Sycamore practically dripping with nectar here on Speyside this afternoon! Shame most of my colonies not strong enough to fill a super or three of it. Still it'll do them some good.
Sycamore practically dripping with nectar here on Speyside this afternoon! Shame most of my colonies not strong enough to fill a super or three of it. Still it'll do them some good.
todays news
Watched a swarm issuing from a neighbours hive thus afternoon, I gave some video and photos which I will try and post in a but.
They dutifully settle about 15ft away on a branch of an agreeable height allowing me to christen one of the skeps I got for my birthday.
Textbook swarm, settle and capture for once I'm suitably smug right now, especially as my hive next door worked to predictions and had nice open queen cells today so straightforward artificial swarm with queen and flying bees on the original site and brood plus a queen cell in a nice shiny new hive. I'll recheck them next week to ensure they still only have one queen cell and then leave them to it for a couple of weeks.
Started swarm control yesterday. Just over two weeks later than normal. From my hive records from the past 12 years my bees usualy start their queen cells week starting 23rd May
There is also a good flow on with all this good weather. Just put my 3rd super on one hive with most other hives on 2 supers which is good for our area
Ah, lovely, NeilsOriginally Posted by Neils
Our first a/s was 27 May and on checking yesterday all seems to have gone well. Made up a nuc, too, with spare frame and qc. Yesterday one or two more were at it and we were adding supers like nobody's business. Have just put in orders for one more hive and 3 polynucs ... hesitated to do so earlier due to late spring but they've all come through extremely well.
Pics as promised. They picked their resting spot pretty quickly, in fact they pretty much made a beeline right for it and took maybe 10 minutes to form the majority of the cluster and were settled within 15 minutes. We think this is a cast rather than a prime swarm.
Once they'd finished doing their thing I grabbed a Skep from the shed and dutifully scooped them up, before leaving them alone to settle for a few hours so we could eventually put them into a permanent home The skeps just propped up on a bit of wood to give them an entrance.
A variation on marching them up a board, just turn the skep and angle it to the entrance:
I have plans for a skep I'm Chopping the bottom off the laundry basket
That's some swarm Neils they will make loads of new combs for you
You could have a caption where the two hives on the right are leaning away
"good grief has that Nuc let another one go "
Last edited by The Drone Ranger; 09-06-2013 at 02:55 PM.
Just got another huge swarm in a bait hive in the garden.
Nice dark bees as well.
Photos to follow.
Great minds think alike DR! I did the very thing last year and taped the rough edge up with duct tape. Worked a treat and still going strong this year. No swarms as yet though here.
Himself is just out to the first swarm call-out. In someone's mother's kitchen, which doesn't sound good. I'd have gone along but the B & Bs are due back so I'd better be here just in case they need me! Swarmy weather here on Mull so the ferals will be at it for a while, I suspect.
fan it on up there boss!
Photos in the blog
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks