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Author Topic: swarm season here  (Read 11187 times)

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #20 on: May 03, 2012, 10:05:04 pm »
So, I finally caught #1 tonight just before the thunderstorm. Was about 4lb. Had to stand on a fifty gallon drum to reach them. I got soaked walking back to the truck. Maybe my luck is gonna change after all.
I'm selling 1lb jars with snap caps as fast as I can fill them. I think everyone else sold out long ago.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #21 on: May 05, 2012, 10:50:05 pm »
swarm #5 a really big one this afternnoon most likely one of mine and #6 just after dinner.  Swarm traps all have scouts working them.

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #22 on: May 05, 2012, 11:18:43 pm »
I have a few scouts checking traps also. Maybe things will kick in finally.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #23 on: May 06, 2012, 01:08:36 pm »
I topped 70 colonies last night.  Swarm six spend the night in a nuc in the woods.  They were alittle to hot for the shorts I was wearing last night.  Went and got them at 7:00 this morning.   Got them home and went to set them up in 10 frame and I was out of covers.  I headed to the wood shop and built one more.  At this point I'm ready to pull my swarm traps and shut my phone off.  Just alittle tired of bee's right now.  The 30 - 40 stings I took yesterday has kinda taken the wind temporarily out of my sails.  Guess the stings didn't bother me as much as the 2 ticks. 

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #24 on: May 06, 2012, 05:06:21 pm »
The wood ticks are thick down here this year. I rather get stung than have lime disease any day. I'm needing a break myself with a bad case of poison Ivy on my hands. Never used to be a problem until a few years ago.
Dan, sounds like you need to start looking for a Bobcat or a Swinger for your operation.

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #25 on: May 08, 2012, 07:00:20 pm »
danno, well you must have started something with this thread. I put #4,5,6, into equipment this afternoon. One at my yard and two five miles away. Glad I had the pole bucket with me on all of them. Much easier than climbing a ladder. They were all about 12 to 15 feet up. All were 3lb. plus, the largest had 3 queens with them. I've been out of nucs and have been using full size boxes on any swarms caught now. No stings yet! :-D
I don't have time to mess with any more and will be giving away any more captures to beeclub members.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #26 on: May 09, 2012, 08:50:07 am »
I went to my new yard and pulled 16 empty queen cages out.  Got back in the truck turned on the AC and took the jacket off.  Just getting ready to pull out when I saw swarm #7 five ft off the ground just behind one of my pallets.  I also used my pole bucket without the pole.  Everyone should have one of these in there truck this time of year.   snapped the lid on and they got to ride in the cab with AC.    Bee's attract bee's.   This didn't come out of any of my colonies. 

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #27 on: May 09, 2012, 09:17:02 am »
I've been marking all my queens last few years so I can maybe tell if they came from my setup. Those years with yellow and white are my favorites. The bucket is my main tool in swarm capture lately. In a pinch you can just duct tape a pole to the outside of the bucket. Every beekeep needs a big roll of duct tape handy too.

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #28 on: May 09, 2012, 09:24:04 am »
One other thing I do is to cut a round hole in the top and bottom and cover with hardware cloth. When you got them just snap the top on and take them home! :-D

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #29 on: May 09, 2012, 12:07:47 pm »
I have a screened top. In the bucket I hole sawed 4 - 2" holes and screened them.  The bottom has a disc of plywood with the thread from a paint roller handle glued in the center.  This threads on to broom handles, telescopeing paint poles or as with last night no handle at all.   I tripod type string harness is connected to the inside of the lid and tied to a single string that runs through a hole in the bottom of the bucket.  Just a little pull of that string flips the lid on.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #30 on: May 13, 2012, 08:21:22 am »
swarms 7 and 8 yesterday.   First one in a trap and the 2nd about 18 ft up and dumped in the pole bucket

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #31 on: May 13, 2012, 10:42:18 am »
I'm still sitting on 6 swarms so far, gonna work hives this morning with no rain coming. Got to get gone and back for the mothers day events coming!

Offline Bees of Providence Hills

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #32 on: May 13, 2012, 12:02:54 pm »
Brand new beekeeper from Missouri.  Bought one package of bees that arrived last Monday but have 5 traps out of the farm and not caught anything?  What are you using for bait in your traps?  I have put in lemon grass oil and one type of pheromone but there was only a drop or two of liquid in the pheromone tube?

Appreciate any suggestions.  Thank you and good luck this season.  By the way, my "boughten bees" are packing in the yellow/orange pollen and the white pollen from the wild blackberries.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger! Proverbs 15:1

Offline Bees of Providence Hills

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #33 on: May 13, 2012, 12:04:41 pm »
I topped 70 colonies last night.  Swarm six spend the night in a nuc in the woods.  They were alittle to hot for the shorts I was wearing last night.  Went and got them at 7:00 this morning.   Got them home and went to set them up in 10 frame and I was out of covers.  I headed to the wood shop and built one more.  At this point I'm ready to pull my swarm traps and shut my phone off.  Just alittle tired of bee's right now.  The 30 - 40 stings I took yesterday has kinda taken the wind temporarily out of my sails.  Guess the stings didn't bother me as much as the 2 ticks. 
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger! Proverbs 15:1

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #34 on: May 14, 2012, 08:26:46 am »
Brand new beekeeper from Missouri.  Bought one package of bees that arrived last Monday but have 5 traps out of the farm and not caught anything?  What are you using for bait in your traps?  I have put in lemon grass oil and one type of pheromone but there was only a drop or two of liquid in the pheromone tube?

Appreciate any suggestions.  Thank you and good luck this season.  By the way, my "boughten bees" are packing in the yellow/orange pollen and the white pollen from the wild blackberries.
I use lemon grass oil and old comb.  Dark brood comb.  My traps are all 5 frame and work well.  I know I have missed some really big swarms by not having enough space in a 5 frame.  I just dont want to lug big equipment around and try to hang them in trees.   I had  on huge swarm 2 years ago the fill the box and 1/2 hung off the bottom and built open air comb

Offline tefer2

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #35 on: May 14, 2012, 08:43:49 am »
I also just use lemongrass and a few frames of old comb. Most of mine are a little larger than a deep hive body this year. Just thought I would try some bigger ones to see if it made any difference. All this year so far have been hanging from a tree branch when I found them. I call them bucket swarms.My swarm capture has slowed up now though.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #36 on: May 14, 2012, 08:58:00 am »
Just got a email on swarms 9 and 10.  Hope they will be there after work today.   One is up one a fire place chimney in the same location that I took one last year.  The other is in the same property hanging in a pine tree.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #37 on: May 14, 2012, 09:06:14 am »
A crazy thing happened to me yesterday.  I was in the middle of a large honey do project when a swarm came through my property.  I checked my colonies and all look normal.  I watched  to see where they would settle down and it appeared to be under my canoe laying upside down by the barn.  I figured I would come back later and catch them.  A few hours later when I flipped the canoe they were all gone.  A trace of wax told me they had been under there abit and weren't coming but instead leaving. 

Online Kathyp

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #38 on: May 14, 2012, 03:55:10 pm »
just went after one that was almost gone when i got there.  they'd been down in the grass the the picture the guy took had it a good size swarm.  oh well....and bless him...he didn't call me to tell me they were leaving because he though i might want the few that were left   :-D
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline danno

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Re: swarm season here
« Reply #39 on: May 14, 2012, 07:26:10 pm »
caught # 9 as expected, hanging on the side of a chimney just like last year, but #10 had left sometime during the day.