1st Swarm Video - & me running away lots

[RichardK]

OK....so I'm putting myself out there...be kind people!

Here's a video of the 1st swarm caught on 17th May. Now bear in mind I'd never been any where near a bee hive / bee swarm before but on that day I moved a swarm which didn't want to enter the bait hive into a proper hive using a bucket and a brush..... and a lot of running away!

If you just want to see me running, jump to the second half...

First swarm 17/05/21

Edit....can't work out how to embed a YouTube video, so just a link I'm afraid.

 

[Boston Bees]

Why are you running away given that you have PPE on? Doesn't it work?

 

[RichardK]

Why are you running away given that you have PPE on? Doesn't it work?

It's from China and hadn't been tested before.....

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's from China and hadn't been tested before.....

The quickest way would have been to carry the bait hive (I saw how easily you hooked it off the tree) to the hive and holding it above give it a sharp tap and the whole lot of bees would have dropped in.....but well done

 

[Boston Bees]

It's from China and hadn't been tested before.....

Trust your equipment young Jedi, and remember ... a running beekeeper just winds them up

 

[BugsInABox]

OK....so I'm putting myself out there...be kind people!

Here's a video of the 1st swarm caught on 17th May. Now bear in mind I'd never been any where near a bee hive / bee swarm before but on that day I moved a swarm which didn't want to enter the bait hive into a proper hive using a bucket and a brush..... and a lot of running away!

If you just want to see me running, jump to the second half...

First swarm 17/05/21

Edit....can't work out how to embed a YouTube video, so just a link I'm afraid.

Marvellous - thumbs up from me. From about 5.42 things seem to be on fire. Can’t wait for the next one.

 

[RichardK]

The quickest way would have been to carry the bait hive (I saw how easily you hooked it off the tree) to the hive and holding it above give it a sharp tap and the whole lot of bees would have dropped in.....but well done

That would have been a very good idea, easier & quicker. Think I was a bit blinded by panic!

 

[RichardK]

Marvellous - thumbs up from me. From about 5.42 things seem to be on fire. Can’t wait for the next one.

Ah...the next one was easier. They just walked right in. Coming soon...

 

[enrico]

Just wondered why you use short foundation. It looks like super foundation in a deep box! Am I missing something?

 

[RichardK]

Just wondered why you use short foundation. It looks like super foundation in a deep box! Am I missing something?

It was a supply thing. The shop didn't have any for my frames (Dadant), only Langstroth. A full Langstroth sheet fills around 75% of the Dadant frame.

 

[Boston Bees]

It was a supply thing. The shop didn't have any for my frames (Dadant), only Langstroth. A full Langstroth sheet fills around 75% of the Dadant frame.

I did this deliberately once (super foundation in brood frame in my case). Getting some natural comb built towards the bottom of the frame can be a good thing - a more natural amount of drone comb etc. Just make sure the foundation is sitting completely straight and not "wavy" in any way (which it might be as it isn't attached to bottom bars), otherwise you get chaos, as I found to my cost.

 

[RichardK]

I did this deliberately once (super foundation in brood frame in my case). Getting some natural comb built towards the bottom of the frame can be a good thing - a more natural amount of drone comb etc. Just make sure the foundation is sitting completely straight and not "wavy" in any way (which it might be as it isn't attached to bottom bars), otherwise you get chaos, as I found to my cost.

Umm....I do have some wavy. I assumed it was either heat or that I didn't do a good enough job of embedding the wires into the foundation. A week ago I cut a section out as it was too wavy & the bees hadn't started drawing out on it yet.

What was the chaos you're referring to?

 

[Boston Bees]

Umm....I do have some wavy. I assumed it was either heat or that I didn't do a good enough job of embedding the wires into the foundation. A week ago I cut a section out as it was too wavy & the bees hadn't started drawing out on it yet.

What was the chaos you're referring to?

A wave on one piece of foundation will cause them to build wavy comb, which will then be echoed on the next frames along, and so on all through the box, with the waves potentially getting more pronounced as they go. This can make it impossible to lift frames up out of the box without mashing bees, and also means you can't change the order of the frames in the box, or move frames to a new box, as they won't fit.

 

[Michael ECB's]

Awesome, had to laugh with the running... An awesome hobby that gets your adrenalin pumping. (Cheaper than motor sport)
I still find myself on occasion trying to get my head as far away as possible when opening up boxes....
Force of habit after being tagged in the face so many times....

Also, great for you to have this on record as your suit will never be as white as it is here...

 

[Brewer24]

OK....so I'm putting myself out there...be kind people!

Here's a video of the 1st swarm caught on 17th May. Now bear in mind I'd never been any where near a bee hive / bee swarm before but on that day I moved a swarm which didn't want to enter the bait hive into a proper hive using a bucket and a brush..... and a lot of running away!

If you just want to see me running, jump to the second half...

First swarm 17/05/21

Edit....can't work out how to embed a YouTube video, so just a link I'm afraid.

What was the smoke coming out from behind the hive?
You’ll be fine this summer with a good size colony. Be prepared for winter and next spring. Thats when the real fun starts!

 

[RichardK]

A wave on one piece of foundation will cause them to build wavy comb, which will then be echoed on the next frames along, and so on all through the box, with the waves potentially getting more pronounced as they go. This can make it impossible to lift frames up out of the box without mashing bees, and also means you can't change the order of the frames in the box, or move frames to a new box, as they won't fit.

OK...thanks for that. I'll take a close look at the weekend and see what's happening. The hive still has 5 frames untouched, so at least if any of those are showing waves I can take action before the bees work on them. And with new bees starting from this week that could be soon.

 

[RichardK]

What was the smoke coming out from behind the hive?
You’ll be fine this summer with a good size colony. Be prepared for winter and next spring. Thats when the real fun starts!

It was a smoker ... just incase! I never used it however at times some smoke drifted across.
This week the first new bees have been breaking out of their cells so I'm guessing over the next 4 to 5 weeks I'll see massive growth in the hive. If I'm lucky, I may be able to add a super early July.
Winter and Spring are at the back of my mind....varoa treatment, insulation for winter (?), and possible splits I guess in Spring.

 

[enrico]

Their are two main reasons for wavy wax. One is it is slightly too wide for the frame so cut a sliver off the side so that it is loose fitting but not so loose that it can come out of the sides. Or......you put the wax in when it is cold and as it heats up it expands.
Just a couple of tips!!!!

 

[spiderplantman]

Thanks for the great video Richard! Glad you got them in safely.

One thing, I saw you returning back to the box to collect bees that had returned, no doubt because the Queen's pheromones were still on the bait hive surface where the swarm had congregated. A really good tip that was I given once was to use either a deodorant spray or a squirty bottle filled with something like Jeyes fluid to spray the area where the bees were once you've brushed them away. This masks the Q's pheromone and helps stop bees returning to that spot thinking the Q's still there (and saves you trekking backwards and forwards). We now have a squirty bottle permanently in our swarm kit just for this.

Not sure roll-on will work as well.

 

[oliver90owner]

Next time just remember you only need the queen in the box - the rest of the bees will follow. One shake - to get them in the box, carefully add the extra frames, place the crown board on and job done.

Was this a swarm which simply happened to cluster on your bait hive? Looks like it may have been. If it was a swarm into the bait hive from a previously clustered swarm, they would soon have been populating the bait hive.

I collected a swarm recently, clustered on a shrub branch. Shook once and replaced removed frames and box top and left them to get on with it. I did return to get the ‘stragglers’ (that went back to the bush) airborne. That sorted it. Left until evening and closed up for removal to new home. You will know if you got the queen - if not the bees in the box would have simply vacated and clustered around the queen.