swarm-list Mailing List: This, the middle of the swarm season, is a good time to send out this refresher.

[Gerald Przybylski (gtp000000]

    This works for us most of the time. It's flexible enough to adjust
    for emergencies.

Why we operate the Swarm Hotline and Swarm-List

Relocating swarms from callers' properties is Public Service activity done by ACBA members on behalf of honey bees and the beekeeping community. Beekeeper-to-the-rescue.
This work improves the public's outlook on honey bees and beekeepers through direct and indirect education as we do our work.

Free colonies of honey bee is a side-benefit.
Colonies we rescue have a better chance of surviving to next spring in a beekeeper's yard compared to feral/wild destinations.

How it works

• A caller dials the swarm hotline (510) 898-6696, and reports a swarm to the ACBA swarm-hotline volunteer.
  Swarm calls come mostly from Alameda county; some reports come from neighboring counties. We help if we can.

• A swarm-hotline volunteer takes the information for swarm relocation, and for extraction/cut-out calls.

• The volunteer posts the city/neighborhood, swarm size, and description/difficulty to the email-list swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org;

• A swarm list member (you) receives the message, and makes a claim for the swarm by reply to swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org. Reply-all
  include your email address in your claim email, and phone number.
  Your making a claim indicates you can leave to capture the swarm within 15 to 30 minutes.

• The hotline volunteer acknowledges the member's claim by sending an email to the group swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org. Reply-all

• The hotline volunteer directly emails the address and contact information to the member making the claim. (Reply-to-sender)

• The member receiving the data contacts the caller to reassure him/her you will arrive soon, asks for details, or a picture, and asks whether the swarm is still there.

• The member collects the swarm.

• In order to avoid leaving behind stragglers, leave the swarm collecting box until dark so forager bees can settle in.
  Take the box home after dark.
  (The sunset pick-up often requires a second trip to the swarm location. Keep travel time and traffic in mind when making a claim.)

• ACBA members don't charge a fee to the homeowner or hotline caller for relocating the swarm.
  Callers may donate to the club via the button at the ACBA home page or the public ACBA swarm page.

You can see examples of this script playing out by reviewing the swarm mailing list archives.

List etiquette

If you collected a swarm in the last two days, please wait a few minutes before claiming another to allow others, especially the bee-less to claim a swarm.
Swarms unclaimed within fifteen or twenty minutes may be claimed by anyone (including the volunteer who posted the call), no matter how recently he/she collected a swarm. This adjustment to first-come first-serve gets bees into the yards everyone who needs bees.

Please be patient. If you are assigned a swarm and you collect it, you got lucky!
If you missed this swarm posting, just try for the next one.
Based on the experience of previous years, everyone who wants a swarm eventually gets one (or more) by June or July when calls decline.
Please teach new beekeepers swarm-collecting skills when they ask to tag along. They may assist, but it's your swarm, your way.

It is important to collect the swarm before it flies away. That's why “after-work” and “tomorrow” are not helpful responses.

The swarm-hotline volunteers are club member who donate their time to the club and the community. They try their best to keep things orderly, efficient, and fair. Sometimes overworked.
The volunteers filter/translate the calls from non-bee-people reacting to the discovery of many bees. Many calls turn out to be something other then swarms.
Hotline volunteers normally pass the contact information to the first email claim for the swarm via the swarm-list email group.
Not all calls are normal. In exceptional cases the volunteers prioritize community-safety, the needs of the caller, and the best outcome for the bees.
For example, swarm obstructing traffic, at a school, construction site, business operations, the severely allergic, sports events, hanging over streets, vehicles, etc.

Occasionally claims from two members arrive with the same time-stamp. The first claim in the volunteers in-box may not appear first in everyone else's in-box because of variations in time synchronization across the internet, and software differences between email-clients.
Please accept that the volunteer is properly handling calls, or has an important reason for making an exception. It's their commitment.

Swarms on private property may be relocated WITH the permission of the property owner or occupant. Don't trespass.
Swarms on street-trees, boulevard medians, etc. may generally be collected without obtaining permission.
Calls that come to the hotline volunteers usually have the permission issues dealt with before being posted.
“Caution-Tape” is recommended when swarms are collected in public areas.
If uncertain about whether it's legal to be there, just let the bees go. We can't get every swarm.

If you claim a swarm, and then can't respond, you must pass the call on to someone else, or repost it as available.

Extractions

The hotline volunteers handle many Extraction or cut-out calls.  The contact information, and a short description are posted to the email-list swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org;
Service providers wishing to take on these jobs then contact the caller directly to get details, and make offers.
Service providers are NOT expected to claim extractions.   It's an open, competitive marketplace for the callers.

If clarification is needed, please email me back, and we'll talk about it.
Jerry