Its bee swarm season. Woo hoo

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.

What does a bee swarm boz look like? Is it purple?

Thats pretty cool. Free bees. Congratulations. Your a well rounded trapper now.

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

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"

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

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.

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 .

Hers a good swarm trap lure recipe...


https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/lemongrass-swarm-lure-recipe-zbwz1807zsau/

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

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

I'm getting ready to put out my first swarm traps, are you using Swarm Commander and if so, how much?

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?

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.

Knew of two swarms yesterday in western Pa. It’s time.

My Daughter and son-in-law picked up a swarm here in SW Missouri yesterday