Author Topic: swarm season here (Read 11295 times)

BlueBee · « **Reply #40 on:** May 14, 2012, 11:42:39 pm »

Hived swarm #16 tonight. I’m really getting a little exhausted catching swarms. Got a call from a friend of a friend with a swarm of bees in a tree in Williamston, MI (Outside of East Lansing). The bees were in a tree, head level; an easy catch for some beek. I’m about 45 minutes from Williamston and really don’t need any more bees (I need more boxes :() so I was in the process of posting his swarm and contact number here on BeeMaster when I get another call from him. It was almost like he saw an angel, he was just in awe. The swarm had taken off into the sky like a tornado of bees (his words) as he was watching. He was amazed. He said in his 52 years, he’s never seen anything like it. Bees are amazing.

D Semple · « **Reply #41 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:04:19 am »

I'm up to somewhere around 35 catches, but about 15 were from my own hives :'( , I flunked swarm management terrible this year.

On a positive note I think I caught all of my own swarms though except one.

Vance G · « **Reply #42 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:45:56 am »

I lost what must have been a massive one last week and got about a four pounder back today. I don't know how they got my name!

Bees of Providence Hills · « **Reply #43 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:34:21 am »

Quote from: danno on May 14, 2012, 08:26:46 am

Quote from: Bees of Providence Hills 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.
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

I am new and don't have any drawn comb. We have an old house on the north side of the farm that has had bees in the side wall for almost 40 years. The roof fell in last winter and we open the sidewall and it was full of comb that had molded. The bees came back when it warmed up and were flying all around. Could I put some of the molded comb in he trap with the lemon grass oil?
The blackerries are almost gone and now the yellow sweet clover is starting to bloom and the bees are hitting it hard!

danno · « **Reply #44 on:** May 15, 2012, 08:10:15 am »

[/quote]
I am new and don't have any drawn comb. We have an old house on the north side of the farm that has had bees in the side wall for almost 40 years. The roof fell in last winter and we open the sidewall and it was full of comb that had molded. The bees came back when it warmed up and were flying all around. Could I put some of the molded comb in he trap with the lemon grass oil?
The blackerries are almost gone and now the yellow sweet clover is starting to bloom and the bees are hitting it hard!

[/quote]
Yes using pc's of the old moldy brood comb will improve your odds The only down side is a new swarm will make a mess out of it. If you wire or rubberband some in empty frames it will help get them on track. For the lemon grass use a pc of cloth or cotton ball to hold it and just push it in the enterance. I also dribble some down the front of the trap

Bees of Providence Hills · « **Reply #45 on:** May 15, 2012, 04:04:42 pm »

Thanks, Danno, appreciate the help. Going over to the old house this evening and getting some of the "old comb" out of the side wall. I have the lemon grass oil and the frame.

Fed the "boughten bees" yesterday afternoon and the frame feeder got stuck in the box while I was trying to fill it. Ended up drowning a few bees and got stung on the hand by one. I think I had the smoker too hot, also. Took me 10 or fifteen minutes when it should have taken just a few. Very dissappointed in my performance. A few bees crawled in the feeder when I had the top of the frame feeder off filling it. Very discouraged that I killed some of them.

I got a entrance feeder with the new hive but some said the "local bees" would robe the food so I got a frame feeder. Pretty disappointed in it. I guess I should have taken it farther from the hive to fill it up, but then was afraid to keep the top open too long. Didn't want my queen to fly off.

I put the queen excluder on the bottom so she couldn't get out the bottom of the hive. Will move it up to the top if the new bees can fill the first two boxes. I didn't want to bother the bees more that I had to so haven't checked to see if they are filling the frames but I see lots of bees bringing in pollen so I assume the queen is in there and things are OK? Only filled the feeder and haven't moved any of the frames. They are really tight in there with the frame feeder. Thanks, again, and "good luck this year".

Kathyp · « **Reply #46 on:** May 15, 2012, 04:16:45 pm »

get a big jar. poke hole in the top with a push pin of finishing nail. put it over the inner cover. you don't even need to put an extra box over if the weather is good. cheep and easy + you can see what they take without opening the hive.

you will kill some. sometimes, as i just did, you'll kill one on purpose. pinged me all the way back to the barn and died for the effort. if you are slow and careful you'll learn to kill fewer.

danno · « **Reply #47 on:** May 15, 2012, 04:56:34 pm »

As Kathy stated hive top feeding is the best way to go. At least in my opinion. I use miller top feeders, 2 gallon plastic pales w/ stainless screened plugs and one gallon paint cans w/ a few finishing nail holes punched in. You will also get used to accidentally killing a few here and there. Just wait until the end of summer when your colony reaches max population. You will not be able to put the clover back on without smashing some. I would also remove the excluder as soon as possible. Not really necessary on the bottom. Then research abit about using it on top. I think more people dont use them then do. I'm one of the never use them guys

tefer2 · « **Reply #48 on:** May 15, 2012, 11:24:20 pm »

Had that feeling this afternoon about 2:00, thought I'd walk some of my traps. Found #7 hanging in a tree not 10 feet from a swarm box. Can't figure out why they just didn't land in the trap. Gentle as kittens this afternoon, but were waiting for me at dusk.

Bees of Providence Hills · « **Reply #49 on:** May 16, 2012, 12:26:36 am »

Thanks, Kathy and Danno, I will try that in a few days after they eat down the sugar water that I put in yesterday. I will also take out the queen excluder from the bottom at the same time. Since the bees are bringing in pollen and necter I assume they are building comb and the queen starting to lay. I got the "new bees" in the mail on Monday, May 6th, and checked that the queen was out of the cage on Sunday the 13th. I have large bottles that I can use on top. I want to take out the frame feeder and put the wooden frame back and try feeding from the top. I SLOWLY put the top cover and top back on but did mash a few. Your ideas will stop that!

When should I check for eggs or larve? I don't want to bother the bees anymore than necessary? They are bringing back lots of yellow sweet clover pollen now. The wild blackberries blooms are almost done now. They like the sweet clover alot better than the red clover. They are flying by the red clover going to the sweetclover.

Danno, I see you are from Ludington, MI. Several years ago we went up the west coast of Michigan along Lake Michigan though your town, Holland, and the other towns along the way. You are in beautiful country with wonderful towns. We really enjoyed our trip to Michigan. Thanks again, Kathy and Danno - will try your suggestions.

danno · « **Reply #50 on:** May 16, 2012, 08:34:04 am »

Swarm #10 last night hanging on a low bush with #11 and #12 in traps. I will leave the traps until Sat to give them time to settle in

tefer2 · « **Reply #51 on:** May 16, 2012, 08:41:41 am »

Dan, that pic acts funny when you click on it.

danno · « **Reply #52 on:** May 16, 2012, 09:22:29 am »

hey Terry
What do you mean by funny?

tefer2 · « **Reply #53 on:** May 16, 2012, 11:23:38 pm »

When I clicked on it yesterday it sent me a page with no picture and words. OK now though.

BlueBee · « **Reply #54 on:** May 17, 2012, 02:09:33 am »

I was helping a neighbor catch a swarm in a tree the other day when the swarm decided to up and leave. When these things leave, it’s like a cloud of bees. You can follow the cloud and hope it lands nearby. Anyhow, this cloud of bees headed toward the road and as luck would have it a guy on a Motorcycle wearing just a tee shirt was coming down the road. He just missed driving through the swarm!

I chased the cloud of bees a half mile down to road before they veered off into the woods and out of reach.

danno · « **Reply #55 on:** May 17, 2012, 12:24:34 pm »

Got ya!!!!!!

danno · « **Reply #56 on:** May 17, 2012, 01:27:20 pm »

This one made the front page of the paper

tefer2 · « **Reply #57 on:** May 17, 2012, 02:05:05 pm »

Bluebee, I thought I made one land close to me by beating on a piece of sheet metal with a rock. Anyway, It's worth a try and you have nothing to lose next time.
Dan, glad you made the paper, hope you plugged your bee business.

danno · « **Reply #58 on:** May 17, 2012, 03:59:32 pm »

Swams #13 and 14 are waiting for me to get out of work. These two are from my colonies. They swarmed after lunch so they should still be there at 4:00. I'll post pic on friday. Oh and Terry the news paper reporter is a friend so I get plenty of free advertising.

skflyfish · « **Reply #59 on:** May 17, 2012, 08:20:00 pm »

We are on our way to northern Minnesota and I saw a huge swarm either just landing or taking off from a pine tree on the south side of US-2 just west of Naubinway. Oh it was so hard to not stop and try, but a small car, no gear and gone for 6 days, I just couldn't. To leave a swarm of Yooper survivors (I assume) was hard to do. ;-)