Comfortable Salem Swarm

The caller said the swarm was in her backyard tree and sure enough, there it is!

This is a typical swarm size.

2016 was a busy year for swarm calls. Every call had a twist and this one was no different. The lady in Salem, Mo. said she had been ill for the past week and only today looked outside her back door to find a bee swarm in her backyard tree.

As we removed the first bunch of bees, the comb they had built on the branch became apparent. These bees had been in the tree long enough to start building comb.

Comb on fruit tree branches under where the swarm was hanging.

We also found comb built on the back of tree leaves.

Once we scraped the comb off the tree limb, no bees returned to the swarm spot.

Brand new comb being built on the back of leaves.

Bees follow the queen into the hive under the careful watch of my bee buddy David. After we had most of the bees, we sealed up the front, tucked the hive in the back of the car and headed home.

The colony is doing well in its new home so far. 

Charlotte

Swarm Season Starts

My car packed for swarm-catching with both a ten-frame hive and a nuc.

The middle of April used to be tax season for me. Since I started beekeeping, the middle of spring is more importantly swarm season, when bees split off from their mother hive and set off to establish a new colony.

I went on my first call this morning but the bees had moved on. They had chosen a blooming holly tree for their temporary home, a good bee choice since holly has a great deal of pollen. Only issue is that swarms don't collect food when they are on the move; they are waiting for scout bees to come back and communicate they have found a wonderful spot for a new home. While bees wait for that news, they have left their mother hive gorged in honey so not only are they sluggish but they aren't interested in collecting pollen just yet.

Someone contacted me several weeks ago interested in catching a swarm but he didn't have an extra hive, a bee suit or transportation, all three major components needed when swarm-catching.  If you can only focus on one, get a bee suit and be ready for the call. Bees don't wait!

Charlotte