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That's a good size swarm!!

The food grade buckets at my local Lowes were in the paint department, but they are clearly labeled food grade...

Hi Jon,
I don't know if variety makes a difference but there are 7 mature Basswoods where I work. Some years the trees smell wonderfully and the trees are full of bees. Other years, like last...

You might consider Burnt Ridge Nurseries, also. I find their prices very good and they have a large selection.

I use one in a rural "house". It has no running water or electricity, and we are only there on the weekends. We use Peat Moss rather then sawdust, because it's much easier to get locally. Since we're...

Hi,
Just to add my two cents;
30-40 feet is fine. Most of us will admit to placing lawn chairs around the front of our hives and watching BeeTV in the evenings. Except Africanized bees,...

My understanding is that the bees work the blossoms of the trees very well.

Hi Oregon,
If the original hive swarmed, and that's what you got, they have to develop cells while the queen gets back into laying form. 10 days or so might do it, but just. If they are...

You might do some research on this forum, but I recall something about privet honey being somehow less then ideal.

Hi Boguz,
I have no idea how much honey you need to keep your hives through the winter, but you're in the same approximate latitude as Alaska. I'm also unsure as to what you want from your...

Actually the practice of banging a pot when going after a swarm stems from English Law. If you were a beekeeper and saw one of your hives swarming as long as you followed it while making your...

Hi Greg,
I've been really impressed with Kelly's Slotted top, grooved sides and bottom frames. After they're assembled you slide the foundation down through the slot in the top frame. The...

Hi DUKPT,
If you're feeding the bees and the feeder is loaded, they can stay in the hive for a long time wth no ill effects. They do need pollen, and I suspect they are getting that between...

Dear Breakfast,
Swarms ARE amazing and now that you've heard one you'll be able to distinguish that sound from 200 yards away!
But please keep in mind that a swarm is your bees way of...

Hi Rick,
I wouldn't expect to see that kind of rapid die-off from mites in just two weeks. If that was a "normal" hive two weeks ago I would guess some type of poisoning. You might consider...

Hi Michae,
Faced with your situation, I would probably have done exactly the same thing you did. While it is unusual for a hive to locate under another hive, it is not unheard of.
What...

Hi John,
Another really nice thing about your set-up is that with a couple rolls of burlap and some tacks you could put a wind-break up on three sides of the hives which will be really nice...

Hi Ralph,
They are interesting little bugs aren't they? Someday soon you may find yourself pulling a lawn chair up to within a few feet of the hive enterence and spending a pleasent evening...

Once the hive is established, and the night temperatures are in the 50/60's, the bees normally work from sunrise until just before dark. In the spring/fall they sometimes get a little later start...

Snakes are a good thing (unless you step on them) as they will usually help keep the mouse population down.
Deer don't seem to notice my hives at all. And I have a lot of deer.
The skunk is the...

Hi Eden,
Was there some reason you wanted a Russian Queen?
Moving a frame of eggs/brood from one of your Italian queens will give you another Italian queen. Not that there's anything...

Hi OK,
You'll have a heck of a time with it if it granulates. I used to be able to get 5 gallon food grade buckets locally, but recently that's become problematic. I've found that if you go to...

Hi Bal,
All things being equal, I would rather have my hives someplace where people who enjoyed bees could keep an eye on them.

The one from D Coats is wonderful. I try to have four or five standing by. If you modify the plans a little, you can make an upper box so you could expand a nuc into two five frame boxes. That's also...

Hi Josh,
Just be mindful... You can get away with a lot of haphazzard things with a swarm you could NEVER get away with once they become a hive. You need to get a deep (or a couple more mediums,...