swarm etiquette

[Mrs Shoot]

Are there Official Swarm collectors?

Can any beekeeper collect swarms?

Just trying to resolve a debate.

Thank you.

 

[snelgrove]

Are there Official Swarm collectors?

Can any beekeeper collect swarms?

Just trying to resolve a debate.

Thank you.

Yes any beekeeper can collect a swarm in fact doesn't have to be a beekeeper. Bees belong to a beekeeper as long as he can see them so I believe after that they are wild. no doubt I will be shot down ha

 

[B+.]

Can any beekeeper collect swarms?

Of course: Any competent beekeeper can collect a swarm. I would recommend beginners take along an experienced beekeeper though.

 

[dexter's shed]

I've always been lead to believe that if the beekeeping can keep his eye's on them, they are his, if not the anybodies, I recently had a call to collect a swarm, was just loading up the car when the lady phoned back saying she had a man on the doorstep claiming they were his, I told her to let him take them, no point arguing over swarms

 

[For want of a better word]

The BBKA operates a Swarm collectors list with appointed swarm collectors for each group, overseen by a swarm co ordinator

As with everything else in beekeeping there is nothing " Official", but nobody likes to see a botched job carried out by someone who has all the gear but no idea... as we say in the scuba diving world!

Yeghes da

 

[For want of a better word]

I've always been lead to believe that if the beekeeping can keep his eye's on them, they are his, if not the anybodies, I recently had a call to collect a swarm, was just loading up the car when the lady phoned back saying she had a man on the doorstep claiming they were his, I told her to let him take them, no point arguing over swarms

no point in having swarmy bees ... but have a use in making up nucs for bees that have been line bred for the characteristics that are desirable!

Yeghes da

 

[Mrs Shoot]

Thank you for your replies. Have had friends asking me on fb about bees. I have been asked in previous years if i would like to collect swarms by said friends after no show from the swarm collector in our area (don't know them, and don't know the circumstances). I have had a woman telling me "not to collect swarms and to leave it to/ it should only be the OFFICIAL SWARM COLLECTOR for our area who is ALLOWED to collect the bees". Just wanted to get the facts before i reply to her.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Even if you're not on the swarm collection list and a friend, neighbour, or acquaintance asks you to collect a swarm from their garden etc, there's no real reason why you shouldn't as long as you feel competent to do it.

If you are not on the swarm collector's list then you don't have to follow any of the local club's rules, but don't risk your own safety to help a friend by trying to get a swarm from somewhere that's too difficult without some backup from another beekeeper.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Thank you for your replies. Have had friends asking me on fb about bees. I have been asked in previous years if i would like to collect swarms by said friends after no show from the swarm collector in our area (don't know them, and don't know the circumstances). I have had a woman telling me "not to collect swarms and to leave it to/ it should only be the OFFICIAL SWARM COLLECTOR for our area who is ALLOWED to collect the bees". Just wanted to get the facts before i reply to her.

There's an old Anglo Saxon response to such tripe. It starts with B and ends with s. The residents of this kingdom seem to enjoy making life difficult by inventing "rules" that have no basis whatsoever apart from partly overheard conversations in a pub.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There's an old Anglo Saxon response to such tripe. It starts with B and ends with s. The residents of this kingdom seem to enjoy making life difficult by inventing "rules" that have no basis whatsoever apart from partly overheard conversations in a pub.

 

[sean-a]

Bees belong to a beekeeper as long as he can see them so I believe after that they are wild.

Thats interesting. Any basis for this?

 

[Thymallus]

Bees belong to a beekeeper as long as he can see them so I believe after that they are wild. no doubt I will be shot down ha

Yes I'm afraid so. Whoever's land the bees/swarm are is the legal owner of the bees and he/she has to give you permission to remove them. Usually getting permission from owner to collect a swarm is rarely a problem. I've known some demand you come and collect their recently acquired bees!

I think you may be confusing the "ownership by sight" with the creed used by bee burglars, where they take the attitude that if they can see someone else's bees they now belong to him/her (or will do shortly).

 

[Brian Bush]

The BBKA swarm collectors and swarm collection co-ordinators part of their website works fairly well. It is designed to offer a degree of protection to the public and insures its members for collecting swarms. The list of criteria are quite explicit, i.e. no more than 3m high, do not enter a premises to collect from lofts etc.
I am co-ordinator for my Association. The difficulties that arise is that many members work so I have a limited pool of collectors during the day.
Members of the public are a nuisance through lack of education, calls for bumbles and mason bees have been high this year.
Yes anyone can collect swarms, bur for most beeks the insurance comes from the BBKA

 

[B+.]

The difficulties that arise is that many members work so I have a limited pool of collectors during the day.

I have decided that this is the last year I will remove swarms. It seems I am on everyones list to call first. Unfortunately, it is just taking too much of my time.

 

[Sadders]

Finders keepers.

If one of your hives swarms it means your swarm prevention measures were not good enough. It's happened to me and its bad luck.

Most associations have their named swarm collectors but anyone can collect a swarm.

My association has a quarantine apiary. All swarms from unknown sources that have been collected have to be kept there for 2 brood cycles before they can be kept on another association apiary.

 

[B+.]

My association has a quarantine apiary. All swarms from unknown sources that have been collected have to be kept there for 2 brood cycles before they can be kept on another association apiary.

This is a good idea in theory. However, with swarms arriving all summer long and those completing the quarantine departing, there will be an overlap period where an infected colony could contaminate them all. It would be better to over-winter them in quarantine.

 

[Sadders]

This is a good idea in theory. However, with swarms arriving all summer long and those completing the quarantine departing, there will be an overlap period where an infected colony could contaminate them all. It would be better to over-winter them in quarantine.

You're absolutely right. Only takes one diseased colony to infect others that are ready to go out. Still, it's a rule I have to keep to if I want to keep a found swarm on an association site.

 

[B+.]

You're absolutely right. Only takes one diseased colony to infect others that are ready to go out. Still, it's a rule I have to keep to if I want to keep a found swarm on an association site.

I appreciate that space/forage is limited, but, do they place a limit on the number of swarms you can quarantine there?

 

[Sadders]

I appreciate that space/forage is limited, but, do they place a limit on the number of swarms you can quarantine there?

I don't know as I've never caught a swarm but its part of my agreement to keep on an apiary site. I'm sure in a busy year they would have a back up quarantine site.

 

[Mrs Shoot]

Would you be covered by the BBKA insurance if you are a member, but not on the swarm collection list?
I'm lucky that I can work my job around my bees, so going off to collect swarms during working hours is not a problem for myself and my husband. We normally go together . All have been easy to collect, on a fence post or in the grass, we haven't encountered anything over 1.5 meters off the ground. One lady contacted me via fb as one swarm has been sat on a fence post for two days, the swarm collector hadn't been out and the weather had turned. Poor things were clinging on to the fence post in the driving rain. The woman told me again that I was not to go and get them but to leave it to the swarm collector. I wasn't going to leave them there to perish, so went and got them. They were more than happy to get into a dry hive.
I bring any swarms collected to my garden to make sure they are healthy (2 brood cycles),before taking them to where I keep my bees.
None of the swarms I have collected have been from my hives. All to far away.
Thymallus thank you for the information of the legal ownership of the bees, very interesting. Like you said never had problems in getting permission to collect them.