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Author Topic: Another swarm tonight.  (Read 1610 times)

Offline BeeMaster2

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Another swarm tonight.
« on: May 13, 2018, 12:02:15 am »
Received a call for a swarm 15? up a tree. Went there expecting 20 to 25?. Here is what I found at well over 30? up:


We cut the branch off at about 12? up, about a 5? log at that point. It came down to about 6? where I was able to shake the bees off the branches into the hive box and then cut off some of them and shake the rest off. I also removed the branches where they had been on to make sure they did not return to the branches. The hive box has one box of drawn frames and one box of foundation less frames.
Here it is after I put it in the apiary:

It is the one with the strap still on it.
Around 10:30 PM I let the dog out and here is what I found.


I will have to add another super in the morning.
It is a very large swarm.
Jim
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 herbhome

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2018, 12:10:08 am »
That is cool! Good job not giving up and figuring out a way. :smile:
Neill

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2018, 12:18:00 am »
Thanks it was fun and I had help from their neighbor. They were the ones that called me. The owners were highly allergic. They end up in the hospital every time they get stung.
Jim
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 DuaneB

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2018, 12:25:11 am »
Nice catch!  Being I just became a beek about 3 weeks ago, I'd like to experience the thrill of a swarm catch.  Just, maybe, not one that large initially.

DB

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2018, 12:34:58 am »
Thanks, I?ll take all of your large ones.  :cheesy:
I like the really large ones like this one, in one month with drawn comb they will probably have a super of honey.
Jim
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: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2018, 09:36:40 am »
I just checked the new swarm hive. Most of the bees are back inside. They still have plenty of room so I am not adding a super. I did swap out half of the foundation less frames with natural drawn frames, checker boarded style.
I was going to add a queen excluder under the hive. At BeeFest 2018, Tom did a presentation on dousing and how to get answers, like should I lock the queen in to keep them from leaving.
I did it and the answer was definitely ?no?. So I didn?t.
Jim
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 Beeboy01

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2018, 09:59:28 am »
I used to add a QEs under any swarm I caught but found that when a queen swarms she thins down so she can fly and can squeeze through the excluder if she wants.  I stopped using QEs since then.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2018, 03:56:31 pm »
According to MB the thorax will not pass through a QE and that doesn't change size from virgin to mated queen.  The other thing is a the queen makes no decisions.  It is the other bees that you have to convince to stay and open brood is a good way to do it.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2018, 04:01:05 pm »
At BeeFest 2018, Tom did a presentation on dousing and how to get answers, like should I lock the queen in to keep them from leaving.

I must be a cosmic sink for EMF because I couldn't get the wires to move for nothing yet they worked fine for my brother.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2018, 04:52:48 pm »
Ace,
You have to teach your subconscious what a yes answer and a no answer is. I did it mentally by reviewing what I expected for a yes, wires crossed, and a no, wires pointing away from each other. You can also, with wires in hand, look at them and say this is a yes and make them cross and this is a no and make them swing away.
Google ?Letters to Robin?. Is is a free, short book about dousing that explains a lot.
Before you ask a question about a subject, ask ?May I?, then ?Can I? and ?Should I?. If you get a yes for all 3 then ask the question or questions about that subject.
Have fun.
Jim
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 gww

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2018, 10:52:53 pm »
Saw...
I got my first swarm of the year in a trap yesterday.  I hived it today.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2018, 12:50:34 am »
Congratulations GWW. They are always nice to get.
I did a cut out and got another hive this morning. I checked, on my way home,  on a trap out that I thought was to small to keep the frame of larvae alive. The queen and all the remaining bees must have moved out of the cinder block wall and moved into my hive. It is very heavy with lots of bees. The bees swarmed just before they called me. For a while there I thought they may have absconded and just had larvae we?re coming out. It was a nice surprise today. I will bee picking it up tomorrow.
Jim
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 gww

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Re: Another swarm tonight.
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2018, 01:21:10 am »
Yes, nice surprizes. 
Cheers
gww

 

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