Most of the cluster that was further from the branch dropped free and went air born when the branch initially broke. The key to pulling off this swarm catch starts with what I did at timeslice 1:36. The bees you see in your screen capture stayed on the limb and came down with the limb on the second shot and at 1:36 were shaken onto the hive body. These bees all started fanning their pheromone which was the catalyst that brought the rest of the swarm from the air and down onto the boxes.*

For further evidence that no bees were injured... before I took the shot in the video I went to the other side of the tree and shot off a similar sized branch at a similar height. I watched to see what kind of concussion the shot had on the leaves (pretty much none) and to make sure the pattern was tight enough to cut the limb down cleanly. It did. In one shot actually, on that attempt. . I've shot this cartridge in this shotgun many times and know how it patterns and how dispersed it would be at the distance in the video. I assure you the colony was not harmed in the making of this video.*

Now just to make sure nobody thought I was serious... I was totally joking about a 300 yard shot with a .308 or a 1000 yard shot with the .50BMB. I wouldn't recommend those as those rounds at the velocity they fly would probably have enough of a concussion following them that they'd injure or instantly kill the colony unless the point of impact on the limb was much further away from the swarm than you saw in my video. *

Okay, with that out of the way....


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

I cannot accept your explanation, because I saw the rest of your video too - the numbers of bees on the frames are VERY limited and more likely, there is no queen among these bees, because normally, bees make a clustered around their queen.
...
In fact, beekeepers use many different type of swarm traps for centuries!


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

Boris said:


> I cannot accept your explanation, because I saw the rest of your video too - the numbers of bees on the frames are VERY limited.
> 
> In fact, beekeepers use many different type of swarm traps for centuries!


I'll make one more comment and then move on. Boris, the rest of the video doesn't tell the whole story. As I mentioned in the OP, this video materialized in 15 minutes. We went in and ate the delicious dinner my cousin made and about 1.5hrs after the video was shot I went out to put a feeder on them and stacked the hive boxes. Many more bees were on and in the box and bearded all over the side of it too. I definitely got all the bees. A lot more than you saw after the limb came down in the video.

That being said, using bait hives can work very well too as well as scores of other techniques. You're objection to this post has been noted. Thank you for the feedback and your perspective.


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

Hive Mind = I think that was a cool video and i'm sure the swarm was fine .
Some just like to fight .
Keep up the good beekeeping nice looking hives:thumbsup:


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

It's your wrong imagination...

The video (as an entertainment) is nice and condition of his bee yard is VERY impressive. 

The problem is his inappropriate idea to catch a swarm. Ask any experienced beekeeper - Why there is no cluster of bees on the frames?


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## DamSutt1986 (May 26, 2012)

Awesome video, and nice shooting! Very nice job - I have lost queens in several swarms, so debating the effectiveness of this method is pointless. Even if he shot the head off the queen (lol), it's an effective way to get the bees from the tree, to the ground. I am impressed.


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

DamSutt1986 said:


> ... it's an effective way to get the bees from the tree, to the ground...


In my opinion, your two years of beekeeping experience are not enough to make such statements.

"...When a swarm settles in a very high tree or on any other inaccessible structure, it is best to leave it there. Such swarms may be an afterswarm with one or more virgin queen and their successful capture can be very difficult. Sometimes you can knock these high swarms into a bucket at the end of a long pole and then lower it to a collecting box. The success rate, however, is very low(!!!)...

Instead of waiting for swarms to simply appear, you can try baiting swarms. Pheromone lures (available from beekeeping supply companies) placed in special light-weight bait hives or empty hive bodies (with or without drawn comb) can be used to lure swarms. Place trap boxes in exposed locations 8–15 feet off the ground (with entrance reduced to keep birds and squirrels out) and check weekly during the swarm season (April–June, depending on your location) ..."
https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/maarec/beginning-beekeeping-2/collecting-swarms/


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Borris, how could you deduce so much from such a lousy frame shot? I am not saying you are wrong in your claims but the photo says nothing to me.


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

You have to read my statements more carefully. 

For example, I stated: " I analyzed your (means his) video frame by frame",
"I saw the rest of your(means his) video too - the numbers of bees on the frames are VERY limited and more likely, there is no queen among these bees, because normally, bees make a clustered around their queen.,"


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## DamSutt1986 (May 26, 2012)

Bees


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## Creekside (Dec 29, 2011)

That was great! Nice Shooting! I sure wasn't expecting the 12 guage to come out.


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## Jackam (Jun 3, 2013)

I agree with an earlier poster... I was waiting for a metal pot and a spoon! 

With all the bees having their rears skyward, fanning like crazy - isn't this a sign that the Queen is in the box? Aren't they blowing the scent upwards for any other members of the swarm that missed the drop?


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## JStinson (Mar 30, 2013)

> I agree with an earlier poster... I was waiting for a metal pot and a spoon!


HA! That's what I was looking for too. I just knew that he was gonna pull out a pot and spoon and rattle the whole beeyard. 



> I cannot accept your explanation


Boris, that doesn't make his explanation any less valid. 

:v::v::v:


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Boris said:


> You have to read my statements more carefully.


Why? You posted a jpeg of such poor quality that doesn't support your claim. Why post a photo if it doesn't support your claim?


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## oldfordguy (Dec 5, 2009)

Hoplophobes are everywhere these days.


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## Boris (Jul 12, 2006)

Acebird said:


> Why? You posted a jpeg of such poor quality that doesn't support your claim. Why post a photo if it doesn't support your claim?


Looks like you have to replace your monitor..

This is one of my statements: "Look closely - the branch is almost EMPTY!"

And HiveMind confirmed in details my statement: "..I will explain what you are seeing in your screen capture. You are seeing the bees that were festooning closer to the branch itself. Most of the cluster that was further from the branch dropped free and went air born when the branch initially broke."

In addition, read my post #44 once again.

Just in case, maybe you can present me your snapshot as a proof, that after two shots and after falling through the branches undamaged queen was there (on the branch)? 
Otherwise the conversation is over.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Boris said:


> the branch is almost EMPTY!" ...Otherwise the conversation is over.


Sorry to threaten your ego but so what if the branch was almost empty? The BRANCH was down at the hive box and correct me if I am wrong but don't the bees return to the branch (even if it is empty) because of the pheromone that the queen has impregnated the branch with. If branch is down at the collection box it is unlikely they will go up in the tree to a new branch, yes. Or do I have it all wrong? I am trying to learn from an expert and you seem to think you are.

There is nothing wrong with my monitor. Trust me if I wanted to prove my point I would have resolution on the frame capture so you could see bee poop or I wouldn't publicize my limitations on such technologies.

I am not impressed by your abilities. But you might be a great beekeeper.


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## chickintexas (Apr 24, 2013)

You had me laughing my butt off! Awesome shooting! We'll be deer hunting here on our property come deer season and you're more than welcome to join us!


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

HiveMind said:


> Yes, it was 3" magnum 00 buckshot. Might have been overkill. But the only other shells I had in the house were bird shot and slugs which I didn't feel would have done the trick.


Buckshot worked nicely, had a couple buddies go through a couple boxes of 6's trying to bring down a limb this spring, was a little higher, bet steel 2's would be great. Thanks for sharing, nice yard. G


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## ericweller (Jan 10, 2013)

I hope there weren't any homes downrange. A projectile shot on a trajectory will keep its lethal velocity for quite a distance. You hear it every year where someone is killed by celebratory gunfire.


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## scallawa (Jul 6, 2013)

Buckshot fired in the air is fairly harmless when it comes down. I have been peppered by buckshot that was shot in the air while duck hunting. While I wasn't happy or comfortable about it, I was fine physically.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Buckshot for duck hunting? Was the object to shred the carcass from the feathers? I'd be getting out of there quick if there was a hunter using buckshot for birds.


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

Hivemind. If you don't mind I'd like to know how this swarm catch ended up. Did you get the queen? How did they do in the following month or so? I see from this thread there are people that are against using guns. I for one am not. This seems like a very cool way to handle things. Oh for anyone out there that's unaware and cares a shotgun is good only under 100 yards. If it goes farther than that then it's pretty useless. It's debatable even at 100 yards if it'd bring down a deer. I know my brother was using buckshot at 40 yards and either he missed the deer, or it just kept on running. I told him that if he'd have used a slug you could have gotten it. He agreed. 40 yards with a slug is doable but I'm not sure about buckshot. any way this is a way to retrieve a swarm that I have never considered before. Very cool!!!


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## VitaminBee (Aug 17, 2013)

Awesome! Maybe now I can get my husband to play with the bees! :J)


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

So is it safe to assume you're far enough out in the woods that ballistics aren't going to be an issue? My basic gun safety stuff says anything fired into the air comes back down, and if its still on a ballistic trajectory it can still be lethal. Dunno, maybe shotgun shells don't have that problem, but I know I'd never fire a rifle into the air like that...


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>My basic gun safety stuff says anything fired into the air comes back down, and if its still on a ballistic trajectory it can still be lethal.

Bullets can be lethal for quite a ways. Shot is usually not a problem past 50 yards (depending on the size of the shot, and the power of the shell and the choke etc.). Typical birdshot is usually not even deadly that far. A load of shot has a LOT of surface area to lose speed compared to a bullet, especially a bullet with a lot of sectional density (long and lean) and a fast twist (so it stays stable longer). Firing bullets into the air is dangerous. Firing shotguns into the air is not. Shot falling down on your head just feels like sleet...


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

that's the difference!!! A rifle will go miles. A shotgun just doesn't. My 22 box says that it'll go a mile while I know my shotgun I've shot straight out and seen it hit the dirt. Different purposes for both good tools. Each has their strengths and weaknesses.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Michael Bush said:


> Shot falling down on your head just feels like sleet...


Yeah, I hear ya Mike but a slug and buck shot are more like hail. I wouldn't want to be under someone tossing coins off the empire state building.


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

See? Learned something new. Never owned a shotgun, but had many long years of rifle safety drilled into my head.


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

Ace I was going to say that shot is lighter than coins and therefore not an issue, but I was honestly suprised at this chart. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_(pellet) about 1/2 the way down you'll see the different shot sizes. I have only seen #0 buck shot, and I think 4,6 and 8 shot in the stores. 6 is for squirrels and rabbits while 8 is for birds (which I have never hunted so haven't bought it). I haven't ever shot a gun in the air to know what it's like when it comes down, nor have I ever had it fall on my head. So I can't say either way. Is it true what people have said about the empire state building and coins? I remember hearing of a penny killing someone I think. 

I would still like to hear how this ever ended up. Did this hive ever make anything? Did it ever get established?


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

delber said:


> I haven't ever shot a gun in the air to know what it's like when it comes down, nor have I ever had it fall on my head.


Try it with a BB gun first. I don't think it matters what power? Darn near impossible to hit yourself with it if you don't move. What ever you do don't look up without a face shield.


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## AugustC (Aug 7, 2013)

I have heard anecdotal accounts of bringing swarms to settle by banging saucepans together and I believe the traditional way involves ringing a cow bell. The shotgun approach though in considerably more macho


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

Acebird said:


> I wouldn't want to be under someone tossing coins off the empire state building.


Worry more about ballpoint pens... 


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-a-penny-dropped-off/


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Nice video. Thanks for sharing! You use what you have for the time given, which is what a beekeeper should do in my opinion.
As someone who shoots and traps for a living, I can say that the situation was safer than driving a car on the highway, and certainly much safer than using a ladder. 00' buckshot isn't bad at all coming down from that angle. I know, because I've been "rained" upon by it before. 

Lol...you should bring down a whole tree next time with a powder charge, it would provide an even more dramatic effect (just kidding)!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

> I wouldn't want to be under someone tossing coins off the empire state building. 

I wouldn't either, but it will hit terminal velocity because of its surface area and shape, this is not that fast. If it were aerodynamically stable and dense (like a lead ball), then maybe it would get going fast enough. The usual physics "evidence" presented is based on "spherical pennies in a vacuum". 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/sc...threw-penny-off-the-empire-state-building.htm


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

More on terminal velocity:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=liIlW-ovx0Y

The good info is around 1:46. It gets pretty technical. 

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

I think it's kinda interesting to look at the responses in this thread and then look at their locations.
The responses of the city Yanks and British are pretty telling of their anit-gun culture and inexperience with arms.
While most of the Southerners & Westerners view the shotgun as merely a tool.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Now if an African swallow carried a penny away and dropped it . . .


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Michael Bush said:


> If it were aerodynamically stable and dense (like a lead ball), then maybe it would get going fast enough.


Ah but if you spin the penny fast enough like a gyro and orient its edge straight down it is very aerodynamic and as a gyro is very stable. And I would assume very deadly.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Acebird said:


> Ah but if you spin the penny fast enough like a gyro and orient its edge straight down it is very aerodynamic and as a gyro is very stable. And I would assume very deadly.


Ah, but a penny spinning with stability still lacks density, and thus is very susceptible to cross winds while falling from such a height, which will then cause the penny to become unstable and return to its original state long before it meets the earth's surface.


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## TalonRedding (Jul 19, 2013)

Barry said:


> Now if an African swallow carried a penny away and dropped it . . .


Lol... Are you suggesting that the African swallow has vested in the American financial markets?

Oh my, I should cease and desist from unintentionally high jacking this thread. My apologies.


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

Mythbusters did the penny one. The answer is no, it just doesn't have the mass.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>While most of the Southerners & Westerners view the shotgun as merely a tool. 

True. I wouldn't think twice about blowing a small limb off a tree with a shotgun to get a swarm, or a squirrel, or to get rid of a pest... although the pests and squirrels usually get a .22 in the head...


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

TalonRedding said:


> Ah, but a penny spinning with stability still lacks density, and thus is very susceptible to cross winds while falling from such a height, which will then cause the penny to become unstable and return to its original state long before it meets the earth's surface.


Nope. The penny will remain in the same attitude it was when it was spun up. It will just shift sideways and hit another person. Density? A penny has to be as dense as a 22 bullet.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Acebird said:


> Nope. The penny will remain in the same attitude it was when it was spun up. It will just shift sideways and hit another person. Density? A penny has to be as dense as a 22 bullet.


A .22 bullet is made of lead, id have to say its more dense than a penny. Ive shot a shotgun in the air to be rained down upon by the shot, no worries on getting hurt unless you look up and catch one in the eye!! Ive also been hit MANY times hunting ducks on public refuges, and I will say that some of the larger shot coming out of 3 1/2" shells at 100 yards does make a pretty good thump on the waders and jacket!! When I hear the "neighbors" firing off at ducks and then the rain sound on the water I just turn my head and hope a pellet doesn't hit my ear!!


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## scorpionmain (Apr 17, 2012)

Acebird said:


> Nope. The penny will remain in the same attitude it was when it was spun up. It will just shift sideways and hit another person. Density? A penny has to be as dense as a 22 bullet.


It's all about terminal velocity.

A penny only weighs about a gram and it tumbles as it falls. Because of the tumbling and the light weight, there's so much air resistance that the penny never really gathers that much speed before it hits its terminal velocity. A gram of weight traveling at a relatively slow speed might hurt a little if it hit you on the head, but it's not going to kill you.

A bullet might weigh 5 to 10 grams, and it leaves the barrel of a gun at anywhere from 800 to 2,000 miles per hour, depending on the type of gun, the type of bullet and the amount of powder behind the bullet. A 44-caliber bullet weighs about 9 grams. Let's assume it leaves the gun at 1,000 miles per hour. That gives it a muzzle energy of about 300 foot-pounds (1 foot-pound is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 pound 1 foot in the air). Three-hundred foot-pounds of energy is clearly enough to kill someone. Even a third of that is enough to kill someone.

A 1-gram penny falling from the Empire State Building might reach 100 miles per hour. It has a little less than 1 foot-pound of energy when it hits, and just hurts a little.
If a 50-gram nut, or a roll of pennies weighing 50 grams, were to fall from the Empire State Building, it would fall about 1,000 feet. Ignoring air resistance, it would reach a velocity of about 250 miles per hour. That gives it energy of about 100 foot-pounds, which is fatal if it hits you on the head.


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## CajunBee (May 15, 2013)

delber said:


> It's debatable even at 100 yards if it'd bring down a deer. I know my brother was using buckshot at 40 yards and either he missed the deer, or it just kept on running. I told him that if he'd have used a slug you could have gotten it. He agreed. 40 yards with a slug is doable but I'm not sure about buckshot.


He missed. I've taken whitetails out to 70 with 12ga 3" 00. (Full Choke). It's a tighter pattern than you may think, so you can't treat it like bird shot out of an improved cylinder.


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## marshmasterpat (Jun 26, 2013)

I was expecting the pot and pan for "tanging" the bees into a box. 

My vote for the best swarm capture video I have seen to this point. 

Cajun - I was waiting for you of the Louisiana boys to speak up about the hunting with buckshot. Man has to know his limitations and a hunter has to know his gun and loads. I know several guys that have rolled deer and pigs at that range +- 10 yards. Darn I miss living in God's country that is east of Texas. 

Just FYI 
Double "O" buckshot is actually .33 inches in size or equal to a 33 caliber diameter
#3 buckshot = .25 inch diameter
#4 buckshot = .24 inch diameter
BB shot = .18 inch diameter
# 2 shot = .15 inch diameter
# 4 shot = .13 inch diameter
# 6 shot = .11 inch diameter
# 8 shot = .09 inch diameter 

#2 shot can kill ducks, geese, and pheasant at 50 yards easily. Especially lead shot (steel shot is now required for waterfowl hunting). From experience of prior to this requirement I can promise #4 buckshot raining down from up high hurts like heck through a thin glove. But it will only go maybe 150 to 300 yards even when shot at a steep angle.


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

CajunBee said:


> He missed. I've taken whitetails out to 70 with 12ga 3" 00. (Full Choke). It's a tighter pattern than you may think, so you can't treat it like bird shot out of an improved cylinder.


Taking one out at 70 yards!!! That's a pretty good shot. Was it moving? My brother may have just simply missed. He said it was "hauling" because they hunt with dogs.


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## CajunBee (May 15, 2013)

Not moving. I won't take a shot unless I'm confident of a clean hit. I've been fortunate in that I've never lost one.


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## GOHoney (Jun 19, 2013)

Nice. I like that.


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## HiveMind (Jul 6, 2010)

I've had some inquiry on how the colony turned out. So I want to be transparent on its outcome. It did not make it through Winter. I've got a couple other colonies that didn't either. Maybe this one swarmed from one of those and the genetics (or my beekeeping skill) leaves something to be desired with regard to that. 

However, I did want to share this video. This swarm was also out of my reach and I hived it using a different very simple and safe method. I was on the motorcycle that day and my rope and weight were all I had (plus the cardboard nuc I keep under my desk at work). Worked very well. Use what you have! Even if it's not ideal.


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