Tanging Them Home

The re-telling of a member's unbelievable experience 'tanging' a swam out of the tree and back to the hive. 

Fore lore or wives tales, it really didn’t matter last week to Monika Popein. One of her hives was swarming. She thought she had done the preventive work the day before – made a Demaree split (albeit their unique version J), - maybe they missed a queen cell or two?  They hadn’t been able to find the queen. Confident they had things in control, Monika was surprised to hear, and see her bees swarming out of the hive the next day.  Now, it seemed she could only watch sadly as half of her strongest colony rose higher and higher into the sky.

What can be done when your bees swarm out of reach? Monika phoned the Club’s Bee Guru - Don Fowler who said "why not try ‘clanging’ the bees," (or rather ‘tanging’ as it was called in the 18th century). He didn’t think it would work, but at this point, why not give it a try?

With the swarm, loud and visible and at least 120+ feet in the air and in a tree – it seemed impossible. But with nothing to lose, Monika gathered up two galvanized garbage can lids and slowly but methodically tried out the ancient art (?) practice, of ‘tanging the bees’.

Monika said, “It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever done. I really thought it was nonsense.”

How long to “tang”? How loud to “tang”? No idea. The internet describes people banging a pot with a wooden spoon, or two hive tools together. A you-tuber used a 6 foot aluminum ladder to “tang” his swarming bees. These people swear they came back.

“The first few ‘clangs’ of the lid just felt like hollow noise, but after a while, I got into a rhythm and felt a vibration as the lids resonated each time I ‘tanged’.  After what seemed to be 15 minutes or more I stopped. I couldn’t see the bees and I really couldn’t hear them either. I gave up. Just then my husband Gary came home and said he could hear the bees from the road.

Monika went back out to the apiary and looked up and saw the swarm coming down from the sky – she started up the ‘tanging’ again.  Were the bees actually coming back?

“They were totally headed for the hive. I couldn’t believe it – was it really working? When I saw them coming lower and lower in the sky, I started tanging again. I kept it up  for another 10-15 minutes. The swarming bees made their way back home.”

Once the majority of the bees were ‘home’ Don advised to close off the entrance so they wouldn’t leave again.

Don came the following the day. He opened the hive and found the queen and secured her in a  queen cage. Then they split the previously swarming hive split into 2 hives.

Was it a fluke? A one off? Is timing everything? Was it the kind of material Monika used in the ‘tanging’ - specifically metal garbage can lids?

“Personally, I think it's the galvanized garbage can lids. If you’re holding onto the handles the lids can vibrate freely – it's the lids I swear.”

I guess at least one of our Oceanside Hive members is a  new “bee tanging” believer? When it comes to losing half your colony, it might just pay to let your neighbours think you’re acting a little strange. 

Written by Stefanie Gale, 

Oceanside Hive Collective

Hello BC Beekeeping Community Clubs and Associations:

I am pleased to introduce Dr. Abigail Chapman, who has joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Food as the Provincial Apiculture Specialist.

Dr. Chapman brings a strong combination of scientific expertise, practical beekeeping experience, and a long-standing commitment to education and outreach. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of British Columbia in 2025 under the supervision of Dr. Leonard Foster, where her research focused on understanding how viral infections affect honeybee queen health and reproductive potential.

Following her doctoral work, Dr. Chapman served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UBC, leading the design and implementation of a major field study within a national initiative aimed at improving the availability of locally adapted honeybee stock in Canada. In addition to her research background, she has been beekeeping since 2017 and has spent multiple seasons working in queen breeding and stock production within a commercial operation, providing strong practical insight into industry practices and challenges.

Dr. Chapman is also well known within the beekeeping community for her extension and education work. She has delivered presentations throughout British Columbia and internationally and has previously served on the executive board of the BC Honey Producers’ Association, where she supported educational programming and knowledge transfer.

 In her new role with the Ministry, Abigail looks forward to supporting beekeepers, industry organizations, and clubs. She is committed to strengthening communication, encouraging evidence-based management practices, working to update and improve the resources available to BC beekeepers of all scales, and responding with diligence to new and ongoing threats to honeybee health.

Sincerely,

Theresa Burns DVM MSc PhD

Chief Veterinarian, Ministry of Agriculture and Food