Post your 2013 swarm photos

[Goran]

I think the queen mated in a swarm ( as it seems first one fled), cause below swarm I found some drones in specific way.. I don't like swarms, I gave this one.. Colony from which it goes out, will be re-queened..

 

[enrico]

Interesting one today, two distinctly separate clusters about 12 inches apart. The question - is this two swarms?
I shook each cluster into a separate box and placed them on a plank 3ft apart facing each other.
Both boxes had bees at the entrance fanning like mad - 2 swarms? - However after about 20 minutes the occupants of the RH box all marched out and into the LH box - one very large swarm captured

One swarm, leave them and they would have united into one swarm, however now you have split them I would put them both in one hive ASAP
E

 

[itma]

One swarm, leave them and they would have united into one swarm, however now you have split them I would put them both in one hive ASAP
E

Specsavers Enrico!

There was initial doubt that they were a single swarm.
They united themselves, before being put in a proper hive.
He didn't split them!

 

[MuswellMetro]

These 14 nuc boxes hold swarms caught in London in the last four weeks, it has been a busy time, slightly less swarms than last year

We held the swarms at our Isolation Apiary in quarantine and inspection by the SBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJDEjP2EBnY&feature=youtu.be

 

[itma]

These 14 nuc boxes hold swarms caught in London in the last four weeks, it has been a busy time, slightly less swarms than last year

We held the swarms at our Isolation Apiary in quarantine and inspection by the SBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJDEjP2EBnY&feature=youtu.be

Nice idea - my associations want the swarms passed immediately to the beginners (who might be slow to recognise any nastiness).
Are all the nuc boxes association property?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Nice idea - my associations want the swarms passed immediately to the beginners (who might be slow to recognise any nastiness).
Are all the nuc boxes association property?

I would not accept any of those as nuc!!! Let alone association property

We have one central mobile phone for swarms and calls are given to collectors on the basis , use our isolation apiary to stop disease so these Nuc are collected by about four or five of us in our own boxes

The association does have about six boxes but we prefer to keep those in reserve for swarms in association apiaries or like last year...when mayhem strikes

we decided on one swarm phone as in london because ever beekeeper has about 400+ hives within 10km ( 6 miles) and found it works well, as otherwise lots of diiferent swarm collects come up on the BBKA swarm line..so the swarm coordinator knows not to phone those on holiday or working 9 to 5 ,,and the public phoning have not been through 30 abortive calls to find one person on the 31st call

 

[itma]

These 14 nuc boxes hold swarms caught in London in the last four weeks...

Are all the nuc boxes association property?

I would not accept any of those as nuc!!! l

Whatever you say ... !

 

[MuswellMetro]

Whatever you say ... !

sorry ITMA, it has been hot days stuffed in a bee suit

what i meant is they are mostly virgins and still drawing out and only a few have eggs and brood, so not suitable yet for sale

if we prepare beginners Nuc from assocoation stock ,then we requeen from a good source rather than re-use a swarmy queen

did nt come out to well in my post thought did it LOL

 

[abm]

was told by the keeper who collected, these were buckfast...

 

[abm]

 

[melon]

OOps. Swarms today.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ooops indeed.
Might we expect more?
People are piling in the feed already and a week of 20˚ sunny weather is forecast with it dropping to 15 or so after that.....and where there is Balsam and Ivy?

 

[melon]

I hadn't been feeding this colony yet, as I was asking them to empty the honey from the top brood box into the bottom brood box, so that they'd be snug for winter....maybe they still needed the second brood box, but there were very few bees actually in it. During the apiguard treatment, I usually leave them a bit to their own devices, and the weather hadn't been very good, when I took that off last Friday. I had been meaning to make a proper assessment of stores of all colonies, but failed due to the weather. I just hefted in the end, and decided that way who was in most desperate need of feeding. I wasn't expecting swarming!

 

[Tom Bick]

Your colony may be superseding and in the process threw out a small swarm with the old queen.

 

[melon]

I did wonder about that...but I think it must have been a virgin queen, as they came straight out through the queen excluder when I first hived them. I normally put a frame of brood in, but didn't really want to be bothered with that at this time of year. Also, there were two swarms, quite close together, but I put them all in one. I have bunged them up and hoping it is not going to get too hot today, like yesterday. It is certainly cloudier. I will let them out tonight.