One of my hives swarmed today. Fortunately I witnessed it and was able to take the steps needed to recover it.
It pays to keep some extra equipment around…and a ladder.
Every beekeeper should have a ladder.
It was truly an awesome sight. The cloud of bees was huge and the bees just boiled out the entrance. I ran back in to get my camera but they’d already clustered in the privet by the time I got back outside.
Lucky you !
I had one SWARM last week too. But it would have take a fire truck with a loooong boom to get mine. They were at least 30’ up. I’m not going after one that high up. An hour later they buzzed off up higher n Eastbound. Not a chance this time. But put a new bait hive on top my house today.
I’ll see if some nosey bees go for it !
Who knows,
Gerald
Howdy @Bobby_Thanepohn I’m really impressed on how well you are doing, I have to say I’m a bit jealous because I’m using you as my template, you’re about 1 month ahead of me is this what I’m in for?
I just recently added my 2nd brood box to both hive and during that process I didn’t see either Queens or eggs, I’m getting worry if I still have in both seeing in the first hive I seen Supercedure cells and in the second I seen queen cups.
So wish me luck on my next inspection which will be in the next couple of day that I find my Queens or If the Supercedure emergence happens. Either way how it plays out may need to replace or order Queens.
@Zab if you cannot locate the Queen I would recommend looking for new eggs. They are hard to see, but if you have fresh eggs then you obviously have a queen–even if you cannot find her. Finding an egg in a cell means the queen has been there in the last three days.
@Zab I’m flattered but I don’t think I should necessarily be your template for what to do.
What not to do maybe!
I share these simply to document where I am at on this journey and hopefully offer some muddled insight. I’m positive that I’m making mistakes. They’re obvious and they are what is causing some of these exciting, but completely preventable events.
Eggs can be a little tough to see sometimes. Especially in fresh foundationless comb which is what you have.
Are you at least seeing some small larvae?
Great resource @Bobby_Thanepohn. Thank you for taking the trouble to create/record it.
I felt I got a sense of what you had to do A-Z to handle the scenario.
Did you use only comb as a lure/anchor, not lemon grass oil, etc?
What do you use for smoker fuel. I was impressed by its persistence of smoke.
The nuc box was only used temporarily as a lure. I put 5 waxed foundation frames and some old pieces of burr comb in it - nothing else.
I got worried that the bees might not take to it though (impatient maybe) and moved the box into the tree under the cluster and scooped and shook them in.
I use pine shavings in my smoker. The kind that are sold as animal bedding. I use them in my chicken’s brood boxes so there’s always some on hand. The only issue I have is the tar residue that builds up. Makes it hard to open the smoker sometimes.