Interesting Swarm Collection

[Joseph]

I was called to a swarm today at a council estate in Tottenham. The bees were on the floor on a couple of steps near a play area, and there were lots of flying bees. I looked through the cluster for the queen and spotted her. I blew the bees around her and realised she seemed dead which is why I assume they were on the floor with her.
Just in case, I put her in a queen cage and put her in my swarm box.

The swarm was clearly rather disorientated with many bees still in the air rather than in the cluster or in my box.

I left them there and went to one of my hives to fetch some open brood, came back, still chaos, so I put that in the swarm box.

That's when they started behaving like a normal swarm with fanning at the entrance and bees marching into the entrance.

I just brought them home after leaving them there till just before sunset, to avoid stragglers in a play area. All good. I'll have a look in a day or two to see if they raise a queen from the eggs on the frame I've given them, although perhaps the old queen might come back to life in her queen cage in the box.

Unlikely given how confused the swarm behaved, but you never know.

 

[BeeJayBee]

It'll be good to know how they get on. Keep us updated.

 

[YorkshireBees]

I was once called to a swarm in a back garden and arrived in time to witness the next door neighbour throwing stones at it and obviously had turned a hose on them before hand!

A sorry state they were on a low bush / floor. I placed a poly nuc on the ground near them and found the dead queen in a small cluster. Placed her in the nuc and all the bees followed.

 

[Cussword]

I was once called to a swarm in a back garden and arrived in time to witness the next door neighbour throwing stones at it and obviously had turned a hose on them before hand!

Because that gets rid of bees every time.




.

 

[YorkshireBees]

Because that gets rid of bees every time.




.

Yes, rough neighbourhood. The lady who called me was nice enough but had Neanderthals living next door!

I just wish I could have posted the swarm through their letterbox.