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Author Topic: Letting Bees Swarm  (Read 2287 times)

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2023, 08:05:24 pm »
Terri,
I used to have five empty stacked supers sitting next to my workshop. One day I decided to make it a swarm trap. I put one old drawn frame against one wall and nine empty frames to fill up the top box. A massive swarm came from quite a ways away and filled it up. It took about fifteen minutes for them to land and a lot longer to move in. I did not a chance to open it for ten days. They filled the top box and cross filled 12 inches of brand new comb under it.
Jim Altmiller
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Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2023, 08:11:45 pm »
Here is a picture of it.


I had 3 large swarms move into this trap , one each year. They seemed to all come from the same direction.
I set up a similar trap in my barn here at the farm and caught another large swarm.
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Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Terri Yaki

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2023, 08:39:17 pm »
 :shocked:  Where's ma bees at?   :cool:
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Offline Terri Yaki

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2023, 08:41:04 pm »
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on October 03, 2023, 08:11:45 pm
Here is a picture of it.


I had 3 large swarms move into this trap , one each year. They seemed to all come from the same direction.
I set up a similar trap in my barn here at the farm and caught another large swarm.
What do you do, just sit next to it and watch? How did you manage to see where they all came from and from how far?
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2023, 09:48:43 pm »
In my case it depends on location. Since there are no beekeepers in swarming distance of my apiaries, unless it's a feral hive swarming, I can just about rest assured it is coming from my own hives. During swarm season I am vigilant in watching the yards, both empty box colonies left for such a purpose, and tree limbs. These areas are viewed at least once a day. twice if time allows.. It has been my experience when the swarm first leaves the hive, they will not go far during that first flight in most cases.
If I find a swarm on a limb, I retrieve it asap. It has been my further experience the second time they fly from the limb, they will either go into an empty colony in my yard, or they will be gone with the wind.. I'd rather not take the chance. Once I watched a swarn do just that, leave on the second flight, up up and away, never to be seen again..

Just as Jim I have had them collect in my shop garage where boxes were stored without my knowing they had even swarmed, and to my pleasure, find my own marked queen from the season passed. We will know the year of the queen queen, by the color we mark new queens each season..

I expect in Beemaster2s' case there are probably plenty of other bees and beekeepers in his area of Florida? If so they might come to him from any direction...

I realize this did not completely answer your question by it may help, at least a little...

Phillip
« Last Edit: October 03, 2023, 10:07:09 pm by Ben Framed »
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Offline Spur9

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #25 on: October 04, 2023, 06:43:57 am »
I suppose that I "let" my bees swarm, in that I do not perform any management techniques specifically to prevent swarming. I add queen excluders and supers in March to my hives.  I remove them in August and extract honey.  In fact, I do not inspect these hives at all.

I hive swarms and they are what I inspect and work with to get my beekeeping ?fix?.  I have plenty of boxes and drawn out frames for the swarms. I enjoy watching them grow and it is more fun to inspect young/small hives in the summer heat versus my established hives.

I have no doubt that I fail to hive every swarm from my apiary.  But I am ok with that.
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #26 on: October 04, 2023, 07:58:16 am »
Spur you are vigilant in watching out for swarms while retrieving them which is your way of 'swarm management'. Don Kuchenmeister "The Fat Bee Man" Says bees do two basic things' Make honey and multiply.  Swarming is their way of multiplying. Of course they do much more than those two things in reality. But the point is each season just as Lesgold, I always have swarms also; I think it is fair to assume we all do.

As you, I really enjoy reterving swarms. JP The Beemans' avatar here at beemaster says; "I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!"  And JP is one of the most popular cut out folks on youtube, or was at least...
I can relate! I love catching swarms too! 

Spur you might enjoy the following topic if you might have missed it:
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=54466.msg495006#msg495006

Phillip
« Last Edit: October 04, 2023, 04:58:14 pm by Ben Framed »
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2 Chronicles 7:14
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #27 on: October 04, 2023, 08:41:43 am »
Terri,
In the first year that I set it up, my wife asked me if I was going to keep a hive right next to my shop door. I said no why? She said it looks like you have a hive in that box. I went out and there were a whole lot of scout bees acting crazy around the entrance going in and out and dancing around the entrance. I knew they really liked the trap. I went in the workshop to wait, about 15 minutes later I could hear the swarm coming. I went outside and they were coming across my neighbors on the south side of the workshop, went around to the area in front and then started coming in. I had 3 swarm traps in this area so I put a lemon grass oil bottle on top of this hive to make sure they all went to it. I have had swarms split between traps.
I video taped it and my son put it on YouTube. I will see if it is still there and post a copy. 
Jim Altmiller
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Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Letting Bees Swarm
« Reply #28 on: October 04, 2023, 08:55:11 am »
I think this is the second video. The first one showed the bees coming in from the house side of the workshop.

https://youtu.be/JcW0geAUi0Y?si=IwK-by91N5T8qIr6

It is a rather long video.
Jim Altmiller
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Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin
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