Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: First swarm  (Read 4113 times)

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
First swarm
« on: May 24, 2009, 09:56:11 pm »


Any ideas on how to catch it?

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
Re: First swarm
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2009, 06:41:16 pm »
Caught first swarm and it turned into a thriving colony then....
Caught this one too.

Offline Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20363
  • Gender: Female
Re: First swarm
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2009, 06:46:23 pm »
those are nice looking swarms!  i like them better when they are hanging off the end of the branch :-).  i am getting lazy in my old age.

those look like keepers.  how many lbs do you think they were?
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
Re: First swarm
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2009, 06:53:29 pm »
I sprayed the second swarm witha little sugar syrup before I shook the branch.  When the bees hit the box it almost ripped it out of my hand.  3-4 lbs??

Offline G3farms

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2009, 06:58:45 pm »
Nice swarms, did you get both of them put up?

G3
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
Re: First swarm
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2009, 07:46:05 pm »
Second one has only been a hive 3 hours.  First one is storing honey.

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
Re: First swarm
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2009, 04:25:29 pm »
Swarm #3.  This swarm landed on exactly the same branch as previous one 8 days ago.

Offline Kathyp

  • Global Moderator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 20363
  • Gender: Female
Re: First swarm
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2009, 04:33:53 pm »
i have picked up a couple that have done that.  one lady has a swarm land in the same tree almost every year.  i don't know if it's scent, genetic memory, or what.  now i always tell people to keep my number.  you never know.....

also took a swarm and had the guy call  me back a few days later to tell me i missed the queen and a small clump of bees were back.  i knew i had her and the bees.  i figure this was an afterswarm maybe led by the same scout bees?  they are interesting critters. 
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline homer

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 294
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2009, 09:45:13 pm »
That swarm looks really big!  Congrats!

Offline bhfury

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 49
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2009, 01:18:35 am »
Great Job.... do you always get some this late in the year?

Offline GaryMinckler

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 255
  • Gender: Male
    • Honeybees and Beekeeping
Re: First swarm
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2009, 03:03:59 am »
I would think this is late for a swarm.  Only my third year so I don't really know if this is abnormally late. One swarm last year that I know and at least 3 this year and 2 in the last 8 days

Offline applebwoi

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 85
Re: First swarm
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2009, 03:14:33 am »
Nice swarms.  I alway spray with sugar water when hiving a swarm.  We typically have maximum swarming in April and May and then some late season swarms in September.  I always wondered about these late swarms since they are almost certainly doomed to starvation in the wild. i feed them and they have always survived just fine and gone on to be good producers the next year.

Offline Karl Wisconsin

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 8
  • Gender: Male
Re: First swarm
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2009, 04:45:38 pm »
All great looking swarms. I'm in southern Wisconsin and had my best swarm season in the last few. Caught several really nice ones and about 4 average sized ones. Just seems like the populations are back up. Not sure if mine were feral or domestic. They are always fun to catch and each one is a bit different.  I generally always give them a gentle spray of sugar water before boxing them.
Trying to age gracefully- don't think its working!!

 

anything