Both my hives swarmed today. I was actually hoping for this and placed a couple of swarm boxes around to catch them. Good news is one of the swarms looks like it set up in a swarm box. Bad news is the other one found a hole in the side of our house. Wife doesn't know yet. I don't think she is going to be happy with me cutting a hole in the side of the house to get them out.
Farm Bees Swarmed
- Thread starter mecoastie
- Start date
Oh, boy! It's always something! There is a way to get them out of buildings without cutting holes...many years ago, we had a huge hive in the wall of our house, and an old beekeeper came out and somehow extracted them. I wish I'd paid more attention, though! I can't remember for the life of me how he got the queen...
Good luck!
(If you have to go the "cutting a hole" route, remind your wife that she'll be even unhappirr if they find a route to the inside of the house... ours did, which was how we discovered they were there!)
Summerthyme
Good luck!
(If you have to go the "cutting a hole" route, remind your wife that she'll be even unhappirr if they find a route to the inside of the house... ours did, which was how we discovered they were there!)
Summerthyme
If you catch the swarm that is in the tree, you maybe able to cage that queen then set the whole bunch near the whole in the house and set the queen in the box still trapped near the top so the her scent attracts the other bees. Later on smoke might help entice the other queen out to join the party and the caged queen is still safe.
Jackpine Savage
Veteran Member
Have you considered making splits? Catching swarms is pretty hit and miss. We brought twenty five of my DW's hives from FL shortly after we were married. It was early May. My DW couldn't believe how fast they built up. We were chasing bees all over. I even attached a bucket to a 20' aluminum pole to get them out of trees.
We have quite a few commercial hives scattered around us. I think we've caught 6 or 7 of their swarms in the past 15 years.
We have quite a few commercial hives scattered around us. I think we've caught 6 or 7 of their swarms in the past 15 years.
My daughter was just talking about the day I put a bucket on an irrigation pipe at my uncles farm and we were all trying to this huge swarm out of a locust. Fortunately this swarm was easier.
I have done a number of splits in the past. At one time I wanted to get bigger so I split hard. Problem is that turns into work. More time, more equipment, more costs and most importantly more govt interference.
I sold some, lost some and am down to where I want to be with the hives. I want to stay between 4 to 8 or so. I sell all the honey I can produce and have a waiting list just with friends and coworkers.
So now I just set out the traps. If I catch them great. If not I hope they find a tree or someone else catches them. I figure they now the optimal time to swarm to ensure survival of both the swarm and the colony they are leaving. About the only time I will split now is if I start seeing a late build up as then I can lose both easily. May and June are fine but beyond that I start paying more attention to the hives. This is only my second year with the Russians so I am still figuring them out but so far I like them.
I have done a number of splits in the past. At one time I wanted to get bigger so I split hard. Problem is that turns into work. More time, more equipment, more costs and most importantly more govt interference.
I sold some, lost some and am down to where I want to be with the hives. I want to stay between 4 to 8 or so. I sell all the honey I can produce and have a waiting list just with friends and coworkers.
So now I just set out the traps. If I catch them great. If not I hope they find a tree or someone else catches them. I figure they now the optimal time to swarm to ensure survival of both the swarm and the colony they are leaving. About the only time I will split now is if I start seeing a late build up as then I can lose both easily. May and June are fine but beyond that I start paying more attention to the hives. This is only my second year with the Russians so I am still figuring them out but so far I like them.
lonestar09
Veteran Member
Some place near me the bees are getting ready to swarm. I have seen a lot flying around the buildings here looking for a new place, especially today. I have to check tomorrow to make sure no new hive here
So it looks like I have caught 3 swarms this past week. The first one that was in the white pine and I got that inoto a box and they have stayed. The second popped up a day later and was high in a tree that afternoon. They settled into a swarm box the next day. Last one was this morning and they went right into a swarm box. It was neat to watch. I took video but it is too large to post. I think that I have had 4 swarms total from the 2 hives. The first swarm was the one that settled into the house. I dont know what happened to it but it is gone. From what I have found that is not unusual from Russians. Hoping that is it. Going to pull together a couple of hives and get the swarms out of the boxes in a couple days. I will leave them at a friends house for a month and then bring 2 back here and one to my father.
So I have had 2 more swarms. Caught the last one today. It is going to a friend. The previous one got away. Should be about the end of the season for them I hope. Brings the total to 6 swarms. I checked the 2 original hives and they have plenty of brood and are putting in the honey. Don't seem affected much at all.
As for the 3 I caught 2 are doing great. 1 is hopelessly queenless. I am just going to let it go and harvest all the honey. At this point is is not worth trying to introduce a new queen or risk a combine.
As for the 3 I caught 2 are doing great. 1 is hopelessly queenless. I am just going to let it go and harvest all the honey. At this point is is not worth trying to introduce a new queen or risk a combine.