Swarm-3/31/17

[Jacobs]

The external hive David and I cut out of a tree last September ( http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org/commu ... =10&t=2052 ) swarmed at 2:45 p.m. today. I had given them another medium nuc box with undrawn frames a few weeks ago and strapped the nuc since it was getting very tall. I had vague plans for moving the bees into 10 frame equipment, but had not gotten to it. So far, this is the only hive at home that has swarmed, as far as I know.

The bees gathered in my blackberry vines and I took the set up from the dysfunctional swarm I got yesterday plus a second medium super, and put them in it. I finished hiving them about 15 minutes before the next band of showers hit.

[Wally]

That looks like a lot of bees for a nuc swarm. Just how high was that nuc?

[Jacobs]

5 mediums high.

[Wally]

That's only equal to 2 1/2 te frame mediums. That's still a lot of bees for a swarm from there. Of course, I don't know how many of them were left overs from the mixed up swarm from the stump.

Anyway, looks like a good start to a strong hive.