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Author Topic: 2 more swarms  (Read 6513 times)

Offline leechmann

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #20 on: June 12, 2009, 08:22:41 pm »
Hey Danno, I got a few more questions, and you are the swarm guy. I was wondering what you do with the swarm after you catch it. Do you leave it in the box you caught it in, or do you transfer it to another box. Then do you leave it in the location that you caught it for a while, or do you move it to your bee yard?

Thanks Danno
« Last Edit: June 12, 2009, 10:11:51 pm by leechmann »

Offline leechmann

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #21 on: June 13, 2009, 11:46:10 pm »
Danno, where did you go? I promise not to ask you anymore questions. Ok, maybe just a couple more.

Offline danno

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2009, 08:42:12 am »
I leave them in the trap for about a week to give the queen some time to start laying.  I try to take the traps down at sun rise and transfer the frames into a 5 frame nuc.  I have had a few that needed 10 frames right now so I always have one handy.  I then move them to a new perminent location. 

Offline 1reb

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2009, 11:28:36 am »
Congratulations on catching your swarms
Johnny

Offline skflyfish

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #24 on: June 21, 2009, 08:30:31 pm »
Danno,

How late have you caught a swarm?

I just finally got a swarm trap set out, but wonder if I am too late.

Thanks!

Offline danno

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #25 on: June 22, 2009, 04:22:26 pm »
I still have 3 out and will catch a few more I'm sure but remember the old saying

A swarm in may is worth a load of hey
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon
A swarm in July aint worth a fly

The later you catch them the more help they will need with feed

Offline skflyfish

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #26 on: June 22, 2009, 06:21:25 pm »
Thanks Danno.

I may not catch one this year, but I am gaining experience and will be ready for next year.

Of the 4 hives I have, the swarm I caught on 5/27 is doing better than an overwintered hive, and two nucs. Maybe one swarm is not the best to base this on, but it is building faster than any package or nuc I have bought. No chalkbrood, great brood pattern and the first to forage in the day and the last to quit at night. And the price was right.

Now if I can keep from messing up a good thing.  :-D

Jay

Offline danno

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #27 on: June 23, 2009, 11:13:48 am »
Thanks Danno.

I may not catch one this year, but I am gaining experience and will be ready for next year.

Of the 4 hives I have, the swarm I caught on 5/27 is doing better than an overwintered hive, and two nucs. Maybe one swarm is not the best to base this on, but it is building faster than any package or nuc I have bought. No chalkbrood, great brood pattern and the first to forage in the day and the last to quit at night. And the price was right.

Now if I can keep from messing up a good thing.  :-D

Jay

I have 30 colonies and by far the best is a swarm I caught last year the first week of July so a year ago next week.  I have split them twice,  removed a couple of deep frames of honey which I replaced with foundation and they still worry me that they will swarm.   They have a slatted rack, 2 deeps and so far 3 med supers plugged.   

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: 2 more swarms
« Reply #28 on: June 24, 2009, 11:26:03 pm »
I went into my hives yesterday, thought it was time to put the 3rd medium on the packages I started 1st part of May and super the others.  Ending up supering 5 of 5 hives and splitting my Russians as they were wall to wal brood and started building burr comb and queen cells.  The Russian hive had 16 out of 16 frames with brood with the equivalent of 2 frames of drone cells so they were bursting at the seams, the reason for the burr comb and queen cells. 
Luckily only one frame had queen cells (4) just above the bottom bar of the frame.  I pulled alone with 2 more frames of brood from this hive and a frame each from 2 other hives to make a nuc out of the bait hive (double stacked nuc).  I then took a frame of honey out of another hive because most of my hives had brood in every frame.  Out of 5 hives and 80 frames there were only 2 frames dedicated to honey and 4 undrawn frames.  The brood expansion, when hatched, alone would require supering or they would be over crowded from population.
So, I now Have 6 hives, the new split has the 5 frames of brood and the 4 queen cells in the top nuc box and the honey frame and 4 foundationless frames are in the bottom box.  It is the 2nd time I took most of a split from this one hive, the frame of honey came from my early spring split.  At the rate they are going I should have 3-5 hives with 4 medium boxes and the new split at 3 medium boxes before winter.  The new split I will be taking to my brother in eastern Washington closer to Labor Day.
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