Post your 2013 swarm photos

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Picked this lot up from our shared apiary on Monday, it was a big swarm. Think it came from one of the man we share with's hives, but he was out of town so I collected it.

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I'd already knocked them in to it, then turned it over for the flying and returning scout bees to go in... (or have I missed a joke?)
 
Swarm 6

Short video: http://youtu.be/aABEsD0r0lM

I passed up a chance for collecting swarm 6 yesterday referring the caller to another beekeeper who lived closer but today I couldn't say no. (Phil this is your swarm)

Probably a cast swarm but can't be 100% sure.
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Simple to collect as they were chest height in a holly bush. (left side of next picture)
Those of you who have seen the pictures of me collecting swarms over the last few years with probably of gathered by now I like to use dustbins to rest the nuc on as its a good height and gives the bees something to spread out to fan their pheromone and land on to get into the hive.

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Just noticed when putting the video together several of the bees on the outside of the cluster are doing the waggle dance. I wonder if they found a potential site to swarm to and were trying to form a quorum by encouraging others to visit it just as I arrived.

Fingers crossed my nuc is the better option as I'm donating these bees to a fellow beekeeper in my association.
 
Yes Mike looks that way, I bet a bit longer and they were off.
 
I think so to, I hived a swarm 10 days ago in a nuc box of foundation ,within the hour they had absonded into a previously occupied 14x12 brood box 10 metres away , and there they stayed !
Two fingers to you Mister Beekeeper :hairpull:
VM
 
Well following a thoroughly? wet year last year and a very cold long winter, my two hives were sadly neglegted towards the back end of last year, plenty of food in there but I just couldn't find a dry day or two to do the necessary. So they stayed complete with full supers and an insulation under the roof. There wasn't massive amounts of bees in the hive.
I knew that they would struggle and sure enough a very quick inspection on a dry winters day showed the worst. No survivors!
I left the hives and didn't go back until this morning.
As I attended to the greenhouse before work, I heard a very loud hum.



A swarm had moved in and was occupying the oldest hive!
The front was covered with bees and many were still flying.

I havn't even cleaned out the hive since the winter.
Yes I know. I'm guilty!

I didn't have time this morning to deal with them, so this evening I have just put a nuc on top of the hive with some old frames in there.
I'll see what happens tomorrow.
 
Picked up this swarm from under a wheelbarrow yesterday evening after a warm day here.



Rich
 
"Post your 2013 Swarm photos"
I hate to tell you Swarm, but I don't think your avatar counts!
 
So what about mine, Luminos?

Dusty

I think that swarm of yours deserves a place in a pantomime - "Swarm - what swarm ? LOOK BEHIND YOU ! "

Brings back happy memories of seeing the late great Norman Wisdom playing buttons in panto in Leeds (IIRO) in the early 60's.
 
I think that swarm of yours deserves a place in a pantomime - "Swarm - what swarm ? LOOK BEHIND YOU ! "

Brings back happy memories of seeing the late great Norman Wisdom playing buttons in panto in Leeds (IIRO) in the early 60's.

:icon_204-2:
 
one swarm, two beekeepers

Video one john collects swarm and goes back to tree



Video two I put back in skip and take the tree out this is how it should be done!



Swarm going to new beekeeper in Clanfield
:calmdown:
 
Picked up this swarm from under a wheelbarrow yesterday evening after a warm day here.



Rich

Very handy –*portable swarm.

Where was it found? In Barrow?
 
OK, this isn't my swarm, but my sister sent me the pic yesterday. It was on The Avenue in Wanstead E11, so if you got it, well done, as looks a decent size.

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