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Educate me on swarms

6K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  gmcharlie 
#1 ·
Very new to bees and this year is my 1st hive. I talked to a lady this week that said about once every year or so she has a swarm of bee's at her house and lets a guy catch them. Said if I was interested the next time she would contact me.

First off, is it a certain time of the year they swarm? I am in northcentral Missouri.

Next, how the heck do you catch a swarm? Need special equipment or just set an empty hive out for them to go to?

Once they are caught, just put them in an empty hive and buy a queen?

What else would I need to do?
 
#2 ·
Swarm information for you:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesswarmcontrol.htm

Generally, a swarm would have a queen already. The swarming bees are planning to establish a new colony, and need a queen with them to do so.

Swarms looking for a new home may temporarily cluster in an exposed location while their scouts check out possible new homes. At that point, the swarm can often be shaken or brushed into a box or bucket, then transferred to a hive body.
 
#3 ·
Guess I have never seen a swarm. I should expect to find them just bunched up on something? Then just catch them? What is best way to catch them?

If they are looking for a home, what would be the chance if someone put an empty hive out beside them, them making it their new home on their own?
 
#4 ·
Just heard this lady has them show up in an old hollow tree.

Another friend has them in the walls of a barn. Said these are so thick you can hear them in the walls and are everywhere when you walk into the barn. Never done anything about them because they have never bothered anyone.

How would someone try to catch bee's in these situations?
 
#5 ·
To catch a swarm you get out a small buterfly net.... No just kidding... once the swarm is settled you are best handled if you put your box directly under them and give them a good shake. sometimes that means cutting a branch or two.... if you just set a hive on the ground, odds are they will ignore it.

As for the barn, its a cutout, or set a swarm trap 100 yards away....
 
#9 ·
I have been able to keep swarms in both 56 frame and 10 frame boxes with nothing but foundation. not the best method and it runs a higher risk they will just up and move on. but it can and has worked. I have not lost a swarm yet and I have never had extra empty comb to offer them. Old boxes where bees have lived yes. And I think that also helps.
 
#8 ·
A swarm is a cluster of bees that have left a parent colony, they have no home yet but will shortly as they are looking for one as the majority of the bees hang in that cluster. they are simple and easy to catch. shake the tree branch etc and the entire cluster will fall in a box. they will regather wherever the queen is.

A colony inside a tree or wall of a building is not a swarm. that is an entirely different situation the bees will not necessarily behave the same. control the queen or brood or best both and you can then control the rest of the bees. I not only suggest you watch some videos and read some information on swarm gathering. but on beekeeping in general. once you catch the swarm. the fun has only begun.
 
#10 ·
Josh
We had a swarm call Tuesday two weeks ago. All we had was a 10 frame box with Plastic foundation. Last Wednesday they had 6 frames drawn and caped in two of them.
Swarm's are geared up to draw comb right away.
Are you involved in a local club?
They would be your best help getting started.
Jim
 
#11 ·
I live is very rural Missouri and don't know of any clubs anywhere close to me. I know an older guy in my area that has messed with bee's his entire life that I can get to help me out. Right now I have 1 hive and they seam to be doing pretty good.

I don't have an extra hive right now, so sounds like that is the 1st thing I need to worry about before trying to catch a bunch of bees.

I have read books and watched videos, but those are just 1 persons thoughts. I enjoy asking questions on forums because here I can get lots of ideas on what has worked for several other people. Hope you all don't get tired of all of my questions, cause I am sure I will have lots more. Im just getting started and have a lot more to learn about bees.
 
#20 ·
pretty close... Actually she doesn't decide. the workers do. they turn a cell into a queen by feeding. Swarm queens also do not always kill each other off. probably 85% of the time they do, but when a hive is ready to swarm sometimes several of those queens will survive together.

and then normally a month or 2 after the swarm settles in, that queen is super ceded...... which is one of the reasons a lot of package queens get super ceded.... its a swarm.
 
#22 ·
generaly the swarm leaves with the OLD queen..... not always but about 90% are the original queens swarming.. so a new swarm is generaly in the mindset of replaceing her pretty soon. I don't know if its a trait, or if any slowdown in the queen triggers it, I just know its pretty common... nucs and old hive supercede a lot less.
 
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