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Author Topic: Swarm sweet spot?  (Read 3272 times)

Offline dunderi

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Swarm sweet spot?
« on: December 01, 2015, 03:05:19 pm »
hi guysI'm in TAS, Australia.

We collected a swarm from a shearing shed wall day before yesterday,  couple of kilo's of bees, they'd started making some comb having been there a week.

We did the removal on dusk and they seemed to be quite settled.  reasonably calm for ferals, too.

got a call this morning saying "maybe you didn't get all the bees!?"

I asked if it looked like a couple of left overs that were late flying back to the nest,  but they said it looks the same as it did before...

The swarm season is starting late this year as we have had a dry season.  I'm really hoping that they are correct and it's a whole new swarm - and that I might have found a sweet spot!


Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2015, 06:18:31 pm »
If one group of scoits liked that spot, others will, too.  Seal it up or enjoy getting multiple swarms.  How does it affect the sheep shearing?  Does sound like a sweet spot :smile:
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2015, 06:21:10 pm »
By the way, you really should enter your location in your profile.  Easy to do and it will avoid questions about it later.  Most answers to questions rely on location.  Like you are in swarm season and we're looking at winter.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline dunderi

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2015, 01:32:45 am »
By the way, you really should enter your location in your profile.  Easy to do and it will avoid questions about it later.  Most answers to questions rely on location.  Like you are in swarm season and we're looking at winter.
I totally would except that there's no facility to do that through the tapatalk app which is how I'm accessing the forum :/

unless an admin wants to do it of course!

but whenever I ask a question I'll do as I did above and state that in in TAS, Australia right down here at the bottom of the globe :)

Offline dunderi

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2015, 01:36:30 am »
If one group of scoits liked that spot, others will, too.  Seal it up or enjoy getting multiple swarms.  How does it affect the sheep shearing?  Does sound like a sweet spot
The sheep are all shorn so not a problem - I think bees like the lanolin smell maybe though?

I don't think it's another swarm. I think merely foragers that were out late,  and didn't end up in the box :/ only a handful remaining - I suppose if you're not used to bees it looks like a lot!

The original swarm are rather gentle for a caught hive,  I didn't suit up to check on them, no stings or even face buzzing. 


Offline Dallasbeek

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2015, 01:12:35 pm »
Okay.  I understand about tap a talk.  One of the admins will see this and alter your profile.  Good luck with the bees.
"Liberty lives in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." - Judge Learned Hand, 1944

Offline ed/La.

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2016, 10:00:20 pm »
I would put several baited swarm boxes in that area. 

Offline mtnb

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2016, 02:13:10 pm »
So it was just a few scragglers? Did you go back and get them? What do you tell the homeowner at that point? Did you leave the cut out open? Do they realize HBs can come back to that spot?
I'd rather be playing with venomous insects
GO BEES!

Offline KeyLargoBees

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2016, 02:47:01 pm »
Yvonne...stragglers are the norm for any removal or swarm capture if you move them during the day. They typically hang out a day or two until the queen phermone dissipates then they go beg entrance to another hive or perish. Typically not worth the effort to rescue them unless there is a decent cluster. Its why some people leave the box the cutout or swarm was placed into on site until after dark (when convenient and possible)...then button it up and move it. Most if not all bees will be inside and it minimizes stragglers.

I learned the hard way you don't place cutouts into hive bodies with screened bottom boards (even though that's what they will end up with as a permanent bottom down here in the south)....the disoriented field bees ignored the entrance and all clustered under the screen...I went back to move them after dark and fully 1/2 the hive population was outside under the screen and not inside with the queen...will never do that again ;-)
Jeff Wingate

Changes in Latitudes...Changes in Attitudes....are Florida Keys bees more laid back than the rest of the country...only time will tell!!!
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Offline mtnb

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Re: Swarm sweet spot?
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2016, 12:59:35 pm »
Yvonne...stragglers are the norm for any removal or swarm capture if you move them during the day. They typically hang out a day or two until the queen phermone dissipates then they go beg entrance to another hive or perish. Typically not worth the effort to rescue them unless there is a decent cluster.

Ok. Thanks good to know. Thanks Jeff.

Thanks for the heads up on the SBBs. lol I won't do that. I promise. That wouldn't even occur to me I think because I opened their SBB all night last summer one night and went out and listened to them, and by their sound, I could really tell they DID NOT like that. lol I closed it off the next day and then switched out to solid in the fall. lol We unfortunately, very unfortunately, don't have those very nice warm summer evenings like you do. lol
I'd rather be playing with venomous insects
GO BEES!

 

anything