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Author Topic: Lots of Swarming  (Read 3778 times)

Offline BeeRadley

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Lots of Swarming
« on: July 09, 2014, 01:38:04 pm »
Dear beekeepers,

This is my second year of beekeeping, last year we started out with ten hives and increased this year to twenty.  I live on an eighty acre property with a spring fed pond, wooded area, large garden, apple orchard, and years worth of added pollen friendly plants.  All of the hives seem healthy with little Varroa mites at this point, but none are full blown issues.  As far as i can the tell the bees seem very healthy. Got this batch of Italian honey bees from Georgia. The thing is most of our hives have swarmed this year and its not for lack of space.  The second deeps are not even close to being full, i am wondering if these bees could be Africanized, or if they have over saturated the area and are needing to spread out.  And i wouldn't mind the swarming except for the fact that we don't have enough equipment to capture any more.  Other beekeepers in the area sure don't mind, but i would rather have a healthy operation set up before giving away hundreds of dollars worth of bees. 

Would love some extra input of this situation, many thanks.

Offline jayj200

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Re: Lots of Swarming
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2014, 12:23:04 pm »
I would rather give them than to let them fly

Offline iddee

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Re: Lots of Swarming
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2014, 01:20:25 pm »
A package many times will use 2 to 4 frames for brood, then pack the next two frames with pollen. The queen will not cross a frame of pollen to lay. She considers it to be the outer limit of the brood nest. Therefore, she thinks she is crowded and they swarm. The pollen frames need to be moved toward the outside regularly.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline BeeRadley

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Re: Lots of Swarming
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2014, 08:15:03 pm »
That's a great tip iddee, thank you very much.  I can't say that's that issue with all of the hives, but for some that very well may be.  Is it ridiculous to have had most of our hive's swarm in one year? 

Offline iddee

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Re: Lots of Swarming
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2014, 09:44:36 pm »
Most of mine swarm every year. Either natural, or artificial swarm if I catch them in time. Of course, I raise bees to sell, not make honey. You will learn swarm prevention as you go along, but you will also learn it is not fool proof. They will still swarm occasionally.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*