Check out this swarm I caught

[johng]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...type=2&theater

Caught two swarms yesterday. This one was the easiest on I have ever caught. They just marched right in.

[Mr.Beeman]

Nice. I wish they were all that way.

[NasalSponge]

Very nice, haven't caught one like that since the mid 80's!

[johng]

This was the biggest swarm I have ever caught, they filled up a deep and almost a medium. It is also the earliest time of year I have caught a swarm. I caught two yesterday almost a full month ahead of any others I have caught.

[westernbeekeeper]

Nice!

[mtndewluvr]

Outstanding....Congrats!!

[psfred]

Very nice!

My first swarm catch was last spring, and the cluster completely filled a nuc box -- in fact, if the screened bottom hadn't sagged almost out (which I did not notice until I hived them a couple days later) they would not have fit. Musta been six pounds of bees.

A buddy caught one that weight 9 pounds, filled a deep.

Not that many swarms, but boy they were huge.

Mine was dead easy. They were in a shrub, so we just opened up the nuc box, pulled a couple frames, and cut the branch they were hanging on free. They flew right in, and very shortly the rest of them marched right in. Six or seven bees on the landing board fanning away, with a big cloud of them orienting as it got dark. Quite a show, the homeowners got a real kick out of it. Thankfully they were quite calm bees, and stayed that way all year.

My other swarm a friend caught for me was the opposite -- cranky all the time.

Peter

[Nature Coast beek]

Fantastic!

Deploying swarm traps tomorrow.

johng, What kind of bloom/flow are you having up there in JAX these days? Was that in a residential/suburban area? Right now, it's 31F with a nice thick frost -- first and hopefully LAST of the year.

[Daniel Y]

IT looks like some bees are doing well in Florida if they cast a swarm that big.

[johng]

Spanish needle, and Maple. I think mostly Spanish needle I have about a 20acre field full of it right down the road. We had a pretty good frost this morning so I'm sure that will put an end to the Spanish needle. It has been an unusual winter so far. It will probably slow down a little now until March.

[Intheswamp]

IT looks like some bees are doing well in Florida if they cast a swarm that big.

Unless it was a colony that absconded for some reason. Wow, that sure is early, too!!!

Ed

[johng]

No I watched them come out of the hive. It is still pretty full of bees and some capped swarm cells. I went a head and used some of those cells to make some splits. It is at least a month early.

[JonnyBeeGood]

I can't seem to view the pic. Is it still available?

[johng]

Yes, it seems to still be working.
Here's another link.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...type=2&theater

[Maryland Beekeeper]

Ed,
That is what I was thinking, mild winter, no brood break.
Drew

[FlowerPlanter]

You're going to need more boxes

[JonnyBeeGood]

Still can't view. Not sure why???