Was it a swarm? A declaration of independence on July 4th?
Inspected the hive this morning. Plenty of capped brood in the lower box. Didn't see the queen but saw numerous cells containing single eggs. Saw one capped swarm cell and removed it. Saw 5-6 drawn frames in the upper box with plenty of capped honey and four nearly virgin frames. Replaced upper and lower boxes and the hive top feeder and refilled the feeder with 1:1 syrup.
Then ~2 hrs later I was out having a catch with my son and we were struck by the activity around the hive....a storm of swirling bees from near-ground level to 40-50 feet up. Like an endless wave of them emerging from the front, crawling part way up the face of hive and taking off. All of that eventually settled down except for a persistent focused hovering near one tree top, a false cypress about 40 feet up. I never saw a cluster, but persistnet hovering. Potential siting of a cluster compromised by lots of under and overgrowth in and around the tree(s).
Was this a swarm? If so, any ideas why? It is hot and humid in Baltimore today, heat index > 100 today in Baltimore.
Inspected the hive this morning. Plenty of capped brood in the lower box. Didn't see the queen but saw numerous cells containing single eggs. Saw one capped swarm cell and removed it. Saw 5-6 drawn frames in the upper box with plenty of capped honey and four nearly virgin frames. Replaced upper and lower boxes and the hive top feeder and refilled the feeder with 1:1 syrup.
Then ~2 hrs later I was out having a catch with my son and we were struck by the activity around the hive....a storm of swirling bees from near-ground level to 40-50 feet up. Like an endless wave of them emerging from the front, crawling part way up the face of hive and taking off. All of that eventually settled down except for a persistent focused hovering near one tree top, a false cypress about 40 feet up. I never saw a cluster, but persistnet hovering. Potential siting of a cluster compromised by lots of under and overgrowth in and around the tree(s).
Was this a swarm? If so, any ideas why? It is hot and humid in Baltimore today, heat index > 100 today in Baltimore.