What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Mike a]

Helped a fellow association member collect his swarm.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPF2bnUKed0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPF2bnUKed0[/ame]

A good sized swarm once they combined, saved me from having to use a 30ft ladder. Plus an extra treat when I went back later in the evening. However Jim their owner took three stings on his face as he only had a basic veil not a full suit but at least he has another colony all be it with two queens.

 

[Firefly]

Absolutely brilliant video - thanks very much for posting. Loved it

All - I recommend listening with headphones - the effect is surreal! Especially good for "the treat at the end", and when one or two bees are flying around the camera

What a great place this forum is sometimes

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Nice one Mike - so do you think it was two swarms then if there were two queens within

 

[beeatshellards]

great video to watch hope they do well

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wonderful.........all those bums in the air and the two queens piping!!!
What a treat, thanks for posting.

 

[Mike a]

Nice one Mike - so do you think it was two swarms then if there were two queens within

The only time I've heard piping before is when I've received two or more queens in the post, so to actually hear it after collecting a swarm is wonderful and a rare treat.

When I arrived about 11:30 AM Jim lead me to see the swarm on the climbing frame, on route we passed under a massive sycamore tree and there was hundreds of bees circling around one of the branches forming the second cluster which he didn't notice as they were just hanging there quietly. The climbing frame is about 40 feet away from his hives over several bushes and a fence and the cluster in the tree was another 30 or so feet further on.

Heres where I can only speculate.
I was taught the lower the swarm the better the chances of a mated queen, I'm sure some may disagree but if that saying is true then I would guess the swarm on the climbing frame is either a princess or I think the original queen and the other cluster much higher up at about 20 foot or so in the tree is definitely a virgin queen with her cast. The hive was looking pretty full when Jim last inspected it and it hasn't thrown a swarm recently. I can't give a reasonable answer why if it is mother and daughter they swarmed on the same day as this doesn't fit as the weather down here has been pretty good for the last couple of weeks, so two daughters in two casts seems more likely but then why did they combine and where is the original unclipped queen.

The cluster in the tree were just hanging there, the cluster on the climbing frame were fanning like mad when I first saw them which is a good sign the original queen is with them. All I can say for sure is the piping I heard was definitely of two very different pitches and every now and then at the same time before I got the camcorder out but I can still tell the two apart from listening to them in a video.

The other thing is I'm sure I spotted one of the queens, as you can see the markings on the bees is a very nice crisp tiger strip pattern but I saw a longer deep tan or ginger and black striped abdomen briefly when they dropped into the tray as I collected a large lump of the cluster.

I think the original queen and one of her daughters swarmed on the same day. So a prime and cast swarm and they formed the two clusters before combining in to one very good sized swarm on the climbing frame.



Hands up who tilted their head when watching the first part of the video?

 

[Chris Luck]

Watched the Hornets collecting nesting material from a Quince tree in amongst some hives. They really can chew....

Chris

 

[beeatshellards]

I like the term "princess" and my hand is up !

 

[MrB]

Helped a fellow association member collect his swarm.

Thanks for posting the vid, great to watch!

 

[oliver90owner]

Mike,

Are you sure of their origin? I would have thought two casts, if from the same source, so neither with a mated queen?

It looked a bit of a jam, getting them all in a nuc. Seemed like a good example of where a full brood box was needed! Great vid, though.

Regards, RAB

 

[Swarm]

Great video and beautiful photo of the hornets.

 

[Beeline]

Can watch these swarm catching videos for hours. I'm probably
likened to a train spotter by those on the outside

Great one Mike and yeah, hands up you got me thinking the mute was on.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

United some colonies this evening with the help of my father-in-law.
We spent over half an hour trying to find the queen in a very small chalkbroody colony

 

[TOBY-3652]

Did the deed on a old queen that swarmed in may on half a brood box full then tried againe mid july so put qc in hive and put old queen in nuc-- finally tonight united with young queen

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Prepared for a local show on the weekend by bottling up my paltry honey harvest (defending champ!) and melting some wax (1st time)

 

[MuswellMetro]

Over the last week we took more samples of flying bees for Nosema test and eventual we found the Typhoid Mary hive

It was decided that it was so infected with Nosema that it was not worth saving, It was wiped out and all the bees, comb and frames burnt

 

[beeatshellards]

sometimes in life you have to make difficult decisions this sounds like one of them, It was probably the right move ah well next year

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Nasty hive undergoing a bit of a slow character transformation under its two or three month old queen. Still fairly skittish, but not rising from the frame as soon as I open the lid. Even had time to spot HM, and had a go at marking her with plunger (decided much easier than the crown of thorns). Pinched a frame of their brood to give another hive.

2nd prize at local show for the honey - not surprised as I'd only decanted it a couple of days before and it hadn't settled properly. Gave up on the wax, what a load of faffing about, and hellish to clean up afterwards.

Applied 2nd week of Apilife Var, and will give them all some feed this evening

 

[WelshPaul]

Opened up the first time in a week, one queen cell, not sure if old queen is still in there, size of colony is a quarter of what it was two weeks ago when we captured it.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.667071,-3.017271

 

[Lance Hutchings]

Had my new Giordan drill-driven 8 frame extractor delivered today and had a coffee with the new lead singer of Danse Society

Good times !!