For those of you that catch swarms I was just curious if I see a swarm hanging down from a tree is there a certain place within the swarm that the queen is more likely to be? Smack in the middle, closer to the limb, down at the bottom, or is it too variable to say?
Thanks
I have caught 15 or so swarms in the last couple of years and have yet to see a queen. But it is usually a quick shake in the box, and off we go.
Kelly, generally speaking, you will never see the queen in a swarm cluster, she is hidden by and protected by bees.
I would say however, not that I have concrete proof of this, just my experiences catching swarms, that she will be within the top 1/3 of the cluster.
...JP
If you want to find out, you can stick your hand in the cluster and feel around for her. :shock: I remember a couple stories of beekeepers doing this. Not sure if it happens that way or just some neat "trick" to it, to impress the ladies.. :roll:
Quote from: BjornBee on March 28, 2009, 08:08:36 AM
If you want to find out, you can stick your hand in the cluster and feel around for her. :shock: I remember a couple stories of beekeepers doing this. Not sure if it happens that way or just some neat "trick" to it, to impress the ladies.. :roll:
You go first Mike! :devilbanana:
...JP
Quote from: JP on March 28, 2009, 08:14:52 AM
Quote from: BjornBee on March 28, 2009, 08:08:36 AM
If you want to find out, you can stick your hand in the cluster and feel around for her. :shock: I remember a couple stories of beekeepers doing this. Not sure if it happens that way or just some neat "trick" to it, to impress the ladies.. :roll:
You go first Mike! :devilbanana:
...JP
You line up the ladies, and I'll stick my hand in and see what I can find to impress them.... :shock:
Hey, it was your idea, you line 'em up, I'll donate the swarm. I bet Iddee can do the impressing, yeah, that's it, I vote Iddee goes first! :devilbanana: :devilbanana: :devilbanana:
...JP
Quote from: JP on March 28, 2009, 08:20:54 AM
Hey, it was your idea, you line 'em up, I'll donate the swarm. I bet Iddee can do the impressing, yeah, that's it, I vote Iddee goes first! :devilbanana: :devilbanana: :devilbanana:
...JP
Yeah, you always push to the front of the group on a dare the stu.......challe.......slo....great guy like iddee! :imsorry:
Hey, let Mikey go first! Mikey likes anything, yeah, ask Mikey to do it. Bahahaahahaahahahahahahaaahaa :devilbanana:
Hey, he likes it, Mikey he likes it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYEXzx-TINc
...JP
Poor Mikey! They blamed it all on Mikey too!
That is until he died eating pop-rocks..... :roll:
Quote from: BjornBee on March 28, 2009, 08:42:50 AM
Poor Mikey! They blamed it all on Mikey too!
That is until he died eating pop-rocks..... :roll:
Man, pop rocks, I used to love those things!
...JP
OK, I went first. Your turn now.....
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j226/Iddee/Swarm%20catching%20attire/bees031.jpg)
iddee,
About time you rolled out of bed on a Saturday morning. :-D
Quote from: iddee on March 28, 2009, 10:22:36 AM
OK, I went first. Your turn now.....
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j226/Iddee/Swarm%20catching%20attire/bees031.jpg)
(http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9029/cimg2271.th.jpg) (http://img136.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2271.jpg)
Ok, Mike's turn!
...JP
so did mikey really die eating pop rocks?
Quote from: kathyp on March 28, 2009, 01:02:52 PM
so did mikey really die eating pop rocks?
Of course he did. It's like your asking if a bear dumps in the woods, if peanuts grow on bushes, .... :roll: Everybody knows that kid died eating poprocks. Just like Karen Carpenter died choking on a chicken sandwich, given to her by Mama Katz..... :-D
OK, Mike, "or Mikey???", JP says it's your turn. :evil:
Quote from: iddee on March 28, 2009, 03:06:36 PM
OK, Mike, "or Mikey???", JP says it's your turn. :evil:
Yeah, yeah, iddee. If you were REAL good, you could also tell if she was a virgin or not..... :-D
Well, she was wearing a white dress with a long train, veil, and white gloves, carrying a bouquet. I would guess that if she was, she wasn't planning to stay that way long.
:-P :-P :-P :evil:
iddee, you don't look like anyone I remember hauling a truckload of bees in here. That guy was a lot younger and slimmer :-D.
Rick
Only 30 years and 80 lb., Rast. Just a minor difference.
Are you that kid playing in the sandbox across the street from the unload/load field? :shock: :-D
iddee, I don't believe those are bees. It looks like cow turd to me.
gaucho10, do you need to borrow the money for new glasses? Maybe we could take up a collection on the forum to help if you're really that broke. In the meantime, maybe you could borrow a seeing eye dog. :roll:
Quote from: gaucho10 on March 28, 2009, 09:03:03 PM
iddee, I don't believe those are bees. It looks like cow turd to me.
Nice redirection.... :-D Opens up a whole new dialog.
Reminds me of the time I was at a resturant and had no paper. I left without my socks..... :shock:
I think Beemaster is going to ask us to leave without anything if we keep this up. I'm backing out before he comes in the door shooting.
Man Brian, do we really have to go there?
There was this one time when my cousin and I were fishing out in the middle of a lake...
...JP :-D
To get back on topic:
I've always been of the opinion that the queen is usually in the top 1/3 of the swarm cluster. But there are exceptions, as I've found after swarms with the queen near the bottom.
On the other hand There is a place within a hive that you'll most likely find the queen. I usually find the queen on frames 2,3 or 4 or 6,7. or 8 of the brood chamber in a 10 frame hive. If not in the top brood box then in the lower. I've been beekeeping for 50 years and with few exceptions I've found the queen on one of those frames. Speeds up locating the queen dramatically, why look on every frame if you don't have to. If i'm going into a hive with the intent to find the queen I look first on frame 4 of the upper brood box, then frame 3, then 2. On the opposite side I look at frame 6, then 7, then 8. If I don't find in the upper brood box I go to the lower one. The most frames I've ever had to pull, when purposely searching for the queen is 10 on a double decked brood box.
With Mediums, and the brood box extending into 3 and even 4 brood boxes (8 frame), the procedure is the same. I can still find a queen faster than anyone I know and I've been doing it since I was 10 years old. List that under things my mentor taught me.