Swarm calls

[Alfred]

Did one last night
They'd just arrived down a flue and had wood burner with scout bees emerging.
Homeowners were panicked.
Couldn't refuse really.
I just lit a smoky fire which got the majority back in the air immediately.
They went out and left grandpa to keep the logs burning.
Just sat down this evening. after extracting all day to get another call.
Turned out to be bufftails in the garage soffit box.
Left them to each other.

[MickBBKA]

Well having removed myself from the swarm catches list, refused 3 swarms on Sunday and 1 today that was supposedly in a bathroom after a plumber removed and overflow pipe and never blocked the hole I come home to find a huge swarm moved into a spare box in the garden If the mountain won't come to...................................... DOH !!

[Alfred]

Had to block a number today.

Normally swarm calls are a good cross section of the population.
Most with an edge of desperation,some just want free pest control ,some don't want them harmed but want them gone and some have agreed tried to give co-existing a go.

This one broke the mould.
Elderly and partially deaf American.
Do you charge?
No.
Good I've got a queen bee flying around the bathroom on and off for three weeks and I need you to come and kill it.
Queen bee? That's highly unusual.What does it look like?
It's three times the size of a regular bee and it's orange.
That's not a queen bee
Yes it is We've lived in this farmhouse thirty-two years and I know what I saw and I need you to come and kill it.
Queen bees only usually fly once a year and they aren't much bigger than a worker.
Well there's more in the attic.
Would you like me to come and have a look?
Yes.

She phones back in the evening
I don't want you to visit I can't have strangers in the house.Now tell me about the queen If it only flies once a year then how does it eat then.
The workers feed it.It lives in the nest.
Oh my god then you have to come and take a look in the attic.Are you fat?
(Wtf?)no I'm not.
Well there's loads of stuff up there and I don't want you knocking anything over..
I will be careful
Ok

Rearrange appointment ( beginning to regret already )

Phones back
My husband is 90 and has a nervous breakdown or something and he is very grumpy and doesn't want you here.I'll phone just before you set off to make sure you haven't forgotten.

She clearly needs help on lots of levels but I don't fancy being tied up and locked in a remote barn for the remainder so unfortunately she can jog on I'm afraid.

[JoJo36]

Maybe with the heat and her age she has been hallucinating ??!!
Yes, best to steer clear else you may end up 'locked in' with them tied up and never getting to retire
The 'queen bee' may be just a lure for you Alfred

[Alfred]

A bit better one yesterday
Call at lunchtime from a funeral director
Funeral at a village today but they were doing the preparation yesterday afternoon and there were loads of bees flying around inside the church.
I was at work and couldn't promise anything
We got there late evening and collected about 150 half dead bees from the windows.
Checked under all the pews and everywhere else for a cluster.
Phoned the director who wanted an invoice but I told her to treat it as a donation.
The telling part of the story was the house opposite had long hives made from plastic barrels in the garden.......

[JoJo36]