Swarm pictures

[Bob Russell]

We have just experienced the coldest December in 60 years in New Zealand.This has created a situation where the swarm season has continued for months instead of weeks.This swarm captured on digital camera had taken longer than normal to arrive.There have been so many this season I decided to keep several bait hives under observasion by the house.Have included a couple of shots of a feral hive in a native Puri tree discovered a few days ago.Came across this good sized swarm hanging in a tree at a gateway when delivering pollination hives.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/russel...bum?.dir=/9e07

Bob Russell
Commercial Beekeeper
New Zealand.

[Beemaninsa]

Beautiful pictures thanks

[roger eagles]

Purdy.Last year it was so cold and wet almost all bee keepers were having swarm problems here in Sask. in sept.Very weerd time for that.

[OldScout]

Man, I'm all confused. How come the bees in your area swarm when the weather gets cold (maybe its because they're upside down) and the bees in my area swarm when the weather gets hot??

[roger eagles]

Last year was really weird,and the onley year we had this ever happen.Clark in man,saskatoon erea,and the capital of bees here in tisdale.All in jeneral,just last fall.Really weird.Usualy by 2 week in aug. there done swarming.

[Lesli St. Clair]

>How come the bees in your area swarm when the weather gets cold

They want to go to Florida for the winter? [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Lively Bee's]

How meny did you have swarm looked like 2 or 3 were going to swarm out.

[Bob Russell]

Have added the last swarm picture for the season which has lasted 5 months.This last swarm was intercepted, a real surprise to the bees who would have arrived the next day had it not been for a phone call from a neighbour.The thirty swarms at my home base were all incoming swarms to bait hives (no pheromone and at ground level) and not from my production hives, as mine are all on distant sites covering a geographic area of 200 kms.One of this seasons incoming swarms did abscond after a couple of days and the last swarm was given a frame of young brood to ensure it would stay being so late in the season.This amount of swarms is not normal,but has been the experience through out the upper north Island provinces this season.