Ailsaboat
New Bee
- Joined
- May 20, 2012
- Messages
- 40
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Sheffield
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 2
After being pretty smug that the swarm I collected from the neighbors garden last week wasn't one of mine, I got a bit of a shock today - must be payback!!
Got home today and decided to cut my neglected grass, on the second time around I noticed a swarm on a low branch - quite large and very docile. Stopped the mower, got a poly nuc, shook it in and got back to work.
Mowing back down the other side I noticed another swarm on the grass, I must have mowed over it last time round. (grass was VERY long!!)
Stopped to investigate, couldn't quite work out why they were on the ground, looked up at the tree above and saw quite a few dead bees hanging from a branch and the surrounding leaves.
I can only presume they were a small cast and not enough of them to generate enough heat to survive(was very cold here last night, cloudy today)
What was on the ground was pretty mushed up (mower!!) but to my surprise, the queen popped out of the middle looking fine!!
Got another Nuc, gathered up all I could – def got the queen and a cup full-ish of live bees, popped them in. Almost immediately one or two started fanning, which I took to be a good sign. Closed it up and left it on the floor next to where they fell, now hoping for the best.
The first swarm got active as soon as they were in the nuc, so I think, as long as they stay, I'll be ok.
The second, I'm not sure if there are enough bees to survive?? They must have been pretty poor(chilled?) not to react to a mower passing over them.
Anyway, fingers crossed!!
Got home today and decided to cut my neglected grass, on the second time around I noticed a swarm on a low branch - quite large and very docile. Stopped the mower, got a poly nuc, shook it in and got back to work.
Mowing back down the other side I noticed another swarm on the grass, I must have mowed over it last time round. (grass was VERY long!!)
Stopped to investigate, couldn't quite work out why they were on the ground, looked up at the tree above and saw quite a few dead bees hanging from a branch and the surrounding leaves.
I can only presume they were a small cast and not enough of them to generate enough heat to survive(was very cold here last night, cloudy today)
What was on the ground was pretty mushed up (mower!!) but to my surprise, the queen popped out of the middle looking fine!!
Got another Nuc, gathered up all I could – def got the queen and a cup full-ish of live bees, popped them in. Almost immediately one or two started fanning, which I took to be a good sign. Closed it up and left it on the floor next to where they fell, now hoping for the best.
The first swarm got active as soon as they were in the nuc, so I think, as long as they stay, I'll be ok.
The second, I'm not sure if there are enough bees to survive?? They must have been pretty poor(chilled?) not to react to a mower passing over them.
Anyway, fingers crossed!!
