Attracting a swarm

[Jake]

Hi guys I'm new to beekeeping done taster course and have a 5 week theory and 5 week practical courses coming up.
We are keeping our hive at work on a golf course, the hive is all built minus wax in frames.
So we were thinking if we dont have enough money in the budget for bees then we could attract a swarm with swarm wipes.
Would this be a really bad idea for beginners as they could be nasty
Thanks

 

[PaulCarroll]

My advice is that you join a local beekeeping association, where you will get advice and also make links with swarm collection which could provide your first colony with the support required to get the best out of your new hobby.


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[For want of a better word]

A swarm of bees moving into an old WBC hive rescued from a bonfire got a friend back into keeping bees after an absence of 20 years!

The folk law surrounding bees, swarming and swarm sites is fascinating, bees seem to attract more bees, so for now dig deep and buy a colony or nuc from someone who rears them locally.
And build another hive, as a bait hive!!

Good luck

 

[Jake]

This is could be a silly question I was wondering if we did attract a swarm and not the nicest bees good we the. Remove queen and a frame and add to like a nuc or something and then the hive produce new queen?

I know someone that keeps bees aswell on our golf course would it be better to get a frame of eegs etc off him

 

[Repwoc]

This is could be a silly question I was wondering if we did attract a swarm and not the nicest bees good we the. Remove queen and a frame and add to like a nuc or something and then the hive produce new queen?

I know someone that keeps bees aswell on our golf course would it be better to get a frame of eegs etc off him

It's probably a bit soon to be making plans like that. Get your bees first, see what they're like and then worry about re-queening if you need to.

 

[Jake]

Yeah I know just was thinking if it's something that could be done, was just trying to work stuff out if we really can't afford to get a nuc of bees

 

[Millet]

Do sense something..where is Jenky when we need him..lol ..

 

[pargyle]

Yeah I know just was thinking if it's something that could be done, was just trying to work stuff out if we really can't afford to get a nuc of bees

If you do your courses you will find that the re-queening of colonies and attracting swarms will be something that is covered in the syllabus. I would not worry about the nature the bees you get from a swarm .. I've captured quite a few over the years and never really got a very bad one. If you do get a swarm that are a bit tetchy then £35 will buy you a queen with good temperament and other good attributes .. safer than hoping that they will rear a better one themselves ..

Walk before you start running ...get the basics under your belt and read everything you can whilst you have the time. Once you get your bees .. well, it's planning on the hoof then ...

 

[Madge]

Yeah I know just was thinking if it's something that could be done, was just trying to work stuff out if we really can't afford to get a nuc of bees

The expense is ongoing. Acquiring bees is only a small part of the expense of keeping bees, and caring for them.

 

[pargyle]

The expense is ongoing. Acquiring bees is only a small part of the expense of keeping bees, and caring for them.

Totally agree ... in the first few years you will be laying out several hundred pounds in equipment and other necessary stuff .. if you are lucky and you do things right you may get some honey to sell... but there's an expense attached to extracting and jarring the honey. In a good year, with a few hives, you might make enough to cover your costs and a bit of surplus to reinvest ... in a bad year ... you will be lucky to break even.

If you take into account the time you will be spending looking after the bees ... best get a paper round ... you will make more per hour !

Look on it as an enjoyable hobby, share our fascination with these industrious little creatures, marvel at what they do, sit and listen to the hum of the hive on a summer evening and the wafting scent of ripening honey ... and the incredible taste of your own first honey when you stick your finger into a frame of capped honeycomb ~ and you may consider that it's worth the effort and the expense.

Beware though ..if it hooks you in beekeeping is highly addictive .. you will lose all your friends as you bore them to death with stories about your bees - your domestic harmony will be stretched to the limit by the piles of equipment and other paraphanalia you need to store and best keep your bank account a secret as well ... and you can look forward to winters worrying about whether your little darlings are surviving .... and summers worrying what they are going to do next to frustrate your efforts to become a beekeeper !

 

[Dariusz]

oooo yes first couple year's its only spending,spending,spending,spending

 

[For want of a better word]

If you take into account the time you will be spending looking after the bees ... best get a paper round ... you will make more per hour !

!

 

[Karsal]

My advice is that you join a local beekeeping association, where you will get advice and also make links with swarm collection which could provide your first colony with the support required to get the best out of your new hobby.


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[Amari]

This is could be a silly question I was wondering if we did attract a swarm and not the nicest bees good we the. Remove queen and a frame and add to like a nuc or something and then the hive produce new queen?

I know someone that keeps bees aswell on our golf course would it be better to get a frame of eegs etc off him

This emphasises what most of us advise: as soon as possible get a second hive. Then the two complement each other eg donating a frame of brood from a strong colony to a weaker one. It increases the fun to compare progress, temperament, honey yield etc. If something goes wrong with a single hive you've lost your hobby until you can restock.

 

[Jake]

Yeah I know its not a cheap hobby that's why I'm doing it through work haha, we was hoping to do 2 hives but boss could only afford to do one for now then another this Yr that's why I was thinking poss a poly nuc ready for 2nd hive also back up if we have any issues with main hive. I will be talking to the other beekeeper but all his hives at my work are swarms he has collected from people's gardens etc and are nasty

 

[pargyle]

Yeah I know its not a cheap hobby that's why I'm doing it through work haha, we was hoping to do 2 hives but boss could only afford to do one for now then another this Yr that's why I was thinking poss a poly nuc ready for 2nd hive also back up if we have any issues with main hive. I will be talking to the other beekeeper but all his hives at my work are swarms he has collected from people's gardens etc and are nasty

There's no real excuse for keeping 'nasty' bees. They are a menace to anyone who gets near them, they are unpleasant to handle and can be very off putting if you are a new beekeeper.

No real beekeeper would tolerate keeping them for any longer than it took to find and install a new queen with better genes.

 

[SDM]

:

There's no real excuse for keeping 'nasty' bees. They are a menace to anyone who gets near them, they are unpleasant to handle and can be very off putting if you are a new beekeeper.

No real beekeeper would tolerate keeping them for any longer than it took to find and install a new queen with better genes.

 

[Erichalfbee]

:

Agree too/two
We had really vile bees once. I videoed Stan trying to deal with them. The whole colony was up in the air ( even out of the supers!) as soon as the top came off. Didn’t want those genes amongst the others.

 

[Jake]

So what did you guys do to deal with those nasty bees? New queen

 

[Millet]

So what did you guys do to deal with those nasty bees? New queen

Splat the angry Queen ,and make new hives/Nucs with nice bought in Queens..