My hive swarmed today and I caught them. But, Ive caught swarms before and theyve never been as angry as this one today that I caught.
Does this indicate anything? or warn of anything? or does this sometimes happen that they are just angry and attack? Maybe they didnt fill up on honey before they left?
Also, if anyone wants a swarm in the Atlanta area you can have this one. I dont have time nor yard space to manage 2 hives
Thanks
Chris
My swarm has been spoken for. Someone is coming to pick them up. They will have a good home.
so OK Chris your hive has swarmed, but why did it. these are things you need to know, or its not just the swarr that will be unfriendly but your neighbors that will be. servicing one colony of honeybees is not take a bunch of time, but you do have to take some time, for you to have been taken surprise by a swarm, is it very clear indicator you've not been in take a look for over 10 days, this time of year that's unreasonable, and inexcusable. no excuses good enough, you brought to be there its up to you to maintain them. not trying to be mean or nasty, that anybody that does this, paint us all with the same brush.
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I appreciate the time to answer. In my previous blog posts i have been asking about how to make sure to best manage the situation that I had. I wasnt surprised by the swarm, just by how, when collecting it, that the bees seemed more confrontational than normal. Saturday was too rainy and I did check sunday and knew what I had. So no, I wasnt really surprised and never said I was I was surprised that they swarmed, just in their behavior. I did inform all my neighbors and they, as always, were understanding. I have the nicest neighbors.
One hive doesnt take a lot of time to manage, no. Youre right. 2 starts to be a bit much, for me, as I ran 2 hives last year. The time and expense does, for me, get to be a bit much (my experience only - no one elses).
I only have a 1/3 acre so in keeping respectful to my neighbors, I wanted to make sure this swarm went to a good place. 2 hives running can sometimes spill over (bee traffic) into the neighbors yards. I dont consider myself an irresponible beekeeper at all. Quite the contrary.
So, sorry that you like to rush to belittle people but I do appreciate you trying to help becuase maybe I had been what you assumed and I should have been shamed into taking better care of my hive if that were the case.
no sir you misunderstand me, I wasn't belittling you. and defensiveness will not help you learn. you have make the time necessary, to know whats happening, to know when to super, to know if they are honeybound, and need to manipulate frames to have open comb for the queen to lay eggs in. all this can be discovered within an hour and a half. Once weekly during swarming season. if I may why exactly do you keep bees, do you have a goal in keeping them, or are keeping them for a conversation piece? I reiterate I am NOT trying to be nasty, merely trying to understand where you're coming from, as an explanation to where you're going. do you actually know what needs to be done at the certain times of the year. beekeeper's are not always view in the best of light. most people honestly believe that there is little difference, and the attitudes of honey bees and hornets. it's up to us to teach them. again there's no need to be defensive. as to the swarm itself, overcast cold weather, cause them to consume their stores faster, ruining their jovial mood.
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I have had the same question this year. I am a newbee, just started last spring with 6 packages and came through the winter with 5 hives. I have been watching them but was never sure when/what to do to prevent swarms. It is a learning process looks like. So far I think 4 of my hives have swarmed and they have not been calm swarms. It seems like every time I would walk up to one of them I would have a couple of bees trying to run me out to the point of hitting me in the head. I also thought swarms were supposed to be calm. I have been able to hive 3 of the swarms so it's not all lost.
cool weather in bees swarming don't necessarily go together, they have to use some of their honey reserve to keep warm, consequently yes that would normally stay close to read or out looking for a new home are looking to protect the cluster until they find a home. as for swarming, you might not be able to stop all the swarming entirely but there are many things you can do, largely prevent it. the combination of factors come together to simulate the bees the swarm, usually several Packers at the same time. A surge in population, an influx of food, brood rearing space being cramped, incoming nectar, and perhaps a queen is getting a little old and her pheromones are a little low.
by providing ample storage space that is put on supers as you know they need it, manipulate the frames in the brood chambers, as needed to open up egg laying space for the Queen, Queen will not cross a barrier of honey to get to New comb, that's what I mean by frame manipulation. lastly it probably behooves to requeen minimally every two years. do these things and you will minimize swarming, don't do that and you'll be chasing swarms all over the neighborhood, making friends and influencing enemies lol. also any colony that swarms, will produce a fraction of the honey of one that does not.
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kenthold,
Thanks for replying. The few swarms I have dealt with in the past have been calm for me too. Just this one seemed quite defensive, which is why I decided to ask what makes a swarm not so happy to be dealt with. I was able to hive my swarm too but they kept coming at me the whole time. In the past it been a non-event to get them hived but generally didnt come at you.
Just to update on my swarm, they were in the box for about 6 hours before they decided to swarm again. And i caught them again. The first time I forgot to make sure I covered the screen bottom board to keep it dark in there. New swarms generally stick around better in a dark box.
I was just wondering why the swarm was seemingly defensive, instead of "just going into the box" like they usually do.
Quotebut you do have to take some time, for you to have been taken surprise by a swarm, is it very clear indicator you've not been in take a look for over 10 days, this time of year that's unreasonable, and inexcusable. no excuses good enough, you brought to be there its up to you to maintain them. not trying to be mean or nasty, that anybody that does this, paint us all with the same brush.
bees swarm. at this time of the year, swarming is among their highest imperative. it's how they maintain themselves. you can check and manipulate all you want, but you won't keep some from swarming. you are working against their instinct and instinct will often win.
as for your swarm being defensive, weather is often the culprit. thunder storms in the area seem to bother them. also, trying to hive them before they have settled well can cause them to get stirred up. plenty of reasons. sounds like you handled it.
when you hive a swarm there are a couple of things you can do to encourage them to settle. feed, provide drawn comb, and you can try putting a queen excluder between the bottom board and the hive body. you only want to leave that excluder for a couple to three days.
kathy! you are a genius.. (and a big help)
I absolutely DID try and collect them right when they swarmed this time.. Come to think of it, in the past, i had always gotten there some time later.. I saw it happening this time, like literally as it started, and only waited until most of them had landed on the fence.
I didnt even think that one should wait until they have all completely settled before trying to hive them. I just waited until "most" of them had settled into the ball.
Thanks for mentioning that. Most likely the reason they were more skittish than normal
Thanks so much
Chris
You can't stop swarming but you can delay it. It amazes me people think they can stop the natural reproductive method of bees and be nasty to others about it.
A good way to look at it is you now have a young queen. The old one left with the swarm.
I'd reconsider giving that swarm away. having a 2nd hive gives resources to borrow from if one of the hives needs them. a frame of brood here, a frame of honey there. if you lose a queen a borrowed frame of brood with eggs can let that hive make a new queen. if you're already suited up & the smoker is already lit it should not take that much longer to tend to a 2nd hive.
My first couple of years I didn't try to keep my bees from swarming. I didn't do splits or anything like that. I was home most all the time, when one swarmed I caught the swarm, put it in a hive, keep an eye on it and the hive it came from. If either needed a queen I could have one in a couple hours. If they needed anything else I tried to furnish it.
Joe
No will never say stop entirely swarming, but you can substantially reduce it. To say different is either ignorant, or lazy. Been doing this for awhile. I do know its doable. Takes effort, not talk. To do less is irresponsible...
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You are awesome.
No I pay attention.
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Sheldon is in the house. :-D
some people have a gift for teaching. some do not. even so, they may have valuable info.