First swarm call of the year.

[JamezF]

Keep a mist sprayer in your kit

I keep meaning to do that for times when using a smoker isn't necessarily desirable. At some point I'll remember

In today's cases I don't think it would have helped though. In the first because I wouldn't have been able to reach and in the second they seemed quite happy in the box I'd caught them in and were happily fanning so I left them for two or three hours so all the ones left on the post would move into the box. When I went to check the box before putting them in a hive it was empty.

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

I was on my way to one of my teaching apiaries today when I got a WhatsApp from another member to say there was a swarm in the brambles in the apiary. I arrived, took a bucket into the brambles, knocked them in then poured them into a brood box with a Qx below.
An hour later they seemed settled, hopefully!

 

[fian]

The best thing to avoid leaks is to carry between the frames a comb with open breeding "donated without bees" from another strong hive that you already have.

 

[Fellstoflats]

And then there was another... This time on a fencepost. Not a large swarm, but I smoked at least half of them up into a cardboard box and set it down on a sheet nearby with a lump of wood propping up one side.

They flew away

The small swarm I took yesterday has also absconded from the nuc that I put them in. Not my lucky day today.

In the last three days I've had:

One swarm in the bait hive, two caught and hived (one absconded), two flew off before or during capture and one declined as impractical to take.

There's also a fair bit of un-scout-like behaviour around the new bait hive. I'm wondering if that's a colony that's moved in when I wasn't looking, or a few bees from the initial bait hive swarm that didn't notice things had changed and have come back to what they think is their new home. They're quite persistent if they're the latter though. It's been two days since I moved them.

James

No such activity round me (South Oxfordshire) This weather is driving me potty!

 

[Sam G]

Another 2 to collect yesterday, though one was the original swarm from the farmer's field who'd absconded from their nuc.... managed to recollect those, then about 20 minutes later a swarm suddenly arrived at a bait box we'd put on the outhouse roof!

 

[madasafish]

No swarms yet but my three bait hives - in garden - have visitors daily. (Collected three swarms last year - one for each!)

 

[Ian123]

Just an FYI to say I’ve messaged Stephen to sort out collection of his queen. Fortunately he works rather close by so I’ve saved on postage

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Keep a mist sprayer in your kit….. the first thing you do finding a swarm is give it a good spray!! Tends to prevent the taking off in mid collection but, I’ve had it happen myself.

it also cools the bees down - Seeley found that the cluster temperature increases dramatically just before a swarm takes off to their next location.

 

[rossbyjove]

it also cools the bees down - Seeley found that the cluster temperature increases dramatically just before a swarm takes off to their next location.

You are not kidding, got sent to a swarm but it was too high up for inexperienced me (15 foot up a yew tree)
The heat coming from the cluster was incredible !