Whats happening- swarm 2nd sept

[keith pierce]

I was doing a walk around the apairy today when i can across a swarm hanging down from the apple tree. I knocked them down into a basket and ran them up a board onto a hive. Marked on virgin and put her in throught the entrance. Found another 3 and put them into apideas . Supppost to be good weather over they next week so hopefully they will get mated at the latter end. I have never had a swarm before from late july onwards, but this year i have had in july, august and now september.

 

[Foxylad]

Did you run out of mesh floors?

One of my hives is superseding ant the moment. Fingers crossed.

 

[keith pierce]

Did you run out of mesh floors?

One of my hives is superseding ant the moment. Fingers crossed.

This is actually a mesh floor. One of the first designs that came out so i only use it as a last resort. I am just about out of all spare euiptment and am down to my spare roof which i will use tomorrow.

 

[beeno]

Hi Keith,
Beautiful swarm and apples good too. Mine swarmed 4th Sept. last year and we had an Indian October. Season certainly not over yet in terms of inspections and closing hives down.

 

[Rhiellie]

Brilliant photos, very useful for a beginer like me to see these, thanks for putting them up.

 

[broandy]

Keith
Never ever mark a virgin she might get black balled bud.

 

[ratcatcher]

picked up one yesterday, although it was a cast swarm probably a week or two old, had started building combs on a tree branch before falling to the ground, simply attached the combs with hair clips onto top bars of a top bar nuc,

 

[keith pierce]

Keith
Never ever mark a virgin she might get black balled bud.

Thanks for the advice, but i mark all my virgins as soon as they hatch in the incubator, or come across them in the nuc / hive. Cuts down on an awful lot of work looking for them afterwards. I would of marked over a 100 this year and never have found a problem. if anything i find it a better success as it might be a deterrant / warning for birds. Give it a try. I think the secret is to never to handle a virgin as she is so delicate.

 

[itma]

... I have never had a swarm before from late july onwards, but this year i have had in july, august and now september.

Beautiful swarm and apples good too. Mine swarmed 4th Sept. last year and we had an Indian October. Season certainly not over yet in terms of inspections and closing hives down.

Last year, I collected a swarm on Sept 2nd.
The mild Autumn meant they did brilliantly on the ivy, and came through in style.

Trying to be optimistic and hoping this season has a long and fruitful tail ...

 

[village girl]

briliant pictures i think the bees go by weather conditions not the calander and as we had such unpredictable summer the bees are making the moast of any dry warm wether they get

 

[Walrus]

I had a swarm today. Quite small though. Put in a nuc & fed...here's hoping for a very mild Sept/Oct.