Dustin Bajer

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Join The Edmonton Swarm Catchers List

July 16, 2014 by Dustin Bajer Leave a Comment

Join The Edmonton Swarm Catching Community

Before we begin – if you’re in the Edmonton area and there IS a swarm of bees outside your window, call (780) two three five – zero two two three or visit Report A Swarm Or Honeybee Colony.  

What is a Swarm?

Dustin Bajer swarm catching honeybees in Edmonton, Alberta.

warming is a natural process that occurs when a colony of bees splits itself in two – swarming is how colonies reproduce. Usually triggered by a lack of space, honeybees will prepare to swarm by preparing to make a new

Swarming is most common in the Spring and early Summer when strong hives run our of space inside the hive. When this occurs, the colony will prepare a new queen before half of the bees and the current queen search of a new location. Once they’ve left the hive these (temporarily) homeless bees are referred to as a swarm.

The swarm usually settles on a branch (or other structure in the air) and ball together while individual bees search for a suitable hive locations; hollow tree trunks, old barn walls, etc. When a site is found, the colony flies to the new location where they begin building a new hive.

However, if you call someone familiar with swarm catching (local beekeeping, as an example) they can often capture the swarm and introduce it to a vacant hive. More often than not, the bees find the hive suitable and decide to stay. The hive can then be moved to the location of the beekeeper’s choosing. Here’s a video of the swarm catching process. This is a swarm that my father and I captured outside of Edmonton. Notice how docile the honeybees are; completely gorged on honey (think how you feel after a Thanksgiving meal) and primarily concerned with finding a new home, the bees don’t pay much attention to us.

Join The Edmonton Swarm Catchers’ List

If you want to become an Edmonton swarm catcher, sign up for the Edmonton Swarm Catchers Remind List and receive instant notifications of swarms in the area. As beekeepers, it’s not uncommon to get calls from the public when swarms appear. The Edmonton swarm catchers list provides a way for beekeepers to coordinate with each other when unavailable to

How it Works

Sign up for the Edmonton Swarm Catchers List in one of three ways:

  1. Smartphone Push Notifications – From your phone, go to Remind.com and follow the on-screen directions.
  2. Text Notifications – Text the world @yegswarm to the number (587) 333-7884.
  3. Email Notifications – From a desktop computer,  go to Remind.com and follow the directions.

If you’re called about a swarm and unable to catch it yourself, use Remind to send a message to the group. Conversely, swarms available for catching as posted to the group and you’ll be instantly notified. If you’re available to catch the swarm, send a reply and the group will be notified that you’ve got it covered.

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Projects Tagged With: Beekeeping, Edmonton, Urban Agriculture

CBC Interview: Edmonton Considers Urban Beekeeping

July 4, 2014 by Dustin Bajer Leave a Comment

City of Edmonton Considers Urban Beekeeping. An Interview With CBC Edmonton AM‘s Mark Connolly.

Mark: Ah yes, loves goes in hand in hand with those birds and bees does it? When it comes to backyards, though, not everyone loves the idea of birds or bees. yesterday we talked about the possibility of the city approving urban chickens. Today the city comes out with a report that [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Beekeeping, Edmonton, Media, Urban Agriculture

5 Sweet Reasons To Keep 60 Thousand Stinging Insects

February 15, 2014 by Dustin Bajer 1 Comment

5 Sweet Reasons You Should Consider Keeping Honeybees

Dustin Bajer swarm catching honeybees in Edmonton, Alberta.

Catching a swarm of bees is similar to installing a package.

Installing a package of honeybees for the first time is an exhilarating and somewhat nerve-racking experience. Even if you’ve seen it done it’s hard not to hesitate – is this a good idea? Installing a package of bees (and my thought process) go something like this:

Step 1. Hold tube of bees upright and swiftly hit bottom against the ground so that they all fall to one end. What, what? That doesn’t sound right.  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Beekeeping, Urban Agriculture

Natural Beekeeping with Warre Top Bar Hives

February 8, 2014 by Dustin Bajer 4 Comments

Natural Beekeeping Means Allows Bees To Express Their Natural Behaviour

When I was young, my Dad kept a beehive on our acreage in rural Alberta. I loved sitting cross-legged in front of the hive. I enjoyed more than just the honey; I liked having them around (though, the honey is great too). At the time, my Dad was using a traditional langstroth hive that required lots of management. After all, shouldn’t bees know a thing or two about managing bees? Despite some domestication, one might expect that [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dustin Bajer's Articles Tagged With: Beekeeping, Urban Agriculture

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Dustin Bajer

Teacher, permaculture designer, master gardener, hobby beekeeper, consultant, and network nerd living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Read More

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