[Bees In Miami]

Not bad form at all, IMO, though I think you are asking for problems. Better to do the swarm removal yourself, IMO, so you can see the temperament of the bees. You may end up with the nasty bees that others don't want....

Why not put an ad out there yourself, do the scrambling, and take the girls home? I do NOT suggest you hive swarms for free. You will have a 50/50 chance of them staying, and when you come home with an empty pocket, an empty gas tank, and an empty hive box the next morning, it sucks!

I don't know the swarm season in DFW, but I would suspect it's fairly close to here, which can be any time!

 

[FlowerPlanter]

Good idea, I would ask if they have hives or nuc for sale. I am on the removal list and have received a few calls for bees, I had none for sale and I did not mind at all.

Just as Miami said a swarm is hard to keep. I alway add a frame of open brood with a new swarm and have not lost one yet.

Also check Craig’s list for bee hives for sale.

IMO I would wait on the TBH until you some experience. I am always reading (on beesource) about problems with them, hives absconding, winter survivability... But if you do, keep your SBB closed (if you have one) until they are established.

Know you diseases and inspect a hive or nuc before you take it.

 

[DakarPasFroid]

Great stuff. I'm going to cheat even more and email them with the link to this thread.

I have heard that swarms will abscond, especially in brand new hives. I've been told to close all the entrances with a feeder inside for two to three days or put a queen excluder on the entrances. My fingers are crossed.

 

[reidflys]

out of four new swarms from my 16 hives only 1 absounded after I had it hived this year.
(part of that was because I was lazy and did not grab a brood frame to make the swarm stick)
getting a nuc is the easiest way to go in the beggining,
welcome back to america when your gone for awhile it definately feels like a different place when you get back
all the best

 

[mrobinson]

A nuc or a package – or a gift from a nearby beek friend – is probably a better place to start ...

 

[FlowerPlanter]

>close all the entrances
Careful they can over heat and die
When you open the hive if they are still in a clump they are not staying.

>put a queen excluder on the entrances.
This might help, people say they find the dead stuck in the QE and bees gone.

If they want to go you can’t stop them, except for a frame of brood.

I also heard add a few drop of LGO will help them to accept the box better.

 

[Ross]

There will be swarms in June. Call the county ag agent and tell him you'll pick up swarms, then go on Craigslist and put up an ad. I get most of my referrals from the county agent.

 

[larrybeach]

pretty hot in june, be careful about closing them up, they can overheat.

 

[DakarPasFroid]

pretty hot in june, be careful about closing them up, they can overheat.

My father always warned me to think before I spoke. I failed him this time.