[Bonterra Bees]

One of my 8 frame ObHs swarmed day before yesterday. I don’t blame them, that’s their mission in life and they were crowded. I’d seen it coming for several days and had been working inside near the Obh and heard the action start, the roar in the Hive. I grabbed my video camera and went out side. It was like a waterfall pouring out of the entrance. They went 10’ feet over and 30’ up in a spruce. Way to high for me and my saw and an empty super that I’d hoped they’d head for. So they spent the night there, next day kept watch hoping they’d move lower or perhaps find my super, there were a few scouts checking it out, but had to go to the Post Office. When I got back they’d vanished. I’ve 85 acres of dense forest and here they'll never survive.
Here are my questions: Where do swarms go, is there any predictability to it? How many hops, how far?, brush, high, low?. I’ve looked around but 3’ beyond my lawn would be like a needle in a hay stack. Incidentally at that height they look about like a porcupine eating a spruce top.
Anybody out there with experience tracking Swarms?
Mark
www.bonterrabees.com
got some good video if I can figure out how to get it on

 

[Specialkayme]

I've read on here some statistics that someone posted about swarms. Average, highest, and lowest places that bees prefer to swarm to initially, then eventually make a home out of. Also average size of space they prefer to move into. I'm very sorry to say that I don't remember what the statistics were, who posted them, or in what thread. I'm sorry. But at least the information is out there.

got some good video if I can figure out how to get it on

easiest would probably be youtube, then a link.

 

[Specialkayme]

Sorry, it bothered me so I went back and found the post. I think it's referring more to swarms though . . .

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244650

According to the book, Sideline Beekeeping for Alpaca and Ratite Farmers, Max distance they go is 105.84 meters. Average distance is 20.695m. Recommended distance to put a bait hive is 9.065m from your beeyard with a swarm lure in it and you will catch swarms from your own bees and maybe from other local hives. Just make sure that the bait hive is a minimum of 1.817m above the ground and a maximum of 3.126m above the ground which is the height that a person of your stature should be able to reach from a 1.22m or 1.83m ladder.

 

[Bonterra Bees]

Hey Specialkayme
Thanks for tracking down that info. Indeed they did not go far on the first hop and it kinda sounds like 3 or 4 hundred feet for the second hop. Given that I might make another search round. I hate to abandon them to a Maine winter. Poor girls just got rid of their sunglasses as a package from Florida this spring.
Mark