A BEE thread....for those interested in beekeeping.

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
It does happen if they need space. If they actually swarmed (not absconded) you still have about half your bees in your original hive.

If you want to try to catch the swarm you could try the following. Do you have a second hive box or even a nuc box with a couple of frames? If so try putting the box on a high place near the swarm like the top of a tall step ladder and place swarm lure in the box. You can use lemon grass oil and/or was bees wax as a lure too. The bees usually fly late morning to late afternoon when looking for a new home.

We caught 3 of our swarms like this in the beginning of May. Two of them were lured out of high trees this way and 1 had just left the original hive and was in the air. Good luck!

 

[IN-farmgirl]

I tried luring them into a nuc box, but was unsuccessful. The swarm left this morning sometime between 7:00 and 10:00. I'm bummed.

My new mentor came over and we found several swarm cells and 3 queens. She trapped all of the queens and we watched the bees to see which queen they wanted. We put her back, but we are still not sure if she is fully accepted. We will do another inspection on Saturday to look for eggs.

I have been doing hive inspections on my own. I am too new and obviously ignorant about the signs of swarming. I never imagined they would swarm so soon.

My mentor said my hive looked very healthy, considering the swarm. I just feel really bad that I missed an opportunity to split my hive. I don't think the bee swarm will survive on their own.

The best thing that came out of this is that I found a mentor who is willing to come over and inspect my hive with me!

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Sorry you couldn't capture the swarm ~ but you have contributed to the feral honeybee population! Often swarming is a sign of a healthy growing hive although many beekeepers like to discourage it as it cuts down on honey production. What breed of bees do you have?

Don't be surprised if you don't see eggs this Saturday ~ a newly hatched queen can take up to 2 weeks to mate and begin laying eggs.

It is great you found a good mentor ~ experienced eyes & knowledge can be a tremendous help to a "new-bee"!

 

[IN-farmgirl]

They are Italians. They spent the winter in California pollinating the almond crops. I just hope the swarm won't end up in the siding of someone's house!

My hive is an 8 frame and I have a deep and medium super for brood chambers. I had added another super, but not in time to prevent the swarm. My mentor said the swarming tendency could also be genetic. If it happens regularly, I might need to requeen from different stock.

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

My dad just called me last night and told me he was capturing a swarm. One of 3 on the same property. He was going to use an empty hive from one of the 2 swarms that died over the winter... but found BEES living in them again! So now he has 4 already, plus the new one, and today he is going after the other 2.
The best part? He is gonna bring me one and give me some of his extra equipment... all I will need starting out is gloves!
I just have to figure out where I want to put them, calm my worried room mate's fears (not of bees, of getting in trouble for having bees!) and I am all set!

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Hi guys,

Okay I have several questions but before I get to the questions here's some background. I'm a animal lover. I live on an acreage and have geese and fainting goats along with chickens. But, I want to keep my bees in the city outside my office window (Eastern Exp.). I work for an Ad Agency and we are all animal lovers I've been reading through this thread and want to know how many of you think I'm crazy to want to keep honey bees at my office? Does anyone else do this? We are surrounded by green space and our Agency owns the property. There is a creek located less than a half a mile away from our building. We have flowering trees and several types of lillies outside - planted on our property. Can it be done? Am I crazy to even consider it? I've located a gentlemen that sells bees, hives, and bee keeping equipment. I'm visiting his home tomorrow @11 to gather all the information to take back to the office and discuss with the powers that BEE - get it? Truly, any and all help/suggetions would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[Reinbeau]

The first issue that comes to mind is liability. That's the biggest hurtle I see with 'the powers that bee'.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

As in...the bees attacking someone? I was more worried about the pesticides from neighbor office buildings. Never thought about the attack angle. Maybe I'll have to have them here on my farm.

 

[JP33]

jojo@rolling acres farm :

As in...the bees attacking someone? I was more worried about the pesticides from neighbor office buildings. Never thought about the attack angle. Maybe I'll have to have them here on my farm.

Your company's insurance agent may not allow the bees on company property. This happened with a friend of mine, had 24 hrs to remove hives once insurance agent discovered bees on property.


...JP​

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Your company's insurance agent may not allow the bees on company property. This happened with a friend of mine, had 24 hrs to remove hives once insurance agent discovered bees on property.


...JP

Exactly.