Second swarm! In four days

[Kris^]

Today must have been the day for swarms in NJ,  Right, Beemaster?  Fortunately, I was working in NJ today and could get back to the farm when Liz called about 11:30 am, saying that "the bees are freaking out, man!"  She got pictures, too, as it alighted onto the apple tree, in the same place the first swarm did last Thursday.  This is the second swarm from the hive I got from another beek on May 2nd, and was bigger than the first.  They readily settled into their new hive, and I'll wheel them out back with the rest tonight.  I am beginning to feel real overwhelmed now.

Bee swarm alighting on tree:


Swarm in tree:


Swarm close-up:

[lovelyembalmer]

Great pics, glad you got the swarm. don't feel to over whelmed swarms seem to be the thing right now.

Besides free bees are the best. ;)

[mark]

my guess kris is flipping the boxes congested the brood nest and set them off.  you can always give more room and combine if ya don't want sooooooooooooooo many :)

[Kris^]

Hey there Mark, you're still around!

Well, what you say might be right, because the first swarm went out 4 days after I rearranged the boxes.  But -- wouldn't they have had to brought forth one or more virgin queens before taking off?  Meaning, they'd already made the decision to swarm?  Even with the two swarms, the initial hive is still chock full of bees, and easily the busiest one in the yard.

One has become three.  How's that?  :shock:

-- Kris

[Kris^]

<oops!>

[Brian D. Bray]

We finally have some nice sunny weather, 3 whole days are forecast with temps into the 80's--sure beats the mid 50's we've been having up til now.  While watching the bees I noticed scout bees checking out both of the bait hives in the yard so I may have a sudden increase so.  There's another beekeeper about a mile away (has 10) and I might get one of his swarms.

[metzelplex]

   I've had a bunch of swarms too I had about 30 old supers with dry rot that I was going to try and fix later so I decided to put a bunch of old frames with a lot of drone cells and mouse damage and a little wax moth damage well in the last 4 weeks I got 4 swarms come in to my back yard the bees just went in through the dry rot holes I was so happy I called every beekeeper I know then I had to quit procrastinating and fix a bunch of boxes and make 4 more tops and bottom boards and start swapping out the old drone comb with some better frames and some foundation while they were still in the wax making mode . Free bees are a wonderful thing!!!!  8-) :lol: 8-)  metzelplex

[JP]

Hey there Mark, you're still around!

Well, what you say might be right, because the first swarm went out 4 days after I rearranged the boxes.  But -- wouldn't they have had to brought forth one or more virgin queens before taking off?  Meaning, they'd already made the decision to swarm?  Even with the two swarms, the initial hive is still chock full of bees, and easily the busiest one in the yard.

One has become three.  How's that?  :shock:

-- Kris

No reason to be shocked, this is very normal, a hive can swarm several different times. Usually a really good one or two and after swarms. When their minds are made up they do what nature has intended.


...JP

[Kris^]

In this case, though, the afterswarm was larger than the first swarm.

Unless it came from an entirely different colony I'm unaware of . . .  (I doubt it, though.)

Enjoy free bees!

-- Kris