Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Swarms in Michigan??  (Read 1212 times)

Offline harvey

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 493
  • Gender: Male
Swarms in Michigan??
« on: July 01, 2010, 11:49:23 am »
It has cooled down around here for a few days.  Does this stop the swarming?  The thistle is in bloom now also.  Am wondering how much longer I could leave by bait hives out with the expectation of catching swarms and still haveing them build up for winter?  Any ideas for south east michigan?

Offline TheMasonicHive

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 207
  • Gender: Male
Re: Swarms in Michigan??
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2010, 01:11:53 pm »
I've heard the adage,

A swarm in May is worth a bale of hay,
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon,
A swarm in July isn't worth a fly.

Somehow in our neck of the woods I'd imagine even late June wouldn't be ideal for us.
Christopher Peace
Oakland County, MI

"It teaches us that, as we come into the world rational and intelligent beings, so we should ever be industrious ones; never sitting down contented while our fellow-creatures around us are in want, when it is in our power to relieve them without inconvenience to ourselves." - Freemasonry on the Beehive

Online Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20510
  • Gender: Female
Re: Swarms in Michigan??
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2010, 01:18:19 pm »
if i take late swarms, i keep them crammed down unless they are really big.  i might add a shallow or medium for them to store honey if the swarm is big enough.  the big ones do come this late for us, but them come out of the pollination hives.  our heavy flow is right now, so they will have a chance to put away stores.  in another couple of weeks, they won't have so much to bring in will have to be fed.  no honey will come from swarms this late around here.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Scadsobees

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 3198
  • Gender: Male
  • Best use of smileys in a post award.
Re: Swarms in Michigan??
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2010, 01:34:46 pm »
You can probably take them down now.  There may be an occasional swarm, and they can still build up to wintering size, but probably not  enough to be worth the extra weathering the bait hives will take.

-r
Rick