Oooop's, a bit late for this.

[Chris Luck]

Called out for this.....

Never known one this late in France.

Chris

 

[For want of a better word]

and that lime still has all its leaves on !

 

[Chris Luck]

That's because it's been raining of and on since the beginning of July with generally low temperatures, worst summer I've ever known here.

A swarm as late as early June would be a rarity in these parts.

Chris

 

[bobster]

Hello,

I've never caught a swarm before. Just a couple of quick questions.

1) From the photo the swarm looks quite small, Is it a cast?
2) How would you get it off the trunk? Most videos I have seen the bees are conveniently on a branch that can be shaken/cut.

Thanks,

Bobster

 

[susbees]

Hello,

I've never caught a swarm before. Just a couple of quick questions.

1) From the photo the swarm looks quite small, Is it a cast?
2) How would you get it off the trunk? Most videos I have seen the bees are conveniently on a branch that can be shaken/cut.

Thanks,

Bobster

Quick bee brush job into a square plant pot or equivalent both sides and skep them on the ground adjacent. Then once you're sure the queen's down spray the trunk with the most revolting two for a pound aftershave you can find.

Rain? Here in mid-Wales most of the grass is brown and has stopped growing. Fodder prices are going to be crazy this year .

 

[Chris Luck]

Arguably it has to be a cast at this time of year, medium small perhaps 10,000 bees? However this has been a very strange year with nearly all swarming coming to a dead stop when the OSR finished, (or thereabouts, end April), followed by a period of a few weeks with no forage in May - not normal. Prolonged spring / early summer drought until July when we were plunged into late autumn and has been all over the place since.

Captured by jamming box between branches above swarm and then smoked them up into it, takes a bit longer but same end result.

Chris

 

[madasafish]

Rain? Here in mid-Wales most of the grass is brown and has stopped growing. Fodder prices are going to be crazy this year .

Everything here is VERY green... Apart from April and July, we've had lots of rain ...I normally rely on hot weather stopping lawns from growing and taking a rest from grass cutting for a month.. No such luck this year, or last or the one before...

Rain is great for balsam: we still have acres of it flowering : bees busy bringing in nectar and pollen...

 

[Chris Luck]

Housed the bees in a 6 frame rushette with some old drawn comb with some stores on the same day as capture and fed yesterday with 2 litres of diluted honey and sugar.

Today, three days following capture, lovely tiny dark bees bringing in pollen between the rain storms with a laying Queen.

Chris

 

[Russel]

Everything here is VERY green... Apart from April and July, we've had lots of rain ...I normally rely on hot weather stopping lawns from growing and taking a rest from grass cutting for a month.. No such luck this year, or last or the one before...

Rain is great for balsam: we still have acres of it flowering : bees busy bringing in nectar and pollen...

Same here piddling down right now!

 

[psafloyd]

Been called about two swarms in the past two days. I'm waiting for details from one, but the other was 4m up a tree, so I said no thanks and recommeded she find someone much closer than I am. Sounds like the latter has comb built in the tree. Shame, but I don't have ladders, or a means of transporting them. Yet.

 

[Black Comb]

One of mine swarmed on 22nd August. (prime)
Thought they were superseding but they conned me.

 

[Chris Luck]

Couple of photos taken today of the bees from last week...nice and dark.

Chris

 

[freethorpe bees]

Lovely looking bees!:

 

[user 6228]

The PU hive is still creating a single queen cell despite the eggs and brood, space and stores always the same frame always the same end (moved it around)... perhaps we have a bolshevik bee, with regicidal tendencies on that frame

 

[Swarm]

Very attractive bees.

 

[Chris Luck]

Needed to hive them as they are going so well, unfortunately they didn't take at all kindly to the intrusion and attacked in large numbers... gloves like a dart board, bees down my wellies and plenty of stings, rock and roll, I hope they chill a bit over winter and it's just a time of year thing.

Chris

 

[Swarm]

Who would expect that from such gorgeous looking bees?!!
Good to hear they are doing so well, I'd be interested in following their progress. Really dark with such a rich glow around them, is that a trick of the light or are they as good as they look here?

 

[tonybloke]

good photos Chris, interesting to see that it's the younger bee carrying pollen (hairy bee) and the older bees collecting propolis (shiny bees)

 

[Chris Luck]

Who would expect that from such gorgeous looking bees?!!

Says it all really, never judge a book by it's cover and they are a really nice looking bee even if there are now more than a few dozen less of them. I have fed them a lot of honey and syrup for the last month and there is still a fair amount of natural nectar around. Pollen piles in at an incredible rate and all things being equal they have a good chance of overwintering.....

......I just hope they learn to behave a bit better or I'll have to pass them on to a beginner.

Chris

 

[Chris Luck]

Swarm overwintered perfectly well in their plastic hive and are looking very strong and vigorous, good breeding stock I hope. Some are now showing "a bit of Italian orange". Photo last half hour. Chris