Swarms - This year

[MountainCamp]

I have a question for the northern beekeepers, How has this year's swarm season been?

I am listed locally for swarm calls with the Co-Op extension, the town animal control, I am a Vol. Fireman, and work p/t for the Town PD. I usually get a few calls to pick up swarms and just catch a few more in traps.

I have not had one call about a swarm this year. I have not seen a swarm yet this year.

I was supposed to remove (2) colonies this spring, (1) from a tree and (1) from a house, and they both died over the winter.

[xen]

I live in central Jersey and I know a lot of people that lost about half to all of their hives over the winter. I just started keeping bees last year and had only one but they were strong, had lots of stores and managed to survive the winter. This is the hive that may have swarmed as I mentioned in my post "0 supers filled"

[The Honey House]

Not one call.
Swarming season is just about over here
in Southern New hampshire.
Bees decided to make honey instead I guess.

[hobbee]

I caught one swarm (probably from one of my hives,have 7 )maybe could of caught more but
only had one swarm trap

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I took myself off the lists the last couple of weeks, I've been on vacation. I still got calls even though I was in Missery camping out.

Before that I probably picked up over forty swarms and did about a dozen extractions. I have two more lined up for tomorrow and Friday. $200 each http://www.beesource.com/ubb/wink.gif

[MountainCamp]

Bill, how was your winter and the winter losses?

The losses locally were very high compared to a "normal" year. From what I have heard, the northeast in general took it hard. We have had two winters in a row with high winter kill rates. No breaks in the weather or warm ups when the cold set in, coupled with late springs.

I was thinking that with the high kill rate of the last two winters, many of the feral colonies were killed.

Since, many of the managed hives that did over winter were split for increases. The new packages started this spring, have not had time to build up to swarm, this years swarm season looks to have come and gone quietly.

[chemistbert]

Just two for me. Both off feral hive. WooHoo for good genetics...

[BjornBee]

Swarms are way off in Pa. Everyone I speak too says the same.

We had two hard winters back to back. Alot of hive and feral bees killed off. This may have opened up some cavities and former bee homes. This may account for the bee swarms not hanging around much. Many hives I've inspected had shown signs of swarm cells, but nobody says they have seen many swarms.

[Bill_newbee]

Bjorn, I can second that for PA just east of you. I registered with over 12 pest companies, fire dept, police, and Ag extension office 5 weeks ago, and got only one call. A hive the exterminator couldn't or wouldn't kill due to its 3rd story height and location internal to an expensive limestone home. Was told to expect a bunch of calls but they just haven't occurred.

[Jason G in Tennessee]

Wow, I thought I needed to take a shower!
Nobody was calling me for swarms either. Last year it was an almost daily thing with two or three calls on one day. This year I have had a total of three swarm calls!
I have done one extraction so far. I advertise in our regional Peddler ads and in the local paper and still nothing...except a bunch of yellow jackets that I got $40.00 for sucking up in a regular vacuum.
http://www.beesource.com/ubb/frown.gif
I have talked to some of the locals here and they have had the same with no swarms.
I suppose the only good will be a higher honey price next year?
Jason

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>Bill, how was your winter and the winter losses?

We had a fairly normal winter as far as snow and ice was concerned. It may have not been quite as cold, we only had a few nights of zero temps, mostly +5 during the cold spells. It did not even freeze until December, that was strange, normal is frost late October, freezing nights in mid November. The goldenrod lasted into December! It usually stays cold late December with a January thaw mid month and cold again for the next month. Slightly warmer breaks mid Feb and moderate temps early March, (in like a lion, out like a lamb). So, we had a late winter and early spring.

I started the winter with 25 colonys, and came out with 18. A couple should have been combined, a couple probably were queenless due to late requeening that didn't take, and the rest were mite related losses.

I was happy with only 25% losses in my first year of no chemicals. I expect to be hit harder this winter as I have expanded to almost 60 with a lot of swarm pickups and colony removals. I will keep a few ferral colonys, but plan to requeen earlier this year, (NWC), and combine more of the smaller hives, (I really didn't want more than forty hives).

I also plan to use more oxalic this summer and fall to keep my losses down.

[AAABEEINC]

Have 9 new nucs picked up in April. Live 2000' msl. Had five swarms so far. Caught and caged all. Had two yesterday. Have fed sugar water since day one. Tomorrow feeders will be water only.

[ctackett9]

So far I've hived 3 swarms, all from my own hives. I have also removed one colony from a Historic home in a nearby State Park. My first experience with using a cone and bait hive and it worked very well.

[Rod350]

Hi AAABEEINC.
Are you located in Saint Marys PA?
I'm only asking because I was raised in Punxsy.

I have had at least 3 swarms here in CT this spring and very little spring honey. Next year I will extract some honey filled brood comb in April to try to make more room and prevent some swarms. I can feed it back later.
Rod