Got a call today from my beekeeping buddy that he'd gotten a swarm call but was in Atlanta, so could I go and pick them up.
Cluster was about the size of a softball and moved right into the box except for a hundred bees or so that insisted on staying on a twig, so after several tries we just left them, too much to do at home.
So I now have a small swarm happily ensconced in a nuc box in my apiary. I'll need to modify an inner cover since I don't have any to hand with holes in them (I keep the collection boxes solid), and plan to raid one of my other hives for a frame of emerging brood when I get some. In the mean time, I'll rig up some feed and see how they do.
Sorta late for a swarm, we are in our summer dearth until soybeans and asters appear in August, but I'll take free bees anytime I think I can get them to survive.
Anyone had success with a small swarm in early July?
Peter
Cluster was about the size of a softball and moved right into the box except for a hundred bees or so that insisted on staying on a twig, so after several tries we just left them, too much to do at home.
So I now have a small swarm happily ensconced in a nuc box in my apiary. I'll need to modify an inner cover since I don't have any to hand with holes in them (I keep the collection boxes solid), and plan to raid one of my other hives for a frame of emerging brood when I get some. In the mean time, I'll rig up some feed and see how they do.
Sorta late for a swarm, we are in our summer dearth until soybeans and asters appear in August, but I'll take free bees anytime I think I can get them to survive.
Anyone had success with a small swarm in early July?
Peter