A swarm in August is worth a .....

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Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
1,562
Reaction score
26
Location
near King's Lynn
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
50+. Double Std National & 14x12
Tut of disgust.........

Just when I thought I had a relative grip on the state of all my colnies I come home from work in a thunderstorm yesterday and didnt do my usual walk down the field past the hives to the pond to feed the fish and ducks. I thought tea first and then when the rain stops they could have theirs.
2 hours of medal winning later I nipped down and in the half light coming back up to the house a dark shape was visible in a 6ft pine tree in my border. What the......:eek:..... a swarm, a decent swarm, on closer inspection a decent wet tightly huddled swarm. I turned to make my way back to the house and garage to collect equipment and......:eek:... another swarm on a Hazel bush, again a decent sized one.
So 15 minutes later both housed in 14x12's, 1 in a brood and one in 6 frame nuc, and grateful for the food and shelter on offer it seemed.
Now where did they come from......... went through my records from last Saturday's inspections....... 6 days ago, no sign in any hive they were ready for the off, so this weeks inspections will enlighten me.
There is another option, a fellow Beek about 3/4 mile from me picked up 5 colonies last week from 50 miles away from a chap giving up. He told me they were full colonies but they were only in broods as the retiring chap was having the honey crop and dropping the supers off this weekend. I did advise him to add his own supers if they were cramped. He rang me Tuesday to say 2 of them swarm had swarmed, 1 he had captured and 1 which went off in the distance, I shouldnt of but I smiled to myself when he said he hadnt got around to giving them more space.........
I wonder.........:rolleyes:

Anyway, may have some more free bees but on 14x12's

Any other swarms about this week ?

Pete D
 
Bottle of red wine is it then. Just so happens im the proud new owner of 14x12 nuc and hive Pete.
 
Ah that reminds me.................
Brian who took the last swarm must of forgot the currency as he hot footed it off in the rain and forgot to leave me one !
I will deduct it from his honey beer allocation that I collected from Chris B earlier this week.
Outlander, I will check to see where the bees have come from before offering them out for wine. If they are mine I will be looking to unite them in, if strays I will be looking to offload them
Pete D
 
Hi Pete,
Were they your 2 hours of medal winning for your Honey?
You have been a busy BEE.
By the way, can I return your nuc box over the weekend?
If so when and what time, if you look carefully there may be an empty red wine bottle inside!
Iain
Walpole.
 
Picked up aprime swarm today.. Housholder thaught they were wasps
 
Hi Iain, yes you can drop it off, I will be in for a bit Sunday morning and again Saturday tea time, other than that it can be left out the back on the patio, by the garage door.
You wont need it till you drop it off
cheers
Pete
empty bottle is a step up from no bottle !
 
OK Pete you drive a hard bargin two bottles it there yours,;)
 

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