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.
3 swarms on April 21st. Liberty Hill, Texas 78642. These were from my hives. Evidently I'm sufffering from the opposite of CCD - Would that be Colony Expand Disorder? I managed to hive two of these three.
75403 on 4/03/08. nice swarm about basketball sized, leading edge of a storm front after a fair week. Another reported on Monday, 4/7 but I didn't go for it.
I posted about this under "Swarm Removal," but now they've moved on.
Location: northeast Dallas, Texas; suburban neighborhood; football sized swarm on branch of a short crepe myrtle (which I moved to my porch prior to a strong stormfront coming through). Weather: mostly warm & sunny, 70s-80s, except rain/hail/high winds on night of 17 April 08. Origin of swarm: unknown, perhaps a creek bottom 1/2 mile away. Dates: swarm arrived 14 April 08, left 20 April 08.
While working my bees yesterday I had a call from a friend about a mile away about a swarm on a post. Turns out to be about a 3 lb. swarm on a cross-piece between two posts. I set my box under them and knocked them in. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way home. Since I was already suited up and had everything in the car, it was literally 45 minutes from the phone call until they were in their new home. I don't think I will ever have an easier capture.
Unknown source. Three lb. swarm. 4 p.m. Mild weather following 4 days of sunshine. 77833
date: 5-7-2008
weather: clear and warm - in the 80s
location: Liberty Hill, Texas
zip: 78642
This swarm was from one of my hives. I requeened in early April, but my check a week later showed they had other ideas. I found the queen released, but they had also started building queen cells. I let them decide what was best. I happened to see this swarm emerge (was kinda hoping I could pretend it never happened). I did some other work and gave them time to fly away or settle. They settled on a branch just across the trail from my hives. I was able to hive them with a frame of brood. This afternoon I'll see if they decided to stay.
I have multiple exterminators and one city animal control on the lookout for me in the D/FW area but I have not heard of any swarms. Is our cool weather at night holding the bees from swarming. Anyone in DFW seeing swarms? Any education would be appreciated.
Use Titebond II glue, it has the same characteristics of regular white glue, but is almost waterproof, by test. I have been using it in wooden boat building, and use it in the construction of supers.
8/10, Monday evening, I found another small swarm, about 1o feet from my hives. I collected them, and put them in a nuc. That's the third swarm I have collected this year, and all of them were only about 1/2 - 3/4 pound of bees. All small. Looks like a sugar feeding winter ahead.
Large swarm in tree, in Beaumont Texas. When I go there, they had moved. Left about 100 dead bees on the ground, and 3-4 bees flying around the limb they were on. 9/17/09
I had five (5) swarms on my property Tuesday, 20 April, 2010. :lookout: Yes, really. All mid-size, all fairly calm, and different colors of bees. Four were in small trees, one on a fence post. It was a good day, but I was tuckered!
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