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Post by cff on Apr 17, 2009 9:50:33 GMT -5
I don’t know why the bees seem to like this tree so much but I end up retrieving several swarms a year from this tree and once last year I had two swarms in the same tree at the same time  We learned a few years ago that there will often be more than one queen in a swarm, searching around in the pile if I find more than one in a big swarm I’ll split it into two swarms. There are a few articles at Glenn Apiaries about Russian honeybees www.glenn-apiaries.com/russian.htmlI think the agitated bees are doing a test run for a later swarm, I’ve seen bees do this several times a week or so before an actual swarm occurs. My dad and I were standing in the yard when a rush of bees came out of a hive and flooded the air, a few minuets later they all returned to the hive and it was business as normal. Sometimes they do strange things but there sure fun to have. |
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Post by pugs on Apr 17, 2009 12:45:55 GMT -5
I've read that once a swarm has landed somewhere, it leaves some kind of marker (no one seems to know what it is) that is attractive to other swarms. So swarms end up going to the same spot year after year.
Pugs
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Post by cff on Apr 17, 2009 13:17:13 GMT -5
Pugs it must be true cause they even land in the same spot on the tree 99% of the time  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 17, 2009 13:18:32 GMT -5
hmmm... Entirely possible. They are definitely swarming at this moment. They are all clustered on the front of the hive and Mike has the box there. Major handicap for us is Mike's vision. There is no way he can see the queen.
We had a frost last night, it got down to about 32 or 33. Not enough to damage anything but definitely enough to keep them inside and rather slow yesterday. Also, it's been a very wet spring.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 17, 2009 13:24:29 GMT -5
Ha! Didn't see the 2 extra posts! =o) That is an amazing photo CFF. I'll have to check out that link a little later today or tomorrow. Been patching the knees of little boy jeans and making chocolate cookies and bread.
I have always wondered about that Pugs. We haven't been in the bee business all that long. We started in California in the city so we got calls from frantic people to retrieve swarms from various places. It was always very random and the keepers in the area were on a waiting list and rotated the retrieval process. Here, we are pretty much catching our own swarms.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 17, 2009 19:50:31 GMT -5
Well, shortly after posting the whole thing was over and they all packed up the lounge chairs, dumped out the beer, and went back inside. Mike is guessing that they were excited because the old queen was battling a young queen. When the fight was over, the event was over. Thoughts?
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 21, 2009 13:57:14 GMT -5
Hey! This will tickle you! Our bees FINALLY swarmed today while we were out and guess where they landed? A small pin oak! Mike ran inside, suited up, knocked em in a box and got out to help me locate our 2 new pawpaw trees in less than 15 minutes.
Here's the interesting part.... Our neighbor watched the swarm process and he said that they left the hive, moved to the forest (250' from the hive), went to the oak (about 50' in front of the hive), went back to the forest, then back to the oak. He may have been pulling our leg? What do you think?
Also, a friend suggested that we try "Honey B Healthy". He used it on his bees at the early part of spring and he said they calmed down significantly afterward. He also said that he sprayed it on the frames of a box that he was going to use to knock a swarm into and that it was one of the easiest captures he's ever made.
We've ordered some just to give it a shot.
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Post by cff on Apr 21, 2009 18:04:24 GMT -5
Bees are interesting and no matter how many books I read the bees always remind me that they will do as bees please. Saturday my Dad and I worked the better part of two hours to catch a swarm out of a 40' tree. A few minuets after we thought we had them they all bailed out of the hive I had just put them in and went back to the hive they came out of. Dad and I started to sell the farm and move to town I've heard from a few friends that Honey B Healthy did seem to help with spring build up, but I haven't used it. As a general rule most swarms will stay put once introduced to a new hive; if the bees leave the new hive and go back to a limb I head over to another hive and remove a frame of brood - bump the frame to remove most of the bees and add it to the new hive then shake the swarm back into the box. As far as I can remember I've never lost a swarm with an added frame of brood, its just really hard to get the nurse bees to leave that brood and the hive will settle right in. |
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Post by canadamike on Apr 21, 2009 20:09:54 GMT -5
More bee stories pleaaaaaase...
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 22, 2009 7:54:46 GMT -5
You into bees also Mike?
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Post by canadamike on Apr 22, 2009 20:46:46 GMT -5
I will, there will be one or two hives here this year, and if my friend can shake things up, I plant to build and have a lot.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Apr 27, 2009 6:09:29 GMT -5
Wow. Forgive my inquisitiveness, but is this (gardening/farming) your day job?
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