Any swarm success

[Millet]

Are you swarm catchers planning on using any you "catch" as are? Or re-queening?
If I'm unfortunate enough to have to go collect a swarm the first thing I do is make sure I locate it as far away from my apiary as I can (disease quarantine). Then it's an immediate Oxalic acid treat (Apibioxal), followed by re-queen ASAP.
Reason I do the re-queening is generally the queen with a swarm is old, the bees have already demonstrated a trait that I don't like (swarming) and if they are locals from my area they are going to be vicious, nasty and non productive.
All in all I don't like collecting swarms as they involve a lot of work to generate a decent colony...it's work that I don't need at what is always a busy time of the year.
Alas I will be called out several times and my good nature will mean I will head out and collect a few during the season and hoping like hell I can give them away before they cause me any extra work.

I can understand people wanting "free bees", but a little more thought might suggest these are not always the gift horse you think they are.

A good few valid points to consider there for sure, the only reason i have the two bait hives up is to hopefully catch any of mine that i miss before they swarm which happened a couple of years back and i managed to catch my old queen, i hope i do not catch any other folks bees for one of the reasons you mentioned (disease) and i hope you do not catch any of those local mongrels, as you know i have had first hand experience with those evil thing's.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Are you swarm catchers planning on using any you "catch" as are? Or re-queening?
If I'm unfortunate enough to have to go collect a swarm the first thing I do is make sure I locate it as far away from my apiary as I can (disease quarantine). Then it's an immediate Oxalic acid treat (Apibioxal), followed by re-queen ASAP.
Reason I do the re-queening is generally the queen with a swarm is old, the bees have already demonstrated a trait that I don't like (swarming) and if they are locals from my area they are going to be vicious, nasty and non productive.
All in all I don't like collecting swarms as they involve a lot of work to generate a decent colony...it's work that I don't need at what is always a busy time of the year.
Alas I will be called out several times and my good nature will mean I will head out and collect a few during the season and hoping like hell I can give them away before they cause me any extra work.

I can understand people wanting "free bees", but a little more thought might suggest these are not always the gift horse you think they are.

Oh, I don't know....I quite like a pet colony to look after once a year. Stan's pet this year is what remains of our tree bees.....a fifty-bee swarm with the queen installed in a two frame nuc made from our strongest colony two weeks ago
Mine is yet to be caught.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I got a call at 5 and by 6.30 I had a very large, very docile swarm installed at my quarantine apiary. Never been on the swarm list before but I hope are all like this one!

 

[Curley]

I got a call at 5 and by 6.30 I had a very large, very docile swarm installed at my quarantine apiary. Never been on the swarm list before but I hope are all like this one!

Well done and congratulations - a good feeling.
Unfortunately they are very unlikely to be all like that! Most calls I get are for bumble bees - tree bumbles usually. Despite detailed questioning the caller is often convinced they are honey bees(or more likely desperate for someone to do something). Last year at the end of the season I got calls for ivy bees which are very like honey bees. OK if you have the time and like to chat about bees, a pain if you are busy like B/F.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Yes Curley I appreciate I was lucky with this one. I know from the horror stories that being on the swarm list can use up a lot of time!

 

[Beefriendly]

I got a call at 5 and by 6.30 I had a very large, very docile swarm installed at my quarantine apiary. Never been on the swarm list before but I hope are all like this one! ��

Well done on the successful collection.....But nearly ALL swarms are docile when captured...it's how they behave in a few weeks time that will tell you whether they really are docile or not.

 

[Eyeman]

Picked up a small cast that was on the grass.
Spotted the Q whilst I was using a dustpan and brush.
The rest is history


Bottoms up!




Needed a bit of shade


We're going home