The importance of asking questions

Three situations in the last week that would have been avoided by asking the right questions.

1 - false alarm swarm. I got a call from a guy in Manti (2 hour drive) about a swarm in one of his fruit trees. I told him I would love to come catch it but that I was busy (in the middle of a cutout) and couldn't make it that day. I told him to try to find someone else and if he couldn't to call me back and I'd come out tomorrow. I phoned him the next day to follow up and he said he found another beekeeper who came out and remove them. It turned out not to be a swarm at all but just lots of bees on his flowering fruit tree.

I'm sure if I were able to go, I would have asked lots more questions before driving 2 hours to catch a swarm. Might have even requested pictures first.

2 - false alarm cutout. I got a call from a lady in Mount Pleasant (another 2 hour drive). She had bees living in her house under the floorboards and was willing to pay someone to remove them. She said they had been removed in the past but must have moved back in. What she didn't tell me was that "the past" meant 2 weeks ago. Her husband had removed (and destroyed) the colony already and they were just seeing straggler bees or scouts. I recommended ways for them to clean it up and seal it to prevent more bees from getting in. If not for a beautiful day and a pretty drive... waste of a trip.

I should have asked about when the cut out was.

3 - Josh called me with a swarm in his neighbors back yard. He said he had called animal control, the police and a beekeeper in Mapleton and nobody could help. He asked if i knew anyone who would come get them. Hello! I'm a beekeeper. I told him I'd come get them. I made arrangements to leave work early and was on my way when he called me to tell me that the first beekeepers he called were there to catch them. :(

I should have asked more about his previous phone calls.
I should have had him call them back and cancel with them.