Late Season Swarm

KONASDAD · August 20, 2008, 11:26:58 AM

I got a call yesterday for a swarm. these days of the year, they are always paper wasps, hornets etc. I asked a hundred questions and realized, just maybe the homeowner was right. They were only 5 miles down the road, so off I went. Honeybees!!! Pretty nice size too, about 4lbs. I combined to a weak hive after removing the existing queen to a nuc just in case. Felt good to get just one more as fall is definitely approaching.

JP · August 20, 2008, 11:33:36 AM

If its still warm you could get a swarm, don't forget they may have simply absconded from a felled tree or failed attempt by someone to 86 them from a wall void or something.

Great catch.

...JP

Scadsobees · August 20, 2008, 02:09:03 PM

I got one too about a week or so ago. I figure this time of year the hives are so full of honey and somebody forgot to check and add supers so they got full and split. I figure with a bit of feeding (8 weeks left to do that) they should have a full deep by winter and that should do them fine.

Rick

Jessaboo · August 20, 2008, 02:12:43 PM

Congrats on the catch.

Will you overwinter your removed queen in the nuc or try to build it up into a deep before then?

- Jess

Brian D. Bray · August 20, 2008, 05:21:24 PM

Got a call the other day from my niece who's friend was freaking out about a swarm in a tree in her front yard. She said it was three seperate swarms. Sounded doughtful to me but at least my neice knows a honey bee when she sees one. The swarm had left by the time I got to the location. From discriptions it was a very large swarm that had to cluster in 3 seperate but branches of the tree.

Sounded like a hive abconding to me. The gal wanted to know why the bees would leave so soon after alighting (2 hours) and I advised her "because they had a place all picked out and was only taking a breather."

There was still about 50 bees buzzing around the tree but nothing to hive so it might be viewed as a wasted trip but I did educate some people a little about bees and they and the neighbors now know who to call in case they have another one.

KONASDAD · August 21, 2008, 11:06:22 AM

Quote from: Jessaboo on August 20, 2008, 02:12:43 PM
Congrats on the catch.

Will you overwinter your removed queen in the nuc or try to build it up into a deep before then?

- Jess

I dont intend to overwinter nucs if I can help it. Too small and need to much attention. She is not a great queen either. One of my purvis queens. I will probably 86 her after i determine other hive health parameters.

KONASDAD · August 21, 2008, 05:38:50 PM

They flew the coop,....

teebo · August 21, 2008, 10:13:53 PM

your purvis queens are not good ?

KONASDAD · September 02, 2008, 05:05:20 PM

Quote from: teebo on August 21, 2008, 10:13:53 PM
your purvis queens are not good ?

Just one is a dud so far. I am still on fence w/ the purvis queens. They were very swarmy but so were all bees this year in our area. I will continue to experiment w/ them as well as vp queens and my ferals as well. I think all beeyards need more diversity just in case you get superceded.