Swarm calls

[sipa]

No signs with us, a few empty play cups here and there but that's it...... nice, saves us a lot of work.

 

[steve1958]

No call outs for swarms here as yet.

 

[Sammo]

Got our first in a bait hive today in se London. Very happy as we had lost all ours over winter.

 

[Bakerbee]

Thanks wessexmario. Great explanation. I shall pop my new bb on the bottom tomorrow.

 

[Helen]

I did expect swarm calls last weekend down here in deepest Suffolk, but I haven't had any yet.

 

[Levitt53]

Why is it confusing, I've done it that way for years, bees move honey up, brood down. I normally do it in March, it can be manipulated later on.

I put a brood box on top last year in an effort to get bees off old comb. They just filled it with honey. Damn thing was so heavy I couldn’t inspect them but it was July time so I just left them to it. Still struggled to lift it this spring and had to replace four frames with foundation to make it manageable. I won’t make that mistake again.

 

[Anduril]

I put a brood box on top last year in an effort to get bees off old comb. They just filled it with honey. Damn thing was so heavy I couldn’t inspect them but it was July time so I just left them to it. Still struggled to lift it this spring and had to replace four frames with foundation to make it manageable. I won’t make that mistake again.

Make life easier for yourself and use one or two nuc boxes to place the brood frames in, when the top brood box is light enough, lift it off. This will enable you to rearrange the frames moving old comb to the outside and then put back together. The other advantage is you have nuc boxes for collecting swarms.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I've had bees going mad around my bait hive in my garden for the last three days so was expecting a swarm any time.
I got a call for a swarm in a hedge about 100yrds from my garden. I collected it at about 6pm this evening and am looking forward to see if they were the prospective occupiers or there is another swarm on the horizon!

 

[Newbeeneil]

No interest in the bait hive today so I assume the interest was from the swarm I caught.

 

[Sammo]

Another success with our bait hive. This time at the back of our house in ne kent. Bees been scouting for the past 3 days but finally arrived this afternoon. Son managed to video tail-end from inside the house. Always a treat to see.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Together with the swarm I picked up in the apiary last night - six swarms reported in the area - that I know of.

 

[Eyeman]

3rd swarm this year but first decent size one. Nice and easy collection at eye level on a tree

 

[Brian Bush]

I am swarm officer for our local association. We have a dedicated phone line for all calls across our area. So far we have had 4 calls for swarms, all last weekend, and about 10 calls for advice on bumbles and mason bees.