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Author Topic: Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED  (Read 20081 times)

Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« on: May 27, 2005, 04:24:51 pm »
just now i came back home and found my bees have swarmed, the problem is they swarmed on a tree that is 30feet high and there is no way to i can get to them up there.  this is my first year bee keeping and have never experinced such thing so please anybody that can help or has any suggestions please reply. thanks a lot


what should i do next?

Offline Jerrymac

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2005, 04:55:17 pm »
Is it the whole hive that swarmed? Or just a swarm from the hive?

You might try the lemongrass oil in a hive as a lure. Other than that If you can't get up to them I haven't a clue.
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Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2005, 05:02:35 pm »
no its not the whole hive but right now they getting ready to swarm again, what should i do now? they all clustering outside by the entrance

Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2005, 05:20:27 pm »
What is your temperatures there now. How is you ventilation. Sometimes they "beard" in order to cool the inside.

If they are getting ready to swarm again you need to bait a hive really quick and set it up some distance from the old hive. If you are able to then, watch them and see where they go. Perhaps you can catch this next little swarm.
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Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2005, 05:24:39 pm »
the temp is about 80degrees and no wind, the thing is i just checked and the bees that swarmed to the tree arent there anymore.  seems like they came back down and clustered outside of the hive.  im gonna post pictures now

Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2005, 05:28:04 pm »
Did you read my little story about capturing the Church bees? They were trying to swarm for more than a week. Everyday they would go out to a tree and then go back to the hive.

Peek inside the hive and see if there are indeed queen cells on the bottom of the frames. Perhaps you can do a fake swam, or want ever it is called. I think it is around here some where on how to do that.
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Offline Ocean

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« Reply #6 on: May 27, 2005, 05:29:36 pm »







Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2005, 05:33:38 pm »
They apear to be facing the entrance and fanning, trying to cool the place off.

Did you read my post before the pictures?
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Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2005, 05:36:02 pm »
If you don't see any queen cells, I would prop the top open just a bit to see if that helps with ventilation.

You don't have screened bottom do you? Open it up if you do.
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Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2005, 06:22:03 pm »
honesltly i think they were fanning it, because now i dont see the swarm on the tree, i think they all came back, and what i did was i took the hose and sprayed water all around the hive, ( they started to collect water) so i think it was a false alarm for the Swarm, they swarmed for just a second and came back..


my next step is going to be in about 30 min, i will wait till the sun goes behind the house, so there is no direct sunlight


i will go in and inspect the hive, and make the opening bigger, i will take out the little piece that was provided, and make a full entrance.

Offline Jerrymac

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« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2005, 06:25:26 pm »
Keep us updated
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Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2005, 09:34:21 pm »
Ok so i inspected the hive, and seen that all my bees are there, i didnt lose any due to the swarming :) thats great news, what i did is made the opening much bigger, because it was so much smaller

now i think everything is fine, the bees were working and everthing was fine :)




Jerrymac, thanx alot for the help, u were very usefull

I will definately keep you updated on whats going on with them

Offline Barnabus

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Bees Swarming
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2005, 10:36:06 pm »
Ocean:
Have you checked to see if they need room. The may need more room for the brood. If they have drawn out 7 or 8 of the frames then you need to put a second box on either a deep or a medium.
I noticed your front feeder, it appears to be sitting sideways, it is my understanding that the front of the feeder should slip into the entrance of the hive box conseiling the entrance to the feeder. This probally don't reflect on the swarming but it would give them more room on the front and reduce the possibility of robbing.
Hope this helps
Barnabus

Offline fiveson

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« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2005, 01:18:40 am »
It looks pretty hot there. I would provide thems some shade, open the entrance all the way also. Do you have a water source, if not provide one.
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Online Michael Bush

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2005, 10:44:09 am »
Looks like a bee beard to me.  I don't see any swarm.  You'll see them a lot on hot days and especially on hot nights.  Try to give them some ventiation at the top and make sure they have room and see if they don't stay in the hive more.
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Offline thegolfpsycho

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #15 on: May 28, 2005, 01:21:12 pm »
Where you described the bees clustering on a tree limb would have me concerned.  Occasionally, hives will cast a false swarm in anticipation of the real thing.  I don't know if the queen fails to join them causing them to return, or if it is a dress rehearsal.  I beliieve you said you went back through the colony, so... How did it look??  Was it crowded up??  Not much room for the queen to lay?? (nectar everywhere) any queen cells?(cells not cups)  Evidence of a currently laying queen?? (not larval stage brood, but eggs)

Offline Ocean

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Re: Bees Swarming
« Reply #16 on: May 28, 2005, 02:17:31 pm »
Quote from: Barnabus
Ocean:
Have you checked to see if they need room. The may need more room for the brood. If they have drawn out 7 or 8 of the frames then you need to put a second box on either a deep or a medium.
I noticed your front feeder, it appears to be sitting sideways, it is my understanding that the front of the feeder should slip into the entrance of the hive box conseiling the entrance to the feeder. This probally don't reflect on the swarming but it would give them more room on the front and reduce the possibility of robbing.
Hope this helps
Barnabus


When i went in there and inspected the hive, it seems like they have enough room, becayuse some of the foundation is not even filled up with any eggs or nectar. ( the thing is i dont have a second box for the brood, what i did is put a super on top with queen excluder, and they havent started to draw on the super yet ) My front feeder used to be in place but i took it out and put it on the side because they needed more room, so i stopped feeding them.. ( yesterday i took the feeder from them period, and made the opening as large as possible).

Offline Ocean

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Re: My two cents
« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2005, 02:19:02 pm »
Quote from: fiveson
It looks pretty hot there. I would provide thems some shade, open the entrance all the way also. Do you have a water source, if not provide one.



the thing is they have plenty of shade because they are behind the house that means they only get sun at like 3-6...

they also have one water source? should i provide them with 2?


and yes i opened the entrance all the way for them.

More pictures are coming soon, i would say tomorrow when i'll be back home.

Offline Ocean

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #18 on: May 28, 2005, 02:20:03 pm »
Quote from: Michael Bush
Looks like a bee beard to me.  I don't see any swarm.  You'll see them a lot on hot days and especially on hot nights.  Try to give them some ventiation at the top and make sure they have room and see if they don't stay in the hive more.



what do you mean give them ventilation on the top? how would i do that?

Offline thegolfpsycho

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Need help, bees are swarming... NEW PICTURES INCLUDED
« Reply #19 on: May 28, 2005, 02:38:31 pm »
Just put a couple shims under the lid to prop it up and create some air flow.  You can even offset the super to have a similar effect.  If they have room, they aren't likely to go through the excluder to draw comb.  Consider removing the excluder.