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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
 
#10 · (Edited)
One swarm moved into a swarm box on 5/24/2008 - 13850
One swarm took off as we (my son and I) were walking up to it on 5/26/2008 - 13732
One swarm moved into a swarm box on 5/27/2008 - 13850
One swarm in a honeysuckle (captured) at the airport 5/27/2008 - 13901

So, the season has started with the first break in the weather here. We had a stellar Memorial day weekend.
 
#14 ·
A hive that swarmed.

Hive swarmed. Swasrm was about the size of 2 basketballs.

06-09-08 @ 8:30am. 38111 zip.

Temps in the 90's for about the past week with no rainfor the last 8 days.

Watched them fly from a hive that contained a swarm captured 04-08. They landed in an oak tree about 50' up. When we attempted to capture the swarm the bucket was about 5' shy of reaching them. Bucket was then gently let down careful to not disturbe the swarm. Went to retrive a latter to gain the distance, took about 10 minutes to do so. Returned to observe the tail end of the swarm leaving and could not relocate it. From time swarm left the hive to time they left their staging position was about 2 1/2 hours total.

Hive was 2 deeps both boxes contained about 3 or 4 empty frames each. With screened bottom board. Pollen trap on the main entrence. Pollen production had dropped from about 1 lb per day to about 4oz per day for about 3 days prior to swarmming. No other hives have swarmed in this apiary however there are hives that are more populated than this one was.

Would like to say Merry Christmas in June to whomever may recive this swarm and may they be productive for you.
P.S. The queen will be marked "Red".
 
#20 ·
Smrnya, TN

Got a call today for a swarm at the same house I went to on Easter Sunday. That one left my nuc after I got it home. This one is hanging on the lowest limb of the tree that has a bee hive in it. Unfortuneately I am not in TN. Home visiting family. Called a beekeeper at home and he is going to go and get the swarm. These are great bees because this beehive they came from has been in this tree for a very long time!!!!
 
#22 ·
4/22 - Nashville, got a call today and got a swarm around 3 pounds of bees.

4/22 - Huge swarm in a Magnolia on the edge of my property and my neighbors. He has 1 small hive and I have around 7. Think they swarmed from by largest hive this AM. Anyway it must have 10 pounds of bees. Put most of them in a 8-frame high body. Left hive by the tree. Looked late this evening and the swarm size is really large again in the tree. Not sure if the bees came back out of the hive. I saw a lot of them going into the hive earlier. Is it possible that there is more than 1 queen in this huge swarm?

4/22 - Got a call for another swarm in Nashville while going to the swarm mentioned above. Bees almost on the ground. Can't go. Gave the name of another beek and he turned the swarm down. Said to far to go for a small swarm.

4/22 - Got a call from the same guy in Smyrna that I retriived a swarm from yesterday (4/21). This is the 4th swarm starting on Easter! He says that he now doesn't see any activity in the "bee holes" up in the dying tree. Will try and go back and get this swarm too! Could all of the bees be swarming out of the tree for some reason??
 
#24 ·
Our largest hive swarmed today at about 1 pm. I was VERY lucky and able to capture the swarm and have them in a nucleus colony box. I am all out of hives right now. :doh: I put out 10 hives about a month ago. It was a pretty good size swarm ball of about 3 times the size of a package of bees.
 
#25 ·
37130 - Murfreesboro TN

Picked up a small swarm today. Easiest one so far. Small swarm that had been in a tree since yesterday evening and it rained most of the night. Cut the limb and lightly shook it on top of the frames. Ladies went right in. Put on the top and they started coming in from the entrance. Strange thing though! The bee population seemed to be growing. There were a lot of bees at the entrance when I left the hive and bees seemed to be still arriving.

Any ideas?
 
#26 ·
Eagleville, TN

Got a call about a bee hive in a tree. HIve has been there for at least 3 years. Want to cut the tree down. Went and looked at it yesterday. Will probably have to screen off the opening and then cut the tree down.

What's the best way to get the bees to leave the cut down tree and into a box. Figured I would cut the tree a second time closer to the entrance and maybe further up the tree as the bees seem to be going up into the tree.
 
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