Tuesday, 6-12, went and took down an owl house a gentleman had built and placed about 15' in a tree, he said the bees had been there about a week. Gently took it down and put it in the back of my truck, was going to take them out Wed. When I opened it up the next day, i found that the comb had fallen crushing many of the bees. I couldn't find the queen, but I gave them a frame of brood, and will check them next week. If I can't find eggs, I'll pull the queen cells and combine them with a weaker colony.
First swarm call of the season in Amarillo TX. April 24th. Swarm in town so likely feral. Weather nice and sunny with minimal wind following several days of overcast, rain and fierce wind and thunderstormes.
I hived a near-volleyball-sized swarm, yesterday, behind my house. It was hanging under the ceiling of my kid's wall-less fort. Sitting above it was a swarm-box, baited with lemongrass oil. I've started a new hive with it.
Went through my hives today, and all are bustling. Can't tell that any are reduced, so this may be a swarm from somewhere else.
I hived a large watermelon-sized swarm in my Mimosa tree. Same small tree as my one swarm last year. This makes the second swarm at my house this year.
Watched a volleyball-sized swarm today fly from a hive and land about 20 feet away in a desert willow. A fellow beek hived it and took it because I am low on equipment. 4th swarm in my yard this year!
June 1. My 14-year old son boxed a very large swarm in my backyard while I was away for a sleep lab test. I was very proud of him. He had helped me a couple of times. Now I can relax knowing that he can cover for me.
Swarm season is over in southeast Texas. I picked up maybe 20 total, including my traps. Kept me real busy on the tablesaw. This started in March, and ran through May. Had to do combines here and there. Now all the calls are for cutouts, that I am not too enthusiastic about. I did a job yesterday, that amounted to a cutout, but it was not in a building, it was in a 40 foot 18 wheeler trailer, in a mess of cardboard and wire cages. It was the worse job I have ever tackled.
I staple a piece of plastic queen excluder across the entrance of the hive, of a new swarm. I only leave it in place for a few days. Long enough for them to start to get established and accept the new quarters.
Caught a small swarm yesterday 08-23-10 in Round Rock, TX. The swarm was a result of a storm rendering damage to the old tree they were in. The storm left the hive body fully exposed to the outside elements. They swarmed to relocate to something better..... my hive box. HAH
:thumbsup:
I've been collecting swarms in Houston and around the IAH airport this summer. I've noticed that I get several calls after we have had 2-3 days of wet weather. So, I keep my vac in my car and make sure I have a couple of cages ready when it gets rainy. But, I've had 100% success in retaining the swarm as long as I've had the queen. One hive I captured in July didnt have teh queen and it swarmed again.
Woohoo! Captured my first swarm of the season yesterday 3/25 in Houston at the airport. It was a big one. I placed them in a 5 frame nuc with a frame that had fresh eggs, honey and pollen and 4 empty frames. We'll see if they stick around-
Angelina County, Texas
They did not like the neighborhood. Packed up and left March 26 about 5pm. I had a trap baited with a lure, they never even looked at it. As someome said, bees will be bees.
April 2, 2011: Captured first swarm of the year. In Canyon, TX. Could see that bees were coming and going from a nearby bird house, and that the woodduck-sized hole was nearly sealed up from wax.
The swarm was 20’ high and basketball sized. In Siberian elm. The resident sawed the limb and the bees came slamming to the ground. I placed the cardboard box nuc, there, and they filed in.
04-29-2011
three pound swarm, 20 feet up in the tree. Got to use a pole saw and some rope, retrieved the swarm no problem. It was pretty interesting, I got the majority of the bess in the box and all the sudden the rest of them just marched right on in like little soliders.
Weatherford Texas
76086
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