Swarm alert

[VEG]

I did an artificial swarm on a hive at home last week. Put the queen on the frame she was on into new broodbox full of foundation no queencells at all on the frame. Got home from shopping this morning bees swarming everywhere. They landed on a privet hedge not the best of places but managed to get them into a nuc box, which is still down bottom of my garden, as I am waiting for them to stop flying before I move them to my other site.
I have checked the hive that the swarm came from there are three uncapped queen cells so looks like they really wanted to swarm.
I have never seen a swarm leave a hive but it was a fantastic sight (my other half was nearly hysterical) just glad I caught them.

 

[Onge]

Mine did that and left before they were capped.

Didn't manage to get them as they flew straight off.

 

[VEG]

The bees really should learn to follow the books lol

 

[steve1958]

Mine swarmed today too.
Same situation as yours VEG
Artificial swarm done a couple of weeks ago,
but today they decided to do a real life swarm.

Its my first sight of a swarm also.
Fortunately my wife and my neighbours were as fascinated as I was.

 

[Poly Hive]

Might I politely point you at my tag line....

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Mine swarmed today too.
Same situation as yours VEG
Artificial swarm done a couple of weeks ago,
but today they decided to do a real life swarm.

.

AHHHH what a day


i have the same, 16days ago shook swarm on two hives, one has lost 75% when i checked at 2.00, the other 50% as i was checking the first...didnt catch either swarm

our OSR BKA apiary had 6 swarms from 9 hives ( five recovered)

it all started 10.00 when i went to water my allotemnet...my bait hive was crawling with a large prime swarm of carnies...dashed home to get beesuit and QX, only to see them off heading NE when i got back to bait hive ...lost them, queen must have been in the bait box but thought a standard brood too small...eggs in comb and about 30 dead bees..left inside.

walked up to see the beekeper who has bees on the allotment, to console him at his loss, no not his bees but he had just found a caste of light brown bees neer hive hive, but again not his bees

 

[mbc]

Are bees aware of colony density around them in the environment ? I think they probably are and this explains why after three poor seasons and numerous losses for whatever reasons and all the ferals gone from varroa they can be so hellbent on filling a perceived vacuum in the environment, whatever measures beekeepers attempt to stop them going.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Looks like we've reached the official 'kick off' time across most of the country then.....about time too.

 

[Rosti]

You could be right WPC, have housed one swarm and seen two others in my local village in two days. Having lived here for 10 years I cannot ever remember having seen a swarm on the wing before (may be there's been an increase in local beeks?). But you're right, seems to have kicked off.

On Sat I inspected a swarm I hived on Friday, added a feeder and removed the bait comb. I was amazed, nectar literally poured out of the comb as I moved it pooling on the sold floor (that gets changed to a mesh when I give them some oxalic today). There's no question that there a good flow on now.