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Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo #7252588
04/26/21 11:29 PM
04/26/21 11:29 PM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,860
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Offline OP
trapper
Providence Farm  Offline OP
trapper
P

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,860
Indiana

I put my swarm traps out about a month early this year. I have out 5. 3 on my farm all a few hundred yards apart in locations that have caught swarms before and 2 are over 100 miles away one at a friend by my job the other at my wifes grandmother's house. My friend had a swarm land in his yard last year and my wife grandmother has a swarm in her house that threw a swarm last year and they bring in bees all the way around them for the melon crops. Both great locations. I'm going to try my first cut out at her grandmother's this year when they replace the siding.

Today my friend sent me a clip of bees in the one at his house and I checked the 3 on the farm for the first time in 4 day and one is seeing a lot of activity and they are all ready taking in pollen. No action on the others yet.

If things go well I just went from 2 hives to 4 and swarm season is just starting. I may expand up to 6 or 8 hives this year. Its pretty exciting for this 2and year bee keeper. I traped my current bees last year and both hives survived and are looking great This year so far. Probably just beginners luck.

This bee keeping can sure get addicting.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252631
04/27/21 12:32 AM
04/27/21 12:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,758
West Virginia,age 49
cathryn Offline
bvr-takr-upr
cathryn  Offline
bvr-takr-upr

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 16,758
West Virginia,age 49
What does a bee swarm boz look like? Is it purple?


IF IDIOTS GREW ON TREES THIS PLACE WOULD BE AN ORCHARD !

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252633
04/27/21 12:53 AM
04/27/21 12:53 AM
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,790
M.T.V. Alaska
Y
yukonjeff Offline
trapper
yukonjeff  Offline
trapper
Y

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,790
M.T.V. Alaska
Thats pretty cool. Free bees. Congratulations. Your a well rounded trapper now. smile

I only caught one swarm, It was from my first hive. We don't have wild honey bees here .Wish we did.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252713
04/27/21 07:33 AM
04/27/21 07:33 AM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 4,243
East Texas
B
BTLowry Offline
trapper
BTLowry  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 4,243
East Texas
Let a lady from church put some bee hives on my place.

I don't have to mess with them and they don't bother me.

I get honey for "rent" wink

Honey she gets out of the hives on my place is some of the best in the county according to her and the bee keepers association here

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: cathryn] #7252741
04/27/21 08:25 AM
04/27/21 08:25 AM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,860
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Offline OP
trapper
Providence Farm  Offline OP
trapper
P

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,860
Indiana
Originally Posted by cathryn
What does a bee swarm boz look like? Is it purple?


Mine are white but the purple box on your place dose look like it could be a swarm trap. Dose it smell lightly of lemon grass oil? Should be faint if so to much and bees wont go in. It's only a few drops on a cotton ball.

I would have opened it up and looked inside and see if it has hive frames inside.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252742
04/27/21 08:25 AM
04/27/21 08:25 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.
B
Bigbrownie Offline
trapper
Bigbrownie  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.
I’ve caught a bunch of swarms in the last 50:years....the earliest I’ve ever encountered here in Pa. has been April 30th. Folks believe that a stretch of warm weather will promote swarming. To a degree, it’s kinda true...a swarm is more likely to emit on a nice warm sunny day. But the clock on swarming started more than a couple weeks ago, when worker bees began to develop new queen cells. Once the wheels are set in motion, it’s an unstoppable force .

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252743
04/27/21 08:27 AM
04/27/21 08:27 AM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.
B
Bigbrownie Offline
trapper
Bigbrownie  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Bigbrownie] #7252781
04/27/21 10:03 AM
04/27/21 10:03 AM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 601
ontario, canada
O
old243 Offline
trapper
old243  Offline
trapper
O

Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 601
ontario, canada
I checked one of my hives , the other day. Had capped queen cells . Split the hive into a 5 frame nuc with a frame of brood ,and a queen cell. With extra bees .Another cell into , a queen less hive. It is very early here, don't know if a virgin , will find drones yet. How long can they remain unmated, before being no good? I put out 2 swarm traps as well. Caught 2 swarms last year. Looking forward to better weather. Has been very backward, here. Interesting hobby. old243

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7252786
04/27/21 10:13 AM
04/27/21 10:13 AM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 601
ontario, canada
O
old243 Offline
trapper
old243  Offline
trapper
O

Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 601
ontario, canada
Regarding painted bee boxes. My daughter , also my bee keeping partner. Is the head nurse , in a long term care wing of our local hospital. The patients are always needing projects. She took a honey super in, and the patients are busy painting and decorating it. If they like doing it I have lots of hive boxes. to keep them occupied. I will donate the paint. old243

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7253669
04/28/21 12:03 PM
04/28/21 12:03 PM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 947
Pennsylvania, 1B
PaRay Offline
trapper
PaRay  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 947
Pennsylvania, 1B
I'm getting ready to put out my first swarm traps, are you using Swarm Commander and if so, how much?

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7253673
04/28/21 12:10 PM
04/28/21 12:10 PM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,834
Michigan
M
Michigander Offline
trapper
Michigander  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,834
Michigan
I'm curious of what is the common etiquette on trapping a swarm. Is it frowned upon to trap swarms near another persons hives? Are they fair game once they swarm?


Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: PaRay] #7253677
04/28/21 12:24 PM
04/28/21 12:24 PM
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,947
South metro, MN
C
Calvin Offline
trapper
Calvin  Offline
trapper
C

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,947
South metro, MN
Originally Posted by PaRay
I'm getting ready to put out my first swarm traps, are you using Swarm Commander and if so, how much?


I personally have not noticed a difference between Swarm Commander and just Lemon Grass Oil. Location is far more important I believe.

We are a good long time away from swarm season here, though. The Dandelions just started to pop up here.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7253680
04/28/21 12:31 PM
04/28/21 12:31 PM
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.
B
Bigbrownie Offline
trapper
Bigbrownie  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 3,121
Pa.
Knew of two swarms yesterday in western Pa. It’s time.

Re: Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo [Re: Providence Farm] #7253704
04/28/21 01:01 PM
04/28/21 01:01 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,172
10714 Apple road Carthage,Mo6...
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Cletis Richards Offline
trapper
Cletis Richards  Offline
trapper
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,172
10714 Apple road Carthage,Mo6...
My Daughter and son-in-law picked up a swarm here in SW Missouri yesterday


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