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Is it the norm for a swam in a tree to build some comb?

5K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  trainwrecker 
#1 ·
I went to pick some avocados the other day and found a swam in the tree. I shook them into a box and was a happy camper. There was a blade of comb in the center of the cluster. Is it normal for a swarm to build comb while clustered in a tree?:scratch:
 
#7 ·
If bees of a certain age have are gorged with honey (which bees do in preparation to swarm) and have no where to put it, they will begin to secrete wax as it is metabolized.
Bees being bees, if the swarm's scouts take a while to find a new hive space, they put that wax to constructive use.

If you look closely at the surface a swarms was on, you will often find little white flecks of wax attached to it.
 
#8 ·
We get external hives in trees quite often here in Louisiana. I noticed that if a swarm around here stays in one place for more than a couple days they start building comb. Makes for a real easy cut out. I will be removing an external hive from an oak tree in the next couple of weeks. Ill try to get pics of it as they really are a sight to see.
 
#22 ·
we found an external hive in 1975 in a sweetgum bush, not tree . the hive was between a basketball and a beachball in size. they had enclosed the comb with wax much like a hornets nest. the only thing keeping the sweetgum from breaking over were several rattan vines hooked to other trees for support. we cut a hive off of an oak limb this past summer that had 6 pcs of comb and was about 12 " by 14" in size.
 
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