Another Swarm 6/20/14
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:25 pm
I caught my first swarm a couple of weeks ago, and thought I would give a quick update.
My wife called in the mid-afternoon to tell me "there are bees everywhere in the backyard, I think you might have a swarm". I had gone through the hives two days before, and did a really thorough inspection. I knew that I hadn't seen any swarm cells. Based on that information, and the time of day, I assumed that she had never noticed the afternoon orientation flights, and told her that. She insisted this was different, so I said "OK, if you see them begin to land somewhere call me back." After getting off the phone, I went about my work remembering the first time I had noticed the orientation flights, and how surprising that had been. Then, an even more surprising thing happened; she called me back. "They are landing in the cedar tree, right above the hives."
OK, now it is time to panic. I drove home like a madman. There in my backyard, 30 feet from my hives is a volleyball sized ball of bees hanging from a branch about 15 feet in the air. I scrambled and collected supplies, ladder, woodenware, etc. I cut the small branch and lightly knocked them into the box. A lot of bees took to the air when I cut the branch, so I placed the box back up on the ladder, near where the bees had started to collect again. Fifteen minutes later all of the bees had collected on the hive.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/bgtj6zdx4j3m ... 7QbBJi474a
Because of the size of the cluster, and this being my first swarm, I put an empty hive body over a hive body with frames. This gave me a place to dump the bees, and gave them an opportunity to work into the frames at their own pace (or so I thought). I also gave them a frame that was half capped/half uncapped brood and a frame that was 70% uncapped nectar. Then I left them alone.
The very next day, bees were returning to the hive with pollen. Success! I figured that I would give them a couple more days without disturbing them, and then take the top box away. That was a mistake.
I can see some of you shaking your head, knowing how this story goes. Yep, rather than use the frames I gave them, they began drawing wax in the empty space, on the underside of the inner cover. So, now I need help to fix that.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/a6ijds5pmorv ... AiIn3hq11a
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/z1t73n8yru05 ... PGPDu2zPHa
The good news:
These bees were not from my hives. (All of my hives are still queenright) Many of these bees are much darker. I think they are carnies mutts?
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/b2rpmg7vy77e ... m90EFW93ka
The queen was laying as soon as there was wax available. She certainly wasn't a virgin. Does that mean this is a Prime swarm? The two frames that I gave the bees are being filled with nectar. These bees were certainly ready to work.
My wife called in the mid-afternoon to tell me "there are bees everywhere in the backyard, I think you might have a swarm". I had gone through the hives two days before, and did a really thorough inspection. I knew that I hadn't seen any swarm cells. Based on that information, and the time of day, I assumed that she had never noticed the afternoon orientation flights, and told her that. She insisted this was different, so I said "OK, if you see them begin to land somewhere call me back." After getting off the phone, I went about my work remembering the first time I had noticed the orientation flights, and how surprising that had been. Then, an even more surprising thing happened; she called me back. "They are landing in the cedar tree, right above the hives."
OK, now it is time to panic. I drove home like a madman. There in my backyard, 30 feet from my hives is a volleyball sized ball of bees hanging from a branch about 15 feet in the air. I scrambled and collected supplies, ladder, woodenware, etc. I cut the small branch and lightly knocked them into the box. A lot of bees took to the air when I cut the branch, so I placed the box back up on the ladder, near where the bees had started to collect again. Fifteen minutes later all of the bees had collected on the hive.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/bgtj6zdx4j3m ... 7QbBJi474a
Because of the size of the cluster, and this being my first swarm, I put an empty hive body over a hive body with frames. This gave me a place to dump the bees, and gave them an opportunity to work into the frames at their own pace (or so I thought). I also gave them a frame that was half capped/half uncapped brood and a frame that was 70% uncapped nectar. Then I left them alone.
The very next day, bees were returning to the hive with pollen. Success! I figured that I would give them a couple more days without disturbing them, and then take the top box away. That was a mistake.
I can see some of you shaking your head, knowing how this story goes. Yep, rather than use the frames I gave them, they began drawing wax in the empty space, on the underside of the inner cover. So, now I need help to fix that.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/a6ijds5pmorv ... AiIn3hq11a
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/z1t73n8yru05 ... PGPDu2zPHa
The good news:
These bees were not from my hives. (All of my hives are still queenright) Many of these bees are much darker. I think they are carnies mutts?
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/b2rpmg7vy77e ... m90EFW93ka
The queen was laying as soon as there was wax available. She certainly wasn't a virgin. Does that mean this is a Prime swarm? The two frames that I gave the bees are being filled with nectar. These bees were certainly ready to work.