Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: annette on April 03, 2011, 02:10:13 am

Title: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: annette on April 03, 2011, 02:10:13 am

Well I got a very big surprise today.

This last Tuesday, I cleaned out a dead hive and just left the frames in the super. This morning I visited my 2 other hives and discovered a swarm had moved into the empty super.

A very large swarm, and they filled up many frames with open honey. Probably regurgitated.

They did not come from my 2 hives as I inspected them both today and did not find any queen cells, and I still have very large populations of bees in these 2 hives and open larvae and some eggs.

So this was a free swarm and I am very happy, since I just lost the other hive.

I have heard of this happening to other beeks, and so glad I got to experience this happy event.

So JP and Schawee, while you are busting your a___, catching swarms, I just sit around and do nothing and they come to me.




Just Kidding!!!!! :-* :-*

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: JP on April 03, 2011, 02:16:02 am

They come to us as well Annette, but good try dear one!   :lau:

So happy for you!


...JP

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: annette on April 03, 2011, 02:18:40 am

Out your way, I am not surprised that swarms would come to you as well, but out here, well this is different. We don't seem to have as many swarms out here. Not as many bees as you all have out your way.

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: jmblakeney on April 03, 2011, 12:04:26 pm

I have have a dead out nuc out back with the old frames still in there waiting on a swarm too.  This may be a long shot b/c I've never even seen a swarm around here.

Glad you caught one with little effort, Annette.

James

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: hardwood on April 03, 2011, 01:00:34 pm

YAYYY Annette!

Scott

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: skflyfish on April 03, 2011, 01:17:13 pm

Awesome!

You did buy a lotto ticket that day too, eh?  :-D

Jay

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: AliciaH on April 03, 2011, 02:14:16 pm

Congratulations, Annette!  Gives me hope for the traps I'll be putting out soon!

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: annette on April 03, 2011, 02:52:45 pm

Thanks all!! I will be checking on them in a few days to see if they have a laying queen, etc.

But I truly believe they came from a beekeeper down the road from me with 25 hives. These bees are unusually large in size which makes me think they came off of those hives. Not feral I believe because of the size. Well, they will have to learn to draw out their own comb now, cause I am all foundationless.

Good luck to you all and I hope some swarms come your way.

Annette

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: TwoHoneys on April 04, 2011, 05:07:40 pm

Good karma.  :)

-Liz

Title: Re: Free Swarm comes to me!!
Post by: annette on April 04, 2011, 07:33:39 pm

Quote from: TwoHoneys on April 04, 2011, 05:07:40 pm

Good karma.  :)

-Liz

Thanks Liz.