Swarms-7/24/24

[Jacobs]

I was having my hvac replaced yesterday when one of the installers told me it looked like I had a swarm in a dogwood at the back of the yard. It looked like about a 2lb swarm and the guys took a 5 minute break to watch me go up the ladder and shake the cluster into my swarm bucket. I located the unmarked queen and got her in a clip before putting the bees in a nuc. Around 7:10pm, I was headed out and noticed a lot of bees swirling around my driveway pad. I had taken down my bait hives to give the installers a clearer path to my breaker panel, house, and old unit. I did not replace them in the exact location with the bees swirling, but made 2 bait hives available. When I returned later yesterday evening, one had bees on the landing board. If the weather is not too bad this morning, I'm going to look for a queen in the newest arrival.

[Pharmacyman]

How in the world did you spot a queen in a 2lb swarm? I can't even find queens in my hives. Lol.