Swarm etiquette

[rockdoc]

Got a call for a swarm, turned out to be a prime. However, when I went back this evening to pick them up the lady of the house mentioned she knew that someone had a couple of hives on the other side of her fence. Now it turns out I know the beek whose hives these are very well, and it hadn't occurred to me that this swarm could be from his hives until the owner mentioned it. The beek is a way for a week or two, any suggestions on how to break the news (it was a very big swarm and has been passed on to a young beekeeper). Oh, and I didn't hear any banging pots/pans!

 

[richardbees]

"finders keepers"

 

[Heather]

Absolutely. And he is away... bees dont wait.
And how can you be absolutely sure they came from his. Sometimes bees are attracted to swarm near to an apiary from a distance...
Enjoy your prime swarm

 

[BeeJayBee]

Their loss really, sorry. If you hadn't collected the swarm the bees would have either gone elsewhere into a chimney, a wall or a tree, or somebody else would have collected it - and you'd have been none the wiser.

All they had to do was to tell you they were going away and, as a minimum, make sure there was some spare kit ready in case there was a swarm. At best they'd have asked you to bee-sit their hives whilst they were away.

 

[jimmybee]

Yes finders keepers,
and good luck to the new beek I say!

 

[Ben90]

It's the risk you take when you leave them without having a sitter.

 

[MartinL]

When he gets back, ask him if he wants to mentor the new beek?

 

[fatshark]

Thank him/her for the magnanimous contribution to getting a beginner a new start ...

 

[rockdoc]

I will convey all your best wishes when he gets back. In answer to "are you sure they are his", well no you can never be 100% sure. However, all the bees I keep in this area and others I know of are mongrels. He buys his queens in (New Zealand) and we saw the prime queen, a beautiful toffee colour as are the drones. So I am simply going to assume they were his, tell him when he gets back and I'm sure he will be happy they were collected and went to a good home.
By the way, I picked up a swarm to my bait hive by the side of house today. Although we have had 4 in 3 years, this is the first one I've actually seen arrive! Great fun.

 

[Dishmop]

He might not notice anyway..

They belonged to the person who's garden they settled in.

 

[oliver90owner]

You warn him of imminent casts and explain what happened. Presumably you knew the person but not where he lived? So no problem - you only found out it was his after the event.

I was once called out to a swarm in a supermarket car park. Call via plod as they were frightening the public. Ha ha. Close to twenty miles! It was only when I needed to balance on a shopping trolley to reach them that I saw hives the other side of the fence. Collected and removed from site.

 

[Apple]

My sister a far better beekeeper than I could ever hope to be, and well known in her area in N Devon, told me this last week.
I thought I would like to share it with you.
A beekeeper telephoned her as she is a swarm coordinator, to ask for her help
He explained that he had bought a box of bees for a couple of hundred quid, and had added a superbee queen costing a weeks salary, placed them in a brand new hive, and they flew away after a couple of days.
He would be able to recognise the bees because the queen had a blue badge on her back.
If anyone she knows catches them he would like them back.
He said he knew all about bees because he had done a course.

I have not had a swarm in my little village ever, in fifteen years!


James

 

[rockdoc]

I think he might Dishmop, it was big. I've just seen the video of us running in the swarm. Its a fantastic sight and, when I've worked out how to upload it to youtube, I'll add the link. Suffice to say my young beekeeper is over the moon with this, its quite made his weekend, and mine for that matter.

 

[MuswellMetro]

You warn him of imminent casts and explain what happened. Presumably you knew the person but not where he lived? So no problem - you only found out it was his after the event.

I was once called out to a swarm in a supermarket car park. Call via plod as they were frightening the public. Ha ha. Close to twenty miles! It was only when I needed to balance on a shopping trolley to reach them that I saw hives the other side of the fence. Collected and removed from site.

Our Disease officer was checking the caught swarms (at 3 weeks) in our isolation apiary and realised a large prime swarm caught a mile from her apiary had her expensive marked queen heading it but finders keepers applied

 

[Dishmop]

Our Disease officer was checking the caught swarms (at 3 weeks) in our isolation apiary and realised a large prime swarm caught a mile from her apiary had her expensive marked queen heading it but finders keepers applied

Did you offer to sell them to her?

 

[rockdoc]

Ok, lets hope this works. I've attached a picture of the 'walk in'. my young beekeeper was well impressed with this and has tweeted a long video of the whole thing. Not being a techno, I've no idea how to do that but I'll try to get something on youtube as it was the best walk in I've seen.