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65K views 242 replies 66 participants last post by  nailbender0259 
#1 ·
5/26 First Swarm from a NUC I picked up on the 21st of May. They set down at 70 feet high, no chance to get them...

13850
 
#78 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

2 May 2011 @ 1245 central
Lebanon, TN 37090

This colony was in a new TBH and was installed from a captured swarm on 9 April 2011, just 23 days earlier. Originally they were given eight empty bars, then two more, then two more, and eventually ended up with 16 bars, the last two of which were added on 25 April. In addition, they were fed 1:1 sugar syrup from day one, and went through about a quart a day. In 16 days they consumed 15 qts. of SS and drew out 13 full bars of near perfect comb. We intended to go in and do a full inspection on either 29 or 30 April but didn't get to. Then on Monday, 2 May 2011 at 1245 during a break in the clouds and rain, they swarmed while I sat there watching the hive. Luckily, they clustered just 30 feet from the hive on a cedar branch just seven feet above ground. The bees now reside in an 8-frame, medium Langstroth just six feet from the TBH they left.

Greg
 
#80 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

10 May 2011 @ 0900 Central time
Lebanon, TN 37090


This was the second swarm in eight days from my TBH which was itself started from a swarm just one month earlier, 9 April 2011. Both swarms issued from this colony were between three and four pounds, bigger than any 3# package I have ever seen. See msg #1178 in this thread (dated 6 May) for further details of the colony.



My bees don't make honey... they make bees.

Greg
 
#81 · (Edited)
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

13 May 2011 @ 1300+ Central time
Lebanon, TN 37090

This was the third swarm in eleven days from my TBH which was started from a swarm on 9 April 2011. It settled near the end of a cedar branch approximately 16 feet above ground. A five-gallon bucket bolted to the end of a 12 foot wooden dowel rod was just the ticket. My friend and swarm catcher Bobby eased the bucket up and under the cluster, gave it a quick jab and thump. A bucket of bees! Followed by another thump ten or so minutes later, voilà! We had a box full of bees.








See msg #1178 & #1193 in this thread (dated 6 May & 10 May) for further details of the colony.

Greg
 
#82 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

5/12 Nashville

Cutout. Behind vinyl siding. May be 2 different colonies as there are bees going in about 10' further up. Opened it up and found this huge ball of white comb with honey and brood. Must have vaccumed out 50K bees. Started storming so I had to hurry and cut out 3 frames of brood. Closed up the opening and need to go back ASAP as I am not sure if there is enough bees now to cover all of the comb/brood left behind. Set cutout up Friday morning before going to look at 2 more cutout jobs.
 
#83 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

5/13 Murfreesboro, TN

Got a call from Belks stating they needed help ASAP as a swarm had arrived and gotten inside the wall and into the store. Vaccumed out bees from outside until hardly anything left then caulked up hole. Hard to get to the bees inside. They were behind a wall of equipment monitoring fire equipment and alarms. Got what I could get and left the vaccumed bees in the room hoping to draw out the other bees and the queen. Went back this AM (5/14) and had no luck. Did vaccum out some more bees but eventually I couldn't see the bees anymore with my scope. Finally had to call it quits and spray the inside of the wall and all of the room with DE. Bees are still in the back of my truck. Trying to decide what hive to add them. Needs to be a hive that is established enough that it can protect itself if these bees don't want to merge.
 
#84 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

5/14 Murfreesboro, TN

It is really cool this evening and late afternoon with a breeze. Walking around my yard checking my bees and happened to look from a distance at my hive trap hanging on a nail on my back fences. Just looked at it a couple of days ago and removed all of the roaches. Saw some activity. Went over there and sure enough, had a swarm of bees. Now where did they come from? I have been monitoring my hives pretty well and they were not in swarm mode. Had a couple of small swarms that kept making swarm cells. I just used them to make some splits using frames and bees from other hives. Swarm #11. (12 if counting the one that absconded)
 
#85 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

Caught one today in Middle TN. It was my first experience! I discovered it about a mile from my home in someone's yard. The man was outside and I asked him if I could come back and get it. He was better than fine with that, so I spend almost the entire day running back and forth from my house to the swarm box I set out.
 
#87 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

My own bees just swarmed this morning. Middle TN. I was preparing to get a swarm out of my maple tree when they moved on off. I chased them, but couldn't follow fast enough so I don't know where they landed next. Then I checked on my hive. (I'm new at this, so I only have one hive.) Half my bees were gone. I didn't they they would swarm the first year. I'm not sure what would have made them go. The weather is extremely hot and dry here already, but they have plenty of pollen and nectar, and several close water sources. My top bar hive was only about half full, so they weren't crowded. I did see a capped queen cell yesterday during my hive inspection, but couldn't find the queen. She probably was already in the tree. I started seeing drone cells last week.
 
#96 ·
Re: Please Post your Swarm Dates?

Caught another swarm in Sparta,TN. While I was on the first call I got a call for another swarm. By the time I got home it was already getting dark which was an interesting experience hiving the swarm ;) Hopefully the swarm will still be there in the morning when I go back to pick it up.
 
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