Rural Missouri - August 2013 - (Page 30)
SWARM CHASERS
Bob Brammer and Dan West herd wild bees in north-central Missouri
S
by Jack Wax
photos by Kile Brewer
info@ruralmissouri.coop
ome people get a thrill chasing storms. Bob Brammer of
Macon gets his thrills chasing
swarms. For the past 35 years,
he has tracked down and captured
hundreds of swarms of bees.
He’s known throughout north-central Missouri as the beekeeper to call
when a swarm of bees goes where it’s
not wanted, such as inside the walls
of a home, the underside of a truck or
just about anywhere a queen bee will
lead her loyal followers of workers and
drones. Bob’s goal is to keep as many
bees alive as possible.
“Bees serve a vital function,” says
the Macon Electric Cooperative member. “We need them for pollinators,
and the public should know that
beekeepers will come and get them if
they call.”
For the past three years, Bob has
teamed up with Dan West, and working together, they bring home the
bees. Dan, who is six years younger
than Bob, is quick to acknowledge
Bob as his mentor. Together, they own
Bee Trace Apiary, a beekeeping operation that includes 45 hives they’ve
collected. Dan also finds time to take
Bob Brammer, the co-owner of Bee Trace Apiary in Macon, carries a piece of honeycomb containing brood, the larval stage of the
care of his orchard and to run West
honeybee, back to his truck where he will cut it into pieces and place it inside a new hive where the bees will live.
Mercantile, a vintage
Before heading out in Bob’s pickup,
book store in Macon.
Ray Nabors, a bee specialist
are their face veils, gloves and somethey pack their beekeeper’s helmets
The two are not just
and retired University of Missouri
times full-length white bee suits.
•
and veils, bee suits, several pairs of
Extension entomologist, says
Each piece of wax comb is saved
business partners; they’re
Macon
gloves, power saws and drills, hamalso good friends. They
that preserving wild swarms
and cut to fit into an empty hive they
mers, duct tape, a generator, their
is a wise thing to do.
bring with them. Every egg and every
both share the same easy“bee-vac,” a ladder, a supply of fivegoing manner and fascina“Colonies that build up
immature bee still developing in the
gallon buckets, bee smokers, a pry bar
to the point of needing
comb is moved to the new hive, and
tion with bees. They don’t
and several hive boxes with frames for
to swarm are survivors,”
each ounce of honey is harvested. It
charge for capturing swarms
the honeycomb they’ll be moving.
he says. “This is espewill be fed to the bees as they get used
or removing wild hives of
Some swarms are easy to find and
bees, as they usually end up with
cially important considerto their new home. Clinging to the
reach. They may be in plain sight,
another hive.
ing how vulnerable other hives have
comb are thousands of worker bees
dangling from the end of a low“The way I look at it, we’re doing
become to Colony Collapse Disorder
that must be swept or vacuumed into
hanging tree limb. Others can only be
two things,” Bob says. “We’re providand other ailments.”
buckets and emptied on top of the
reached by ladder or are found deep
ing a public service as well as getting
Bob and Dan make capturing
new hive.
in a home’s walls or floor joists. Before
some bees to increase our colony.”
swarms and moving hives look easy,
The last bees collected are the stragBob and Dan start cutting through
Bob’s public service extends to beebut as they say on TV, don’t try this
glers — field bees returning to the
any walls or into any tree trunks, they
keepers throughout the state. In 2010,
at home. Some people have lifehive with nectar and pollen. They
always light their bee smokers. The
he was named mentor of the year by
threatening reactions to bee stings,
cluster together where the hive had
bees are given a hefty puff of smoke,
the Missouri State Beekeepers Associaand angering 50,000 bees is best left
been, and Bob and Dan use their
which calms them and neutralizes the
tion. His depth of experience is a critito experienced beekeepers who have
tools to coax them into the new hive
pheromones they produce to alert the
cal resource says Grant Gillard, past
learned when to back away and when
box. After the bee smokers have been
other bees of danger.
president of the association.
to charge in. Unlike the average perextinguished, the pickup is reloaded.
Once they have a clear view of the
“Despite a recent upsurge of interson, they won’t confuse a swarm with
Bob, Dan and thousands of bees head
hive, the beekeepers begin taking it
est in beekeeping, the number of
a hive. A hive is a permanent home
back to their apiary.
apart, carefully
people who keep bees is declining.
that is defended
Bob says someday he’d like to turn
peeling off the
You can’t replace the knowledge of
aggressively by
Bee Trace Apiary over to Dan. But, like
heavy slabs of
one commercial beekeeper who has
bees, while a
most beekeepers, he has trouble thinkwax comb that
had 1,000 hives with 1,000 backyard
swarm is a teming about a life without bees. At age
are filled with
beekeepers who keep one hive each,”
porary stopover
63, he says, “I plan to retire either 10,
honey, eggs and
Grant says.
on the search
l5 or 20 years from now.“
immature bees.
Although Bob and Dan don’t take
for a new home.
At this point, Bob
themselves too seriously, they are
Swarming bees
If you need to have a swarm of bees
and Dan are usumaking a serious contribution to Misrarely sting.
moved, call Bob at 660-415-6480 or
ally surrounded
souri’s natural environment.
When called
check for the nearest chapter of the Misby a cloud of
Colonies split and swarm when
to catch a swarm
souri State Beekeepers at www.mostatebuzzing, divebees need more space to keep the hive
or move a hive,
beekeepers.org. Most chapters post lists
bombing bees.
growing. When bees swarm, about
Bob and Dan
of beekeepers who are able to remove
All that separates
half of the hive leaves in search of
come prepared
swarms.
A solitary worker bee clings to a section of
them from the
a new home. The other half stays
for whatever
Wax is a freelance writer who lives in
empty honeycomb from a hive that Bob
wrath of the hive
behind with a new queen.
they might find.
Columbia.
and Dan removed from a tree in Madison.
30
WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
http://www.mostatebeekeepers.org
http://www.mostatebeekeepers.org
http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - August 2013
Rural Missouri - August 2013
Table of Contents
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Columns
Hideout heaven
Mining a lead-lined history
Adrenaline adventures
Outdoors
Out of the Way Eats
High-flying fun
Hearth and Home
Blood-stained dawn
Swarm chasers
Around Missouri
Marketplace
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