Greg has a friend in Dallas, GA who called to report a swarm of bees in the yard of a rental house he owns. Greg was going to be tied up this morning. At a recent MABA meeting, Mickey Anderson, a club member who used to work for Rossman Bees, talked to the bee club about how a swarm will leave for its new home, chosen by the scout bees, usually between 10AM and 2PM. If the swarm is still hanging after 2, then it probably won't go anywhere that day.
So Jeff and I went to get the bees without Greg so that they wouldn't relocate after 10 AM. Dallas is about an hour's drive from my house in Atlanta. Trusting our phone's navigation systems and my GPS, we eventually found the place and got the bees.
They are Greg's bees so they will go to our business in south Georgia, replacing one of our lost hives.
Here's the slide show which is a pretty good representation of how to capture a swarm. Many thanks to Ryan who shot pictures while we did the collection. Be sure to click on the slides to be able to see everything (and the captions for the pictures) full screen.
So Jeff and I went to get the bees without Greg so that they wouldn't relocate after 10 AM. Dallas is about an hour's drive from my house in Atlanta. Trusting our phone's navigation systems and my GPS, we eventually found the place and got the bees.
They are Greg's bees so they will go to our business in south Georgia, replacing one of our lost hives.
Here's the slide show which is a pretty good representation of how to capture a swarm. Many thanks to Ryan who shot pictures while we did the collection. Be sure to click on the slides to be able to see everything (and the captions for the pictures) full screen.
Very nice slide show. Gave me some tips for the next time I capture a swarm. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteTerrific slide show-- so clearly showing all steps, a picture perfect swarm capture. What a pretty swarm!
ReplyDeletePenny
Great explanation of the process!
ReplyDeleteAbout the "markings" positioned on the hive.
Can markings be put on an existing hive? or does it have to be a new hive? I ask this because I wonder if the bees will be distracted with the new markings. thank you, Christopher
Any time you make a change in a hive - for example, move it to a new location, change the direction of the entrance, etc., typically you put leaves or branches on the entry to the hive to make the bees reorient to the hive. If you put markings on the hive box at any time, the bees will simply say, "Oh, something new, need to notice this for coming home." So no worries and do it any time. My hives at home are so close together right now that I want the hives to be distinguished from one another.
ReplyDeleteYou were practically in my backyard, Linda! Thank you for this presentation. Very nicely done!
ReplyDelete(I am the other Linda who contacted you just recently.)
Well Done! You did great.
ReplyDeleteLinda,
ReplyDeleteI have noticed you have shown the use of bottle caps in Jeffs first swarm photos https://picasaweb.google.com/116748370159747164350/JeffSFirstSwarm?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7ij66J39vHFA&feat=flashalbum#5609238810131148482
In Australia we do not use such tops but I am keen to understand why and how you use them, if you are able to comment or direct to a resource that would be appreciated.
In Queensland we generally use migratory lids and for our very brief winter use telescopic lids.
thanks
fergus
Linda,
ReplyDeleteWe've just bought a 1/2 acre property in the Dallas, GA area. About 1/2 of the property is wooded and has a running stream going through it. We would like to support the bee population in the Dallas, GA area. However, we do not want to maintain a hive ourselves. So, we would like invite a beekeeper to set up their hive on our property. Is their a local beekeeping club we could contact to talk to about this. Thank you...
Hi. I have a question re: catching swarms. Why cant someone just use a new hive and put a commercial swarm lure pad inside? I have a deck about 12' high between two trees. Why not just put the lure and a hive there?
ReplyDeleteYou can put a new hive on a deck with swarm lure inside. I always catch at least one swarm a year that moves into old equipment. The key there, though, is "old." The bees are drawn to the smell of old comb, old equipment. It tells them, "Bees have been here," and they are more likely to move into old than new. If you are going to use new equipment as a swarm lure, see if you can get an experienced beekeeper to give you an old frame or two. Rub the tops of the frames, the entry landing and around the inner cover with swarm lure or lemongrass oil, or Pledge to add to the allure of the location.
ReplyDelete