[CentralPAguy]

I have been weighing several of my hives on platform scales. From April 20 to April 23, my one hive lost 5 pounds and it has been gaining -- My thoughts are that my hive swarmed and all those girls left me for greener pastures.

I have several more hives in the same yard -- Today, I started looking into the stronger hives and sure enough, tons of swarm cells. I ended up creating 15 strong nucs. I am not sure why, but it seemed that alot of them had connected the swarm cells somehow to the frame below and when I pulled the frame out, it ripped swarm cells in half.

I am racing against the clock and have bait hives out there waiting as I am sure that some will swarm before I can get to them.

 

[Monie]

Good luck to you! I am anticipating swarms as well.

 

[Budster]

Are you sure? I'm in Central Ohio and it seems bees in our area (North/South) swarm right around Memorial day. I cant think your very much further South, but than again, this spring has been like a summer with everything different nature wise.

Maybe your bees are increasing population and eating more honey than they are bringing in until the big flows come along?

 

[CentralPAguy]

I keep hoping that the bees on the platform scale didn't swarm. Maybe they converted all that nectar into honey, that's what I'm hoping.

However I have opened my hives on both sides of the platform scales -- Yep, major amounts of swarm cells.

I have strong hives that I have not yet gotten into and with the swarm cells being capped, it is just a matter of days, until they swarm.