Please Post your Swarm Dates?

[possum51]

Captured a small swarm today July 20, 36272

[Gunslinger]

I came home about noon on 7-11-09 and witnessed one of the hives swarming. Amazing sight, the air was filled with bees spiraling up wards and they were buzzing up a storm! They landed about 35 feet up a tree and only 30 feet away from their hive. 24 hours later I watched them move up and over the tree line and they were gone in about a minute.

Today 7-22-09 I spotted a swarm in a tree about 35 foot up and only 25 feet from the hives. I didn't see this one leave but I would imagine that they are my bees. This time I put a box out with some drawn comb and capped honey.
Hopefully I can get em back.


I guess I should invest in a couple swarm traps & pheromone lures for the next time.

[handyman dave]

I picked up 2 swarms today! Both in trees no more than 6 feet from the ground, 50 miles apart but both were BEAUTIFUL!
I don't have enough equipment but hived one in a 10 frame deep and assembled the frames & foundation for another tonight. The second will be hived in the morning.
I'm not sure where to put them in my beeyard but I will get more hardware in the AM and figure that out.
Any suggestions on what to do to help them so late in the year?

[coondogger]

Swarms? I got 'em. I always get one in early July. Then maybe a second one. But this year it's been once a week. Five so far. They always go to the same place: about thirty feet up in a Birch tree. I managed to capture one that was lower in the tree.

I read somewhere that excessive rain can cause swarms. Because the bees are cooped up for extended periods, they believe they're overcrowded, begin making queens and so forth.

Your guess is as good as mine. But with five swarms from just three hives, I don't think I'll be tapping them for honey this fall.

[gprovo]

Started to swarm 5/20/09 changed their minds. Swarmed again 5/29/09.
Now my #3 hive.

[TonyL]

A small cantaloupe-sized swarm issued from one of my hives late this afternoon and landed on another hive causing considerable fighting. I collected them into a makeshift hive and will put them in a more permanent home in the morning. I'll treat them as a nuc and maybe combine them with another hive later on.

[JOHNYOGA2]

The weaker of my two hives swarmed Saturday 8/1/09. Went to the top of a tree. About a three pound swarm. Attempted to retreive the swarm and ended up with about 1 pound of bees, 1 pound of injured bees, and the other pound went higher up in the tree. I was anxious to try and collect them because it rained about two hours later. Put the bees I collected into a nuc box with some brood and honey from the hive. Will likely need to get a new queen. Didn't expect this in August! It's been a funny year.

[copper287]

Cullman,AL-Aug.09,2009-italians i think-hot and sunny. very small swarm. copper287

[Chick]

Collected a cantelope size swarm on 8/7/09 in Beaumont, Texas. They had built wildcomb about the size of an egg, so they might have been there a couple of days. I know they had been there 24 hours from when I picked them up.

[JOHNYOGA2]

Saturday 8/8 the stronger of my hives swarms. As bad as last weeks swarm was, this one was picture perfect. Landed in a soft wooded tree about 5 feet off the ground. Cut the limb and droped the majority right into a box. The bees on the ground marched in like little soldiers. If this would have happened in May I'd be thrilled! Luckily we still have another six weeks or so before the weather turns. This swarm was so big that they covered ten deep frames with bees to spare. Have them in my last deep and a nuc on top of that. Ordering more equipment today. Odd year!

[Chick]

8/10, Monday evening, I found another small swarm, about 1o feet from my hives. I collected them, and put them in a nuc. That's the third swarm I have collected this year, and all of them were only about 1/2 - 3/4 pound of bees. All small. Looks like a sugar feeding winter ahead.

[btedeski]

8/9/2009 - collected a wild swarm about a mile from my place. There is a colonie in a free hollow, according to the property owner it has been there for years, and this was the second swarm this year.

This swarm was over twice the size of the one I collected in May, also about a mile from my place but in the other direction.

Moontownship, PA

[HoneyMaple]

8/16/09
Swarm in a maple tree about 18 feet off the ground. A little bigger than a basketball in size. Hebron, New York 12832

[GRIMBEE]

06825
8/20/09
10:00am watched them swarm into a tree 30 feet up behind my house.basketball size swarm, huge

[HoneyMaple]

Hived 2 swarms in 2 days.

swarm #1 ) 8/27/09 a little bigger than a Soccer Ball sized swarm in an apple tree. Pretty sure from one of my hives.

Swarm #2 ) 8/28/09 A little bigger than a cantelope sized swarm in a pine tree. Might be an after swarm from first one. As the trees were only about 20 feet apart.

Hebron, New york 12832

[Jim Ray]

Hived a watermelon-sized swarm today. It was at a farmstead west of Panhandle, Texas. It was hanging on a fertilizer tank.

[Haddon]

Housed a small swarm yeasterday 08/31/09.

[MacfromNS]

Sept 2 09 I housed a swarm, was one of mine. Football size.

[drobbins]

saw one fly away 9-14-09
wish I could of gotten them
don't see how they'll make it through winter

Dave

[Chick]

Large swarm in tree, in Beaumont Texas. When I go there, they had moved. Left about 100 dead bees on the ground, and 3-4 bees flying around the limb they were on. 9/17/09