Author Topic: swarm time in texas (Read 2327 times)

bill · « **on:** April 27, 2006, 10:40:45 am »

I picked up my second swarm yesterday. I went to town to borrow another queen excluder this morning. Last summer I got about eight swarms and only 2 stayed with me. then one of them got robbed out because I didn't keep the honey frames safe and I was ill a lot this winter, and wasn't watching them close enough. Thanks to mr. bush I know how to keep them this year but I have only one queen excluder. both of these were easy to get . I guess I will have to start making queen excluders from hail screen. I think I have some the right size. the first one is three days old now and is working well. How long should I leave the excluder in place as I will need It again. I won't have any money untill I start selling tomatoes and melons about the middle of june. If this keeps up I will have some honey to sell at the end of this year. thanx mr bush!

Michael Bush · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2006, 08:24:00 am »

>I guess I will have to start making queen excluders from hail screen. I think I have some the right size.

#5 is the right size for an excluder. But an excluder would be much better. They can't get much pollen through #5 and #4 won't keep the queen in.

bill · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2006, 04:13:05 pm »

hey micheal I was thinking I can use the two I have after the bees have oriented themselves to the hive. but I can't remember hjow long they have to stay until the urge to wander is gone if It is only a few days I can remove the excluder and have it ready for the next swarm. would you tell me how long. The first swarm went in the hive tuesday morning. I got them monday evening and hived them the next morning. and yesterday (thursday) I borrowed another excluder and hived the second swarm. which I got wednesday. the one I hived yesterday I was putting in the hive from a cardboard box, and after it was secure I was watching the stragglers go in and I thought I saw the queen land on the porch so I quickly grabbed it and lifted the lid and threw her in. I was thinking if the queen was not in there why were they going in? then I figured it out I had thrown a drone in there. as their numbers outside got smaller I could see there were several drones that couldn't get in lol

Finsky · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2006, 05:42:38 pm »

You should do something before swarms escapes from your hives. Or are they from your hives?

http://maarec.cas.psu.edu/PDFs/Swarm_Prev_Control_PM.pdf

Escaped swarm "take yield with it".

bill · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2006, 07:37:04 pm »

finsky old mate they are not from my hives. I got them from swarms about thirty miles away. but I willl keep plenty of room for them to put honey in as soon as their numbers get up . last year I picked up a lot of swarms but they nearly all left as soon as they had a chance. The point is that I am using queen excluders to confine the queen to the hive in which I put them. but having access to only two queen excluders I have them both now In use. and with a honey flow going on here I can probably get another couple of swarms but I want to keep them when I get them. evidently they are still in the traveling mood for a certain amount of time.thus the need for more queen excluders or removeing them from the two I have and using them on the next.

Jack Parr · « **Reply #5 on:** April 29, 2006, 09:07:49 am »

I did four swarm captures this season and all were successful.

I placed them in five frame nucs. I sprayed some honey laced sugar water on everything in the box including the bees before and after placing said swarm.

The swarms were, two from tree branches and I shook them into a box then dumped the bees in the nucs. No excluders. They stayed. However the first swarm, from a branch, after being dumped into the nuc showed signs of wanting to vamoose so I placed a blocking screen at the entrance and made up some sugare water quickly and did a liberal spraying of that in the entrance and that cooled them off, like, RIGHT NOW, and they stayed after I removed the screen. The second swarm from a branch stayed in the nuc box with no trouble but I did do a liberal spraying of sweetwater.

One other swarm was attached to a three foot tree stump and those I placed a nuc box under and with a scraper caused the majority of the bees to fall into the box. The stragglers made their way in eventually.

Another swarm was on the ground on the lawn spread about 2 X 3 feet. I poked around and found the queen, placed her in the nuc box and eventually the remainder of the bees marched in like in the crusades. That was interesting and I have pics of that little episode. Anyone wanting to see, send your e-mail address I got plenty of pretty good pics.

So in summation, four swarms, no excluder, plenty of honey laced sweetwater sprayed on everything, worked for me. Of course while doing this I sang some sweet tunes to go along with the program, like " Ruby don't take your love to town "