I had made plans today, to catch up with some digging and weeding at the allotment I thought, I was going to have a bee day off, as I've been extracting, moving heavy supers all weekend, and waiting for bees to leave supers (not a chance!).
Over the weekend, there has been huge bee activity, around my bait hives in the garden, nucs, my garage....bees everywhere, and I've been extracting inside!
and late this afternoon, I was at the apiary, removing clearer boards, I got a phone call from a neighbour, telling me my bees were swarming, I was rather amazed, because I asked them, how do you know, I'm in my apiary, and they are not swarming...and my apiary is a secret location - how do you know, they are swarming? (I actually went and look at each colony, while I was on the phone!)
He replied, no the ones in the garden, I said I don't have any bees in the garden ? I said there are only bait hives, and he said, well there a bloody big swarm in your tree, above the bait hive......
Oh!, well they are not my bees yet! I'll be there....in 5mins!
text book collection, the large swarm was hanging off a plum tree, right over the bait hive, I removed the roof, crown board, removed frames, shook off the swarm, which fell with a thud into the box. I spotted a green marked queen.
cover board on, roof on.
Same place, and 1 day later, than the last two years! (other than the last two actually went in the bait hive!), whether they would have gone in, without my interference, I'll never know.
SWMBO wants me to cut down the plum tree, as it's not produced any fruit or flowers, for years, since the old victoria plum tree fell down, and these are suckers, if that's the term, but I keep telling her, it's my lucky swarm tree!!! - I'll get round to it! e.g. no!
So, no bee day off...
how many have you had?
