Swarms not as plentiful this year

[Nannysbees]

They look like dead bees to me ?... very odd - I wonder if someone has given them a dose of wasp spray ...? It's not cold or wet and there's still forage about I would not expect to see that quantity of dead bees on the ground from a swarm ...

I thought something doesn't add up. The woman had been away for a few days so weather the neighbour had sprayed something I don't know, she said there was a large ball of bees that morning and by 4 when we went around that's what we found

 

[JamezF]

All dead, weird isn't it!!!

That is very strange. The only other idea that springs to mind at the moment is overheating, but I'm well into the realms of guesswork there.

James

 

[pargyle]

That is very strange. The only other idea that springs to mind at the moment is overheating, but I'm well into the realms of guesswork there.

James

No can't be overheating - even in a cluster on a piece of comb like that they would still be fanning to maintain the temperature, bees are not silly, they will adjust to most conditions unless they are confined. I smell a rat here ....if they were a cluster in a ball and by the afternoon the majority are dead ... something amiss.

 

[Antipodes]

That is very strange. The only other idea that springs to mind at the moment is overheating, but I'm well into the realms of guesswork there.

James

I've seen vaguely similar situation twice before. Firstly I ascertained (after questioning) that the bees had been squirted with water from a hose prior to my arrival.
In that instance, many bees were dead on the ground but there were many more still in the swarm. It was huge. I found a queen on her last legs amongst the bees on the ground.
In the other case, there was a small cluster of bees high up in a shrub (a couple of hundred) and many more dead on the ground underneath. Again, a queen on the ground, but this one dead. In that case I found out that another beekeeper had been the previous afternoon to collect the swarm. In that case I assumed the remaining bees had chilled overnight....but not sure.

 

[Xander]

I've just had another swarm take up residence in a half empty of frames hive. When should I add more frames with starter strips/ foundation to the hive?

 

[JamezF]

Get them in straight away, or you'll find them building comb off the crownboard.

James

 

[Xander]

Get them in straight away, or you'll find them building comb off the crownboard.

James

Thank you James, will do it now.

 

[Ian123]

I imagine the swarms are coming from all the places they usually come from. Surely the question is why there appear to have been so many, so early in the season?



Not sure I follow that at all. The older bees will be out foraging, surely, leaving the younger bees to deal with drawing comb?

James

I don’t think swarms are early this year in fact the first reports appeared later than normal. The initial poor spring held them back, now weve had prolonged good weather and decent flow. Given the weather and in my area the main flow period starting I’d think many early swarms will swarm again if no room is available.

 

[The Poot]

I do hope you’re wrong……

 

[Ian123]

I do hope you’re wrong……

I doubt it but I was mainly referring to feral colonies that don’t have beeks to add additional room.

 

[JamezF]

I don’t think swarms are early this year in fact the first reports appeared later than normal. The initial poor spring held them back, now weve had prolonged good weather and decent flow. Given the weather and in my area the main flow period starting I’d think many early swarms will swarm again if no room is available.

They definitely kicked off early around here, but I'm quite prepared to believe that could be down to local conditions.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

I've just had another swarm take up residence in a half empty of frames hive. When should I add more frames with starter strips/ foundation to the hive?

There not mine are they?
I have one in a poplar tree one in an oak and most in bait hives .

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I don’t think swarms are early this year

far from it, last year, first swarm call in our area was last Saturday in March, then the majority were in april/May

 

[Xander]

There not mine are they?
I have one in a poplar tree one in an oak and most in bait hives .

I've no idea where they're coming from. Seems the last 4 came from the west of Bishop's Castle that I've seen. I also caught one up near Bury Ditches last week. I sat in a chair 10' from the hive when they arrived, it was amazing having so many loud buzzing bees all around yet feeling safe as there was no aggression.

 

[JamezF]

As I mentioned elsewhere, I've bodged up one very last bait hive in my garden made from an aging pine hive, one of the first two I ever owned, that was actually destined to be kindling. It's not there because I want to catch more swarms. It's there because I don't want one ending up in my roof or a chimney. That was earlier this week. Late this afternoon there were bees sniffing around it...

James

 

[madasafish]

I use any spare kit as makeshift bait hives..
Cant stop the swarms coming. More to date than the entire last year.

 

[JamezF]

I use any spare kit as makeshift bait hives..
Cant stop the swarms coming. More to date than the entire last year.

Oh, I ran out of spare kit ages ago. Desperately hanging on for a sale now

James

 

[Ian123]

Oh, I ran out of spare kit ages ago. Desperately hanging on for a sale now

James

Unfortunately there’s no sales that will get the kit to you before you need it. By the time those summer sales arrive and you then get the delayed delivery it’s all but over for the summer.
Maismores are selling seconds on eBay all year, there’s a mark up from normal sale prices but it’s still reasonable. View it as a penalty charge for not thinking ahead…….my additional wax and frames arrived this week!

 

[JamezF]

View it as a penalty charge for not thinking ahead

Honestly, I really did think ahead

Before the start of the season I had three nice tidy piles, one of boxes ready to go, ones that still needed repairs and a small number of boxes that were really beyond realistic use. I couldn't believe how many there were. Way more than enough to cover my plans for increase even in the "ready to go" stack, so I felt I had time to get the rest of the repairs done through the season and wasn't actually likely to use those ones anyhow. Just in case though, because something always comes up, I bought a few more boxes and roofs in the sales. Then all of a sudden the good ones went, I got the repairs to all the others done and they went, and now I'm down to what I can bodge up a repair on sufficient to last a while.

On the positive side, if stuff will last a while for a bait hive this year, it can last a while for a bait hive next year too And my woodworking skills have improved.

James