Hee Haw another swarm has landed on my property! Questions

DayValleyDahlias · March 17, 2008, 04:07:30 PM

This is crazy! They are on a fence post...LOL...I called a friend who wants more bees! LOL

annette · March 17, 2008, 04:14:03 PM

Wish I was there. It sounds like so much fun!!! Calling all swarms, come to Annette, please!!!!

Bennettoid · March 17, 2008, 04:15:38 PM

:shock:

Some people have the luck of the Irish.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

MrILoveTheAnts · March 17, 2008, 04:19:37 PM

From one of your own hives or a feral hive? Whenever my bees would swarm it seemed like they'd alway land in 1 of three places. Part way up a small Pine behind the hive, 60 feet up in a Maple tree (we've since removed), or high up in a Weeping Oak next to the hive. I've since planted several small trees that don't get higher then 20 feet tall.

I can recall back when my dad used to remove swarms one feral hive that lived in a dead tree would alway swarm late in the season into the cement supports to their neighbor's deck. First year my dad ended up just sealing the swarm in there by closing up one hole, there was no way to remove them without demolishing the deck (mostly stone). The next year the feral hive swarmed into another support to the same guys deck and he ended up doing the same thing, and then worked on the others so it wouldn't happen again.

DayValleyDahlias · March 17, 2008, 05:02:59 PM

I inspected both my hives today. The hive from which I think hosted a primary swarm look great...lots of stores and capped brood in the top deep brood box. I did not venture into the bottom deep today...but I could see MANY bees in there.

The swarm from last week is amazing..., I had given them 4 drawn and 4 with starter strips...WOW they have almost completely drawn out the empties!!!! WOWIE!!!

I cannot hive this new swarm but I really want to, they are fat golden bees..my husband says NO..what a meanie :'(...I had already ordered 2 packages that we are bringing home in April...catching them is WAY more fun...boohoo again...

KONASDAD · March 17, 2008, 05:16:40 PM

Box'em, get them settled and sell them. Spouse will approve of making money!

DayValleyDahlias · March 17, 2008, 05:21:17 PM

This isn't activity of a mating flight is it??? I don't want to give away my new queen and her bees

Kathyp · March 17, 2008, 07:29:32 PM

i agree. take them and sell them. you will offset the cost of the bees you just purchased.

poka-bee · March 17, 2008, 07:46:11 PM

NEVER ask, it's easier to OOPS :roll: than ask permission.... :evil: You coulda used the "these old things??" Box & sell or sell one of the ones you ordered....that way you can see how the unknown ones do! What an adventure!

Jody

johnnybigfish · March 17, 2008, 08:00:57 PM

Man, Sharon,
I cant believe your luck!
Awww, just go ahead and catch 'em and put 'em in a hive box..Maybe Gio wont notice!
Now I feel like I have to go look out back for a swarm in my yard!
Actually, I have already been looking up into the trees for bees!
I wish I was there to get them from you...Ive been wanting to find(or get) some bright golden bees!
Ok,...gotta go,....I think a storm is fixin' to happen..Theres thunder and Tony :'((one of the collies) is bugging me as shes deathly afraid of storms!

Your friend,
john

Kathyp · March 17, 2008, 09:57:03 PM

my husband is gone a lot. every time he come he looks to see what is new. one time it was a new horse. one time a camper. this last time, it was an observation hive! i think he'd feel like he'd come off quite lucky to only find a swarm :-). tell your husband how much worse it could be. he'll come to appreciate a few bees.

poka-bee · March 17, 2008, 10:15:11 PM

Kathy you sound like me! I think my husband is afraid to go away!! :shock: **Homer Simpson doughnut voice**" Bright shiinneeeyyyy Gooolden Beeeesss!" Sharon, You MUST have them!
Just DO it!! You know you want to, and they're FREE!!!! :evil:
Jody

Brian D. Bray · March 17, 2008, 10:29:42 PM

When it comes to getting permission to have more bees the main rule of thumb is: Ask after they are hived and setup in your beeyard.

Works for me. My wife said 2 to begin with (when I moved into my partents place), I now have 4 with 1 package and a queen set up coming. I built 9 hive stands, I told her, when she asked about that, that any expansion past 6 were for sale to pay for the equipment.

DayValleyDahlias · March 17, 2008, 11:20:47 PM

Oh I REALLY would love to have kept these golden beauties...my friend came over and set her hive body up to the cluster, put some in...we left the hive body there, all the bees are inside! She will pick them up tomorrow...Easy come easy go...

Gio is a meanie and he broke my camera! :evil:

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Oh well...I still kinda like him... ;)

Sean Kelly · March 18, 2008, 10:32:34 AM

I did the same thing as Brian. My landlord said, "No more than 1 hive!". When I split the one into two, he said he was okay with two. Now those two have become 4 and I'm setting swarm traps and still in the process of doing that cutout (waiting for better weather). I think he's given up on me.

I'm not sure how those swarm traps I'm gunna set will do. I'm afraid I'm just gunna catch yellowjackets. I honestly have never seen a swarm in my life around here. The only swarms I've seen were ones I hit at freeway speed in my Freightliner going down I-5 in California through the almond orchards.
I know people have kept bees in this area for years (the closest I know to me was 6 miles away) but have never seen any swarms. I guess it's like fishing. Keep hearing about all this luck, makes me jealous!

Sean Kelly

johnnybigfish · March 18, 2008, 07:23:53 PM

Hey Brian!
I just bet, when you were a kid, thats how you got puppies!
I would say" I couldnt just leave him!.I saw him fall out of a car!"
That would be AFTER i got caught with a box making noises!
So far, my wife hasnt said anything about more hives. But she did say i cant have anymore indoor pets except for tropical fish.

heh, heh,...DVD, did Gio break the camera when you took a picture of him?

Yikes!!..Dont tell him where I live!

I bet your landlord eats alot of your honey, huh Sean?

your friend,
john

DayValleyDahlias · March 18, 2008, 07:43:00 PM

Johnny,

I should have blamed the camera breaking on just that!

steveouk · March 18, 2008, 08:27:40 PM

I would love the chance of having ago at collecting a wild swarm..

DayValleyDahlias · March 18, 2008, 09:55:07 PM

Steve,

I can't believe the luck! Amazing, simply amazing an awesome experience for me!

johnnybigfish · March 18, 2008, 11:05:23 PM

Hey Steve!
I bet you get a chance to catch a swarm this spring!
I just noticed something,..again... I also noticed it in your pics you posted awhile back...Has anybody ever told you that you look like Billy Bob Thornton?..You know, the "Slingblade"guy?..Thats soooo cooool!!
One time , at work, I had 2 people come in to turn in library books....the guy looked like Peter Fonda and the girl looked like Jessica Lange!
As a matter of fact, I just got back from the bee club and had mentioned to my friend, Paul, how there were people in the club who looked like bees!..I attributed this phenomenon to the fact that they had been beekeepers way too long!....Paul agreed.

ok,...gotta go read more stuff here!

your friend,
john