(http://www.beesbythesea.com/Bees_by_the_Sea_Apiary/News/Entries/2008/8/11_Mystery_Bees_files/shapeimage_2.jpg)
I can't figure out where they came from. No queen and only a few hundred lonely bees. None of my hives have swarmed recently. Strange.
More pics. (http://www.beesbythesea.com/Bees_by_the_Sea_Apiary/News/Entries/2008/8/11_Mystery_Bees.html)
might have been a swarm with a virgin queen. they are very hard to spot. could have been some leftovers from a bigger swarm. combining is probably the only way to go.
Quote from: kathyp on August 11, 2008, 11:41:54 PM
might have been a swarm with a virgin queen. they are very hard to spot. could have been some leftovers from a bigger swarm. combining is probably the only way to go.
thats what I am thinking, a cast swarm with a virgin queen...
I'd get them a queen and let them do there own thing. They might do okay.
QuoteI'd get them a queen and let them do there own thing. They might do okay.
probably not. we are 6 to 8 weeks from first frost, depending on elevation. not enough time to build up. not enough time to draw comb.
All together, these bees would only cover about a quarter of a frame. I suppose I might put them in a nuc if I had a spare one, but I don't. I'm planning to just add them to one of my existing hives.
I've gotten swarm calls like this before, a small number, no queen, these could very well be the stragglers from a larger swarm that left these behind, combining is the way to go for something like this, they're too small to even nuc.
...JP
Quote from: kathyp on August 12, 2008, 12:40:42 AMProbably not. we are 6 to 8 weeks from first frost, depending on elevation.
Yeesh, you have a short year up there.
Quote from: SgtMaj on August 12, 2008, 11:21:00 AM
Quote from: kathyp on August 12, 2008, 12:40:42 AMProbably not. we are 6 to 8 weeks from first frost, depending on elevation.
Yeesh, you have a short year up there.
That's what I was thinking. We've got probably 14-16 weeks before we'll get a good frost here.
i had the same thing happen last week twice. the first one i could not find the queen so i put them in a nuc to move them to a different yard and dumped the in front of a weak hive. the next day there was another swarm on the same tree but a little bigger. as i was getting ready to put them in the nuc i heard a loud buzzing sound , looked up they where moving to another tree a few yards down. i got them in a nuc with drawn comb and they have a queen laying like crazy. maybe the bees where waiting on the queen to leave .
Quote from: contactme_11 on August 12, 2008, 12:25:32 PMThat's what I was thinking. We've got probably 14-16 weeks before we'll get a good frost here.
Yeah, and we've got about 16-20 or so.
Quote from: SgtMaj on August 12, 2008, 10:03:46 PM
Quote from: contactme_11 on August 12, 2008, 12:25:32 PMThat's what I was thinking. We've got probably 14-16 weeks before we'll get a good frost here.
Yeah, and we've got about 16-20 or so.
We had our first frost in 10 years last year! Knocked all the leaves off my papaya! 8-)