When not working as a WAC Maintenance Planner at Macmahon, Damian Wallace is a passionate part-time beekeeper. Damian is committed to relocating hives rather than exterminating them and is determined to spread the word. After spotting a swarm of bees in the WAC car park, Macmahon knew just who to call!
Excited to see half the car park full of swarming bees, Damian found the swarm flying in a large cyclone-style movement, with the bees in the centre guiding the direction.
Armed with his own custom-build vacuum, Damian managed to capture the swarm, who were temporarily rehomed in the inbuilt capture container. He even managed to successfully capture the queen, as bee behaviour dictates that any worker bees will stay wherever the queen is held.
After a week, Damian will transfer the bees to frames where they will live, store food and grow their young. Bee colonies need to be relocated more than 3kms from their last position to avoid any foraging bees from returning to the position of their last hive. Returning to this position would lead to the bee’s death, weakening the colony’s ability to self-sustain.
