First Swarm!

Donovan J · July 06, 2019, 10:08:38 PM

I walked up to the bee yard today and saw a very low amount of foragers at Hive 1. I cracked the top cover and there was very little bees on the frames. I knew what had happened... They swarmed. I was looking around trees in the area and was disappointed when i couldn't find the ball of my bees. So I grabbed my gear to go into the hive to make sure they weren't going to super swarm and heard a loud buzzing as I was going to light my smoker. I looked up and saw a bunch of bees flying around. I look on the other side of the trailer and there it was, a huge ball of bees. I ran and grabbed a box from my house and ran back. I shook the bees into the box but there was a large amount on the ground so I put the box nearby and they marched in. I took the box of about 40,000 bees and dumped them into the top bar hive I had sitting around. They were fanning and I saw a queen on the front porch and helped her in. I went in to the hive that swarmed and destroyed 4 queen cells. There was two queens on one of the frames I checked and I swiped one of the queens off. As far as I know there are 2 queen cells and a virgin queen in Hive 1. Rose Hive is still going good and now has more foragers than Hive 1. Welcome to the bee yard Hive 3!

ed/La. · July 06, 2019, 10:21:05 PM

Nice catch. It will be interesting to see if they stay. I have had limited luck. Lately I lock the queen in for few days for swarms I catch like that.

Donovan J · July 06, 2019, 10:37:52 PM

Quote from: ed/La. on July 06, 2019, 10:21:05 PM
Nice catch. It will be interesting to see if they stay. I have had limited luck. Lately I lock the queen in for few days for swarms I catch like that.

I would lock it in my my entrance reducer is being used on a other hive. I hope they stay

ed/La. · July 07, 2019, 08:23:38 AM

I use the plastic round tubes they sell to lock queen in.The hair clip shaped ones work fine. In a day or two they have settled in and then I release the queen.

Sledin · July 07, 2019, 10:45:25 AM

I?ve only once (out of three) had the bees move back out of the new brood box, they just all moved back into the box I left under the branch they had bunched on.
I just put them all back into the hive that evening.
They are doing good. I love how the swarm hives build comb.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ed/La. · July 07, 2019, 12:07:21 PM

Quote from: Sledin on July 07, 2019, 10:45:25 AM
I?ve only once (out of three) had the bees move back out of the new brood box, they just all moved back into the box I left under the branch they had bunched on.
I just put them all back into the hive that evening.
They are doing good. I love how the swarm hives build comb.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Once out of 3 that is a third of the time. That is a lot. Also swarms from your own apiary move a 1/2 mile or more away. They don't swarm and move into box 20 ft. away.

Sledin · July 07, 2019, 01:18:47 PM

Quote from: ed/La. on July 07, 2019, 12:07:21 PM
Quote from: Sledin on July 07, 2019, 10:45:25 AM
I?ve only once (out of three) had the bees move back out of the new brood box, they just all moved back into the box I left under the branch they had bunched on.
I just put them all back into the hive that evening.
They are doing good. I love how the swarm hives build comb.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Once out of 3 that is a third of the time. That is a lot. Also swarms from your own apiary move a 1/2 mile or more away. They don't swarm and move into box 20 ft. away.

A swarm is the period between leaving a hive and finding a new hive. They might rehive a 1/2 mile away, but a swarm will often hang out close the the original hive until the scouts find a new permanent hive.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Donovan J · July 07, 2019, 02:11:37 PM

Quote from: ed/La. on July 07, 2019, 08:23:38 AM
I use the plastic round tubes they sell to lock queen in.The hair clip shaped ones work fine. In a day or two they have settled in and then I release the queen.

Ill probably use a bit of fabric or a wood block to block them in.

Donovan J · July 08, 2019, 12:49:53 PM

Update: Added a frame of brood from Queen Rose's hive to the hive that swarmed. The swarm hive has a lot of activity out front and i'm assuming orientation flights. Queen Rose will need another box here soon