Hi all,
First and foremost my aplogies for my lack of posting. I have been doing 60 + hour work weeks and I have been nothing less than exhausted. I did however muster up enough energy this afternoon to place a swarm trap and spill lemongrass extract all over myself. Now I have a silly question, how often should I check my swarm trap.
Also as soon as I can get some of this hectic work behind me I will be back to posting my sarcastic politcally incorrect responses.;)
Sincerely,
Brendhan
The time to set a swarm trap around here would be about the first of May. Prime swarm season was over here about the middle of June. Not that an occasional swarm doesn't happen any time, but fall is most unlikely time. I wouldn't check much more often than once every couple of weeks if you have to drive far.
I concur with MB, attempting to get bees through late season after swarms is more and excercise in futility than anything else. It's almost impossible to get them in condition to winter over and opening the hive to feed it will chill them and cause hive loss due to cold exposure. Save your swarm traps until the spring and set them up during April in your selected sites.
In Florida we don't winter our bees.
We hurricane them.
The thing that inspired me was I was driving through Belle Glades on my way home from Ft.Myers the other day and I saw a swarm hanging out on the side of a concrete power pole in search of a home. I had coworkers in my vehicle and they were pretty high up near some high voltage lines so I just let them be.
I set up the trap about a mile from where I live I know there is a wild hive near there but I haven't done a bee line to find it. It seems that the bees in Florida are just getting busier.
What sucks is I am probably going to need to remove the trap due to the hurricane/tropical storm.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
I would have to venture the idea that swarms this late in the season, especially of any size, would be of AHB swarming or absconding with a strong lean towards the latter. Since Florida is one of the states with a recognized population of AHB prudence is best. If you catch swarms this late at least requeen.