Welcome back! Tonight’s mission at the Bee Sanctuary was practically in my own backyard. We were called to a property just four or five houses up the road to rescue a swarm that had settled inside a pool pump housing.

The Strategy: Hand-Removal & The Red Light

Because this was a relatively new swarm and very accessible, I decided to skip the bee vac and perform a manual hand-removal.

• The Red Light Trick: We used a red light during the extraction. Bees are far less attracted to red light than white light, which keeps them much calmer and prevents them from flying “mental” around our heads while we work.
• The Manual Scoop: The swarm was roughly the size of a rugby ball. I carefully scooped the main clumps of bees directly into the nuc box. I even found a small piece of fresh comb they had already started building!

The “Overnight Wait”

Even with a manual scoop, you rarely get 100% of the bees on the first try.

1. Queen in the Box: I’m confident the queen is in the nuc. Once she is inside, her pheromones act as a beacon for the rest of the colony.
2. The Stragglers: We left the box on-site for two nights with the pool pump lid open. This gave every last forager time to return from the field and march into the box to be with their queen.
3. Sealing for Transport: When we returned, the box was overflowing with bees. We secured the lid with straps and used a mesh screen over the entrance so the bees could breathe during the car ride.

The 6-Kilometre Rule

Even though this rescue was just down the street from my house, I couldn’t take them home.

• The Problem: If you move a hive less than 6km, the bees will recognise the local landmarks and fly right back to the pool pump the next morning.
• The Relocation: We transported them 20km away to our Kyalami Apiary. This “hard reset” forces them to reorientate to their new home and prevents them from returning to the original site.

Mission Accomplished

Another healthy colony saved and added to the count! These ladies are now safe in Kyalami, far away from pool filters and ready to start building for the spring.

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Want to see the “red light” footage in action?

It gives the whole removal a very different vibe—make sure to Subscribe to the Bee Sanctuary and hit the like button! Every sub helps us save more bees across Gauteng.

Quick Question: Do you prefer using a bee vac or a manual scoop for accessible swarms like this? Let’s talk shop in the comments!

How should we proceed? Would you like an inspection video of this pool pump colony in two weeks, or are you ready for our next structural roof rescue?